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Shaping-up for Success!

2011-02-05T12:14:00.000+05:30

INDIA'S BEST COLLEGES, INSTITUTES and UNIVERSITIES

Health trends of fast-track performers revealed!
From the days when most employees preferred to pick up their caf' latte on the way to work (much like the Wall Street banker did in most Hollywood movies) or sip on umpteen cups of tea, to the present concern of whether, 'I have had my day's intake of 2.5 litres of water,' life has been a changin' for the average Indian employee. Health consciousness in India is increasing, and the corporates are showing the way by staying in step and in shape!

Research shows that unhealthy employees create a negative impact on the bottom line. Prof. Cary Cooper of Lancaster University explains, 'The important aspect of an employee's health is workplace stress. People are feeling excessive job insecurity, which is forcing them to work for long hours, ultimately damaging their health and family life.' Many managers are micro-managing people, which contribute to individuals' sense of loss of control and autonomy, a common cause of workplace stress. Such behaviour has resulted in outcomes that indicate organisational ill-health, such as, absenteeism, presenteeism (people at work but contributing little added value to the product or service), high labour turnover, etc'

It's of little wonder that companies are taking the first step towards keeping their employees in the pink. Dr Wilfried Aulbur, MD and CEO of Mercedes-Benz India, shares, 'Our factory layout allows people to work in a very clean environment and complete their tasks ergonomically. As a consequence, we have relatively low sickness-day rates for our blue and white-collar employees.'

'Family holidays have emerged as a successful reinforcement for employees who exceed targets, bring in innovation to business. Companies like Standard Chartered, TATA Tea, HDFC Bank etc. have been using these methods to encourage employees to aim higher,' reveals Ramesh Ramanathan, MD, Club Mahindra Holidays & Resorts. Clearly, concerned companies want to help their employees strike a work-life balance.

The drink and dinner extension of daily work is inviting for the initial year or two, but the new-age employees, who have spent at least four years working, are being observed to instead prefer activities like yoga or tennis in the evenings. More people are consciously switching to handsfree for long phone calls or are using the landline whenever possible as they are now aware of the harmful side-effects of mobile phones. Food habits have changed to accommodate increased intake of fruits, soya/ brown bread and fresh juices. Employees are seen consciously controlling their tea and coffee intake, and replacing the same with green tea too. Companies have made office spaces smoke-free, but with several employees going for multiple smoke breaks, this move has also led to a substantial increase in wastage of time.

The corporate world is positive about the impact and role of healthy living. Organisations today understand that healthy employee can contribute far more to their growth. There is also a realisation that only once the people are hale and hearty, that quantum leap will be possible.

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If stress refuses to leave your head and workout feels like a distant dream,

2011-02-01T10:11:00.000+05:30

pursuing some hobbies could take you closer to healthy living'

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While most of you reading this would find it difficult to relate to, some of us do fondly reminisce of a time when the fathers or husbands in the family returned from work while it was still bright outside, all cheerful and eager to join the rest of the family for the evening cup of tea and snacks and participate in discussions' patiently hearing out the children chirp about their day at school or helping out the ladies with the chores'

The situation might sound alien in context of our current lifestyles, where there's barely time to enjoy dinner and exchange a word or two with the kids or spouse before it's time to attend to the phone or start punching into the laptop. Not that you're to be blamed; yes, times are such, but while you flow with the rapids, it's also important to beware of the rocks along the way. And stress happens to be the harmful side-effect of overwork which can ramify into various health disorders. To avoid those tiring trips to the hospital and those illegible prescriptions, you couldn't merely rely on exercise alone. Hark back to your school days, when you were forced to develop hobbies: it wasn't only to help you glamourise your resume; they are also a therapeutic wellspring to draw from.

Mrs Verma had moved to Delhi from Jamshedpur, a quiet and relaxed city. She found it difficult to cope up with the hustle and bustle of the capital city and, over the years, observed her energy levels decline. On consulting a psychiatrist, she was asked to spend time on an activity that relaxed her mind. Mrs Verma started taking time out for gardening in her backyard, and within weeks her blood pressure normalised and she found that 'feel good' factor in her life. Consultant Psychiatrist at Max Healthcare, Dr Ajay Pal Singh explains that this is no myth. 'It is not scientifically proven but it has been observed on many occasions that gardening can be a stress buster. Gardening affects the mind in a positive manner because when you plant a sapling, you would want to take care of it and see it grow into a tree. This hope, in a way, gives your mind something to look forward to, which in turn affects your health in a positive way.' He further adds that it's not just gardening, but anything that relaxes the mind and especially an activity that can give one a sense of achievement should definitely be pursued. 'Many people don't realise it but it does have a positive effect and adds to one's life span. I have seen stress levels reduce in many people by pursuing hobbies like stamp collection, coin collection, visiting old monuments and antique shops. It might sound strange but it works!' said Dr Singh. Megha's father had recently recovered from a heart attack, and during one of those regular visits to the doctor, he was advised to keep a dog. 'My dad did not buy the idea. I bought a dog only to fulfill my wish of keeping a pet. And it so happened that my dog became my dad's pet. He takes care of my dog and takes him out for a walk, and my dog in turn loves playing with him,' said Megha. Little wonder that her dad's health showed tremendous improvement soon after. Doctors say that spending time with pets and seeing them react eases the mind and momentarily erases all tensions in the mind. The State University of New York at Buffalo had conducted a research comparing hypertension levels in stockbrokers. It was observed that the blood pressure of those who adopted a cat or a dog were restored closer to normal, than those without any pets. Dr Ajay Pal mentions, 'Ask anyone who has a pet, especially a dog, and he will tell you how much happiness they can get. And a happy life is a healthy life.'

Whether or not hobbies are therapeutic has yet to be scientifically proven, but it has been observed by psychiatrists and medical consultants that activities that give the mind a sense of achievement or help instill hope, is therapeutic. 'Mind games like solving puzzles, playing cards, listening to music or collecting rare objects help in de-stressing a person, and a stress-free life is a healthier and longer life,' expounds Dr Singh. So, make positive living your aim, so you don't find yourself eating more pills than meals in your twilight years.

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Diet another day!

2011-01-29T12:07:00.002+05:30

INDIA'S BEST COLLEGES, INSTITUTES and UNIVERSITIES

What would you not give to look like the slim mommy in that baby foods commercial? Try not to get carried away with the newest fads and diet plans, for health is a non-negotiable issue. Dr Vinant Bhargava, Registrar Nephrologist, Sir Ganga ram Hospital, cracks down on some myths'

Building Blocks!
Myth:
All body building supplements are harmful for the body.
Truth:
'Not all body building supplements are harmful. Supplements which have steroids are harmful. Supplements like Cretin or Protein X do not have any side effects. Also animal protein does no harm to the body. It is the anabolic steroids which have several fallouts such as hair loss, rise in aggression, increase in the testosterone levels, bone fractures and Gynecomastia (male breasts).' Hence those on a staple diet of anabolic steroids who believe that they can burn it all out in the gym, please beware!

Oh Men Pause!
Myth:
Women are less indulgent and hardly turned on after menopause.
Fact:
'Menopause has no association with sex as such. It is just that the estrogen levels go down in the female body after menopause. The estrogen hormones produced by the women are responsible for the lubrication, which is necessary during sex. The desire only goes down because it isn't enjoyable anymore for the woman and may be painful too.' With markets getting flooded with a range of products (lubes and gels), maybe some considerate shopping by the menfolk would do wonders for them and the ladies too!

Bronze Age!
Myths:
Drinking water from metal utensils, especially after keeping them overnight, is a rich source of minerals.
Fact:
'Anything apart from aluminum is okay. Food cooked in aluminum utensils and water kept in aluminum is not recommended. Especially pickles kept in aluminum utensils is dangerous as the acids in the pickles could react with the metal and give rise to aluminum ions. This may lead to anemia drowsiness and irritability. Cooking or using other metals would surely give trace elements, but how much these trace elements benefit the body is unknown.'

Food for Thought!
Myth:
A proteins-only diet is the mother of all weight loss techniques.
Truth:
'Such crash diets are never helpful. They cause more damage to the body than good. If you interfere with the metabolic processes of the body, or if you reduce the body's energy source, the cells break down faster and this may also aid ageing.' If the main aim behind losing weight is to look smarter and younger, then these diets defeat the purpose as the body would be working more in order to acclimatise to such abrupt and silly diet plans.

Neuter-al fashion!
Myth:
Slim fit is in. Body hugging clothes for men have no adverse effects on the reproductive organs.
Fact:
'The male body has been designed in a way that the testicles need to be at a certain distance from the body. That's why the scrotum or the sack supports the testicles at a certain level. If one wears very tight underwear or a pair of trousers, then the space reduces and the temperature required for the production of sperm is compromised. Hence in countries with cooler climates, there are more cases of sterile men.' A slim fit suit with a pair of boxer shorts for new corporate attire, anyone?

Mal(T)functions!
Myth:
Alcohol is a sure-shot aphrodisiac.
Fact:
'Alcohol has several phases. In layman's words the first phase is that of elation in which one feels happy and relaxed. The second phase is the indestructible phase in which one feels as if nothing can harm him/her. The third one is often the stage of a heightened libido and is often termed as the aphrodisiac phase. Thereafter we have the drowsy and the half coma phases.' Alcohol might sensitise libido, but it sounds more like a stage where one drops his/her guard and it (alcohol) isn't as convincing an aphrodisiac as ginseng. If it's all about mood enhancement, then a bar of chocolate would be a better bet.

Crank call!
Myth:
More than 30 minutes of cellphone talk in a day is a sure-shot dose for brain tumour.
Facts:
Facts still need to be verified with respect to the definite time duration which is permissible for a human body's exposure to cell phones. 'The sure shot fallouts of prolonged cell phone usage are hair loss and irritability.' Studies do suggest that harmful radiations play havoc with your body, but decreeing a 30 minute usage limit is probably going overboard.

The Right Time
Myths:
Food eaten late in the night is more fattening and more fat means more cholesterol.
Fact:
'Firstly, food eaten late in the night is not fattening. It is just that the digestion is better when there is more of physical activity, so one might have sleep disorders if you sleep immediately after a late meal. Secondly, there is no relation between fat and cholesterol. A skinny thin guy might suffer from high cholesterol or a chubby guy may have fat but his cholesterol levels could be normal. Moreover, some amount of fat is essential for the body. Also, cholesterol is of two types: good cholesterol is HDL and bad cholesterol is LDL and Triglyceride.'

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ASSAM / MEGHALAYA: BORDER DISPUTES

2010-11-18T16:39:00.000+05:30

IIPM BBA MBA Institute: Student Notice Board

Blood spills at Lampi
Four Khasis perish in the violence that rocked the area

The border dispute between Assam and Meghalaya has been resolved. But before that the Lampi area of Boko town in Lower Assam was rocked with violence in which at least four Khasis lost their lives and more than twenty people, including four police officials, sustained injuries.

This was not a one-off incident. Border disputes exist in several places of Assam mainly at Merapani area of Golaghat district and some places of Sivsagar district in Upper Assam area. The locals in these areas don’t know when violence will erupt. However, the Lampi incident that took place on May 15 grabbed headlines. More than hundred Khasi people armed with sharp weapons attacked the local Nepalis of the Lampi area. Besides, they also attacked a battalion camped in the area. “When the Khasis didn’t surrender after several warnings, the Assam police opened fire to control the situation. The government has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident,’’ says revenue minister of Assam Dr. Bhumidhar Barman, who visited the violence-hit area with state health minister Himanta Biswa Sharma to convince the locals to end violence.

Also, the disputed area of Lampi was discussed with the deputy chief minister of Meghalaya and a few other representatives of the Meghalaya government. Though the hilly area comes under the Boko police station of Kamrup rural district, the Khasis of Meghalaya have been claiming Lampi as integral part of Meghalaya. The Khasis residing in 13 villages of Lampi area always identify themselves with Meghalaya. And they also force the local Nepalis to associate themselves with Meghalaya. Some locals said this creates rift between them.

Concerned with the development in Lampi, the Indian Government reviewed the situation and dispatched a senior officer of the Ministry of Home Affairs to the area to discuss the matter with both the Khasi and Nepali communities. Official sources say Union Home Minister P Chidambaram — scheduled to visit Assam shortly — is likely to discuss the Lampi issue with the government. Other officials who visited the locality included deputy secretary of Ministry of Home Affairs Ajay Kanojia and Deputy Commissioner and Superintendents of Police of both Kamrup rural and west Khasi Hills district. Kanojia said both the governments of Assam and Meghalaya are making efforts to resolve the boundary disputes. Besides, people of both the communities submitted a memorandum to the government. The Khasi people want the government to set up a police outpost of Meghalaya police for their security and safety.

Dr. Barman says: “The decision of the Supreme Court will be regarded as the final regarding the border dispute. Police presence in the area has been increased and two new police posts have been set up in the area to maintain law and order.”

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

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Tea to follow coffee

2010-08-27T17:42:00.000+05:30

Tea manufacturers are really in a sunny spirit with the year 2010. On the one hand, in the global market, according to Tea Board of India, tea exports have increased by more than 24 % in December, 2009 and such growth is extrapolated to continue in 2010 also. On the other hand, tea retailing in India is also showing a sunny spirit. And Indian Tea Association is gung ho to roll out exclusive tea retail stores. But can a tea café create a market when Coffee retailers (read Café Coffee Day) have hogged the limelight? Like ‘Passion - my cup of tea’, there are at least 25 regional exclusive tea retailing brands in this country and till now they have been thriving only in local markets. And most of them missed out big time in going to the national level. So can Indian tea brands create a national chain like CCD or Barista?”

Angshuman Paul

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

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Orkut’s facelift to save face…

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

The social networking war in india is intensifying with Google finally breaking its lull over the declining popularity of its social networking site, Orkut and doing a major revamp of its features. Orkut has built upon Google’s core strengths and has added usage of You Tube videos within the Orkut environment without opening new pages, faster upload and download of Picasa pictures. Also, for the first time, G-talk is embedded into Orkut. Apart from the major new additions, other supplementary features like video chat and video testimonials, automatic face detection and varied colours and fonts for text have also been made available. At a time when the second wave of social networking has picked up in India with the explosive growth of Facebook and dedicated work place sites like Twitter and LinkedIn, the name that once became synonymous with the college youth of the country is today struggling to maintain that same growth of new users as in its first two-three years of operations in India. With arch rival Facebook bringing newer features like games, content sharing and publishing analytics, (which make users analyse how many time a link has been shared and the number of comments), et al, the war is set to continue for years to come. This move will prompt rivals in the market to scurry for further additions to their websites as the game is entirely about providing more and more user-friendly services within the architecture of the same website. If you see Facebook and Twitter soon arriving with a host of new features, don’t be amazed because as long as social networking and web technology will keep evolving, the war will continue.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

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Show your ‘DariyaDilli’!

2010-06-17T16:36:00.001+05:30

Show your ‘DariyaDilli’!The marketing fraternity this fortnight was busy with events around children’s day. The country’s largest FM network Big 92.7 FM brought together ace designer Rohit Bal, children of MaxFort school to celebrate the Children’s day with the street children in Delhi. On the occasion, the radio station launched ‘DariyaDilli’ campaign with an aim to make Delhiites pledge and spread the warmth of Delhi to the street children by contributing woolen clothes. Designer Rohit Bal came forward to support the cause. Ashwin Padmanabhan, Station Head – BIG 92.7 FM Delhi said, “The campaign not only provides warm clothes to poor, but also reinforces the idea to the local populace to own and embrace the underprivileged.” Well, the initiative perfectly gels with Big FM’s philosophy of ‘Life Banao’.

Pallavi Srivastava

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

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...and the shakers

2010-06-01T15:13:00.000+05:30

• The creative duties of the account of JM Financial – a comprehensive financial services group, which was hitherto handled by Grey Worldwide, has been bagged by Creativeland Asia following an account review done by the client.

• As part of a global alignment exercise, Swarovski’s Asia-Pacific media planning and buying account has been awarded to ZenithOptimedia India. The account, which was earlier being jointly handled by ZenithOptimedia and Havas Media’s MPG Group, is estimated to be worth Rs.5-10 crore and was assigned without any pitch. l JWT retained the creative duties of the prestigious account of Pizza Hut in a multi-agency pitch. JWT won against a host of full-service agencies including BBDO, O&M, Saatchi & Saatchi, et al. JWT has been handling the account, which is estimated to be worth Rs.15 crore, for over a decade now.

• In a multi-agency pitch, national carrier, Air India has shortlisted nine agencies viz. Dentsu, Everest Brand Solutions, Euro RSCG, Mudra, Lowe Lintas, Crayons, Grey India, DraftFCB+Ulka, and Saatchi & Saatchi for the final round of its creative pitch.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

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MOKSHA IN MELTDOWN

2010-05-13T17:57:00.001+05:30

The Great Economic Slowdown

No other issue has dominated mind and media space in the last one year or so in the manner that the economic crisis has. Almost overnight, non-stop binge partying by Indian companies and consumers collapsed into visions of economic Armageddon, job losses, uncertainity about the future and worse. Real estate companies that were selling dreams faster than spiritual gurus suddenly found that the ground beneath their feet had crumbled. Export industries in far flung cities like Tirupur, Surat and Ludhiana found that export markets had vanished into thin air. Auto companies suddenly found that no one was interested in buying two wheelers, cars and trucks. So strong was the sense of gloom and doom that there was a virtual run on ICICI Bank, which was forced to loudly and vehemently protest that it was liquid and sound. And keeping – and getting – a job started proving damnably difficult. This was clearly a wake up call for millions of Indians. But it does appear at the moment that visions of apocalypse unveiled by the end of 2008 were perhaps a bit exaggerated. Sure, business is yet to completely recover and will perhaps never reach the mad boom days of 2006-2008. But there are unmistakable signs that the economy is back on track and that consumers are once again buying. Oops... did you actually ask whether the recession (sorry, slowdown) had any impact on electoral fortunes in the country? You must be joking!

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

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Charlie Chaplin is still afresh in people’s mind

2010-04-23T12:08:00.001+05:30

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The idea of using a black-and-white background has not occurred to Cherry Blossom alone. Apple came out with an ad featuring black and white video footage and print ads featuring legends like Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso. The ad ended with the image of a young girl opening her eyes (as if)to see the possibilities before her. Everyday, the ad featured a different historic figure, with a small Apple logo and the ‘Think Different’ slogan. The idea was to convey that although the world may perceive these (historical icons) as rebels, troublemakers or crazy – Apple sees them as geniuses, because people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do – just what Apple does in its labs. The campaign, completely in line with Apple’s brand positioning, was a hit.

The idea of using historical icons as ambassadors is catching on fast in India. State Bank of India, the nation’s largest public sector bank, recently launched a print campaign with pictures of its celebrated account holders in the distant past viz. Dadabhai Naoroji, J.R.D. Tata, J.C. Bose, among others. As per the agency, the idea is to establish SBI’s ‘legacy and reputation’ in the mind of modern consumers.

For many, using historical icons as brand ambassadors is the safest bet (besides being economically cheaper), as there are little possibilities of controversies and criticism due to their present deeds. Remember, the quagmire that marketers found themselves in when Salman Khan drove his Land Cruiser over sleeping pavement dwellers in Mumbai or when Sanju Baba landed in jail. Millions of endorsement dollars riding on their backs gave sleepless nights to many. Guess it does pay sometimes to really go ahead and take Apple’s advice: ‘Think Different’!

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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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A different beat!

2010-03-31T16:06:00.001+05:30

The man whose basmati rice brand, India Gate, has achieved global status talks about his experience...

4Ps B&M: What were the major challenges that you faced while taking your brand India Gate global?
AKM: First of all, the dominance of large retailers like Wal-Mart. Then convincing the customer about the quality of the product posed a challenge, because in the food business, quality assurance is must. But India has a copyright for basmati rice and I started highlighting that aspect in my product and gave all possible details of manufacturing process, location, date, et al, on the packaging.

4Ps B&M: When it comes to USA, the food standard bills are very strong. Did this prove a bottleneck to enter the US market?
AKM: Not only in USA, but in Europe too, food safety rules are very strict. But as I said, we paid attention to our packaging and when it comes to processing, we followed global standards. I think these are the basics to create a brand which have to be supported by proper promotional exercise. So, we started highlighting the USP of the basmati rice.

4Ps B&M: What major challenges do Indian food entrepreneurs face while trying to create a global brand?
AKM: Most players can’t afford to create a brand as it takes time and money to generate goodwill that is required to creating brand. And then, many players still consider it a commodity, which cannot be branded. Having been in the industry for over than three decades, I learnt that even a common food commodity like basmati rice could be branded. All it needed was the right brand name, with proper marketing efforts. I deliberately gave it the name ‘India Gate’ because its represents India.

4Ps B&M: And as per you, which are the key markets for Indian foods?
AKM: It’s difficult to point out the key markets. Like for rice, is can be either of Middle-East, Europe, Africa or US while Indian spices are demanded widely in Europe.

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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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A man who has jumped from paints to carbonated drinks to straight-off-the-shelf retail,

2010-03-13T10:38:00.000+05:30

Mayur Toshniwal does not disappoint in his astute views on life, leadership and... biology!

Biology is the subject he hates, understanding personalities is what he loves, managing operations at Future Group is what he does. Mayur Toshniwal – President, Retail Operations (Value Formats) of Future Group comes out as a man who possesses a diversified personality, and not just because of his mix of mechanical engineering (from IT-BHU, Varanasi) and MBA (from IIM Ahmedabad).

Toshniwal started his corporate journey at the mecca of marketing learning, Asian Paints. But with his penchant for commerce and the personal quest to indulge in business, through his seven years tenure in Asian Paints and then in Coca Cola, he relentlessly kept hunting for something new. And his hunt came to an end when one day he met Kishore Biyani, the owner of Future Group, and in just 15 minutes flat decided to join the group as the CEO of North India.

That was five years back. But the journey till date, which he has cherished, has not been as hunky dory as it might seem – for as Future Group proliferated from Pantaloon to other different formats like Food Bazaar and Big Bazaar, Mayur’s challenges also started increasing. Moreover, with the responsibility of the pan India retail operations for the Rs.10,000 crore group, things were as complex as one could handle. “But it’s always interesting as you not only have new formats, but also have new cities adding bringing new challenges,” says Toshniwal.

But what about the growth target of 40% that Future Group had aimed for with respect to Pantaloon Retail India Ltd (which owns the brands of Big Bazaar, Food Bazaar etc)? Especially as the same-store-sales grew only by 5.7% in the first half of 2009 (Jan-June) and home retailing in fact declined by 4.8%. How logical was it to expand so much during the last year? “Yes, the last three years we have done major expansions; we entered in various new formats; Food Bazaar was established as a standalone store etc – we estimated that India will be a hub for a robust retail industry. It was the slowdown and rising real estate cost that affected the industry. But irrespective of that, grocery and food retailing format of out store has grown more that our expectation,” explains Toshniwal.

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 Sunday Indian:- B-SCHOOL RANKING SCAMSTERS EXPOSED!
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Outlook Magazine's B School Ranking Scam Exposed
Don't trust the Indian Media!

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Delighting dealers?

2010-03-02T14:31:00.000+05:30

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Says Srikant Gokhle, CEO, Impact Retail (which owns the X-cite brand), “For the customer, we are the face of the company. It is we who sell their products and look after their after sales.” In India, a major chunk of sales of electronics and durables come from multi-brand outlets rather than exclusive stores (over 50% in some cases). Delighting the dealers therefore, becomes obligatory. When a customer walks into a multi-brand outlet with quite a handful of brands to choose from, it is the dealer who convinces the customer to buy a particular brand. And based on the relationship the dealer shares with the manufacturer, he pushes the brand to the customer. Most big dealers and modern retailers take the onus of installation of goods and providing service to the consumers upon themselves. So, in case a product develops faults, the consumer comes back to the dealer or the retailer, who in turn either rectifies the problem or sends it to the manufacturer. In this entire chain, the customer has no direct contact with the manufacturer; as Ajay Baijal, CEO, Reliance Digital, shares, “We have our own after-sales service program called Res-Q, and we also offer our own warranty in addition to the warranty offered by consumers.” X-Cite too has its own after sales service programme called Get Set Go. Stressing upon the need for great after-sales service for retaining customers, Gokhle of Impact Retail puts, “We cannot afford to lose our consumers especially on account of after-sales service...”

Even when it comes to marketing, dealers and retailers have joined hands with the companies. In order to enhance footfalls, dealers launch their own promotional discounts and schemes, as S. Rajendran, CMO, Acer India, reveals, “Our trade partners also come up with schemes to attract customers on their own and seek our participation in some of those initiatives too. We participated with Croma on their programs like ‘Back to School’, and with Home Solutions for their campaign on August 15, to make the most exciting offers available to consumers. Presently, we are engaged with Staples Future as partners in the ‘Tech Challenge’ which kickstarted on September 18.” Trained company salesmen assist dealers at the points-of-sale. Dealers at their own level also take measures to ensure sales, especially during the festive season when consumer spending is at its crest, as Kushal Negi, a multi-brand dealer in Delhi’s Yusuf Sarai Market puts it, “We send SMS messages, leaflets, pamphlets and even organise lucky draws to engage customers in large numbers.”

Then there are other means to delight the dealers as Prem Kumar, CEO, Fly Mobile, explains, “We train our dealers about the benefits of dual-sim enabled handsets. We are more of a technology enabler for our dealers,” to which V. Ramachandran, Director – Sales & Marketing, LG, adds, “We instill confidence in dealers by way of our services and work together on both monthly and quarterly basis. LG is very proactive when it comes to commission and transaction issues...” For sure, with the breeze of positivity blowing into our faces during festival time, the dealers will definitely give the companies, the reason to celebrate, and the white goods kings know this very well… Are consumers kings? Well, Deputy Kings surely!

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 will change your outlook” - The Sunday Indian on B-SCHOOL RANKING SCAMSTERS EXPOSED! A must read...
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Outlook Magazine's B School Ranking Scam Exposed
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Savreen Gadhoke takes you on a thrilling ride into the star-studded brand building initiatives that bike major Hero Honda took in the last one year...

2010-02-19T15:58:00.000+05:30

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To power its brand activation on all fronts, the two-wheeler major also launched a slew of new brands and variants in order to create excitement around the brand. It realised that during the economic downturn, it’s difficult to play solely on pricing. So it embarked upon the strategy of new launches and set the ball rolling for Hero Honda’s 100cc Passion Pro Power Start, and introduced variants of Splendor NXG, CBZ & Pleasure. Now the two-wheeler czar aims to launch bikes in each segment unlike Bajaj, which has strong presence only in the premium segment with Bajaj Pulsar or TVS. Hero Honda, with over 15 models in its kitty, is present in all categories with CD Dawn & CD Deluxe gracing the entry level segments; Pleasure (targeted at women); and Karizma & CBZ Extreme positioned in the premium segment. If Super Splendor talks of mileage, Hunk & Achiever flaunt the style quotient.

The brand’s association with the sensational MTV Hero Honda Roadies – Hell Down Under and Hero Honda Sa Re Ga Ma Pa also helped it garner buzz. Even though the profile of the youth targeted in both the shows was different, yet it played upon the aspirations of small town youth to make it big in a tough world. Hero Honda has also been quite active in promoting the brand at the regional front by co-sponsoring regional events like Miss Kerala 2009 for instance.

Besides, their rural campaign “Har gaon, har aangan” also did wonders to the company’s rural sales, which rose to double digit growth (yoy) in May. Adds Dua, “We instituted a dedicated rural vertical in late 2007 to bring all our rural initiatives under one umbrella with the vision of “Har Gaon Har Aangan”. This has further strengthened our presence in the rural market, with the contribution of rural sales to our total sales going up to 40% from about 37-38% three years back.”

Small surprise that Indian consumers have been giving this brand on wheels a big thumbs up so far. After all, winning the buzz war is half the battle won in ensuring first recall, then loyalty...

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

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Management guru Arindam Chaudhuri’s latest blockbuster book, Discover The Diamond In You

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AN ICMR AND 4Ps B&M SURVEY

2010-02-05T15:03:00.000+05:30

Brands are like relationships. And in a crisis, relationships can either become better or worse, depending on the situation. 1999 was a tough one for Argentina. Not only did the economy suffer its worst economic recession in a decade, even established brands were affected badly. A Nielsen study affirmed that in 35 product categories, market share of leading brands shriveled by 5% to 64.9% during the bad times. Some of the world’s leading brands may have been born in times of recession, but even the best of brands find it tough to ride a recession unscathed. Our 2009 annual rankings of India’s 100 Most Valuable Brands comes even as the dark shadow of a slowdown seems to be receding from the economy. Read on to get acquainted with the super survivors and how they fared…

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

Britannia and Nestle are strong players in the southern region

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

The group’s move into the dairy business (butter, ghee, paneer, ice-creams) – for which it has already acquired two plants – is another feather in its pan-Indian ambition cap. T. D. Mohan, Director, CavinKare insists that the group will invest about Rs.180 crore into the dairy biz over the next two years. For now, Britannia and Nestle are strong players in the southern region, but CavinKare is confident that through its unique model of procuring milk from farmers, it will be able to make its dairy business worth Rs.1,000 crore in the next couple of years. “Our core strength is product development, distribution and brand building and we’re leveraging these in our dairy business,” adds Mohan. Besides, only last month, CavinKare forayed into the restaurant business by launching an outlet in Puducherry. And CKR’s team is actively scouting for potential acquisition of existing restaurants so that CavinKare can move in quickly to lend its brand.

To be fair, CavinKare has a lot going for it. Besides, Nirma may not have succeeded, but there are too many instances of regional brands making it big on the national scene. Anchor toothpaste, which started in Rajasthan is today ubiquitous all over U.P., M.P. and Bihar. Likewise, Ghadi Detergent kicked off in U.P. and has a huge presence in M.P., Rajasthan and Gujarat now. Kerala’s Jyothi Laboratories, is doing particularly well in the North-East and West Bengal.

CavinKare itself has beaten expectations. For instance, Chik shampoo is the market leader in U.P. and Nyle derives 90% of its sales from non-south regions. Even Spinz is a top-selling brand in M.P., while its deodorants sell spectacularly in Maharashtra too; Indica hair dye is going great guns in Gujarat. In fact, the group derives less than 50% of its sales from the south these days, primarily because it has maintained its low and mid income positioning in these regions too. And while its ambitions to straddle the urban SEC A segment in retail ventures like foods and beauty salons may yet come true, the same may not really hold true for the FMCG category per se. On the contrary, its past FMCG forays in the SEC A segment have not met with much success. Perhaps the astute entrepreneur CKR has an inkling of the potential bottlenecks. “If I’m asked who is CavinKare, I would say we are someone comfortable playing in the mass market as well as at the top end of the middle class. We are not present in the SEC A category as of now. For that matter even Sunsilk is not penetrating the SEC A category. So we are comfortable with the positioning we have given ourselves,” he says carefully.

They can however still do it. At the end of the day, it’s all about innovation, distribution and understanding the consumer and CKR has proven himself time and again on all three fronts. Most importantly, he has his eyes set high. He wants to be an “HUL in the making” in just another decade. Well, talk about the sheer joy of thinking big!!

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

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In the Pink of health

2010-01-11T15:54:00.000+05:30

Economic development and health insurance go hand in hand; yet in the Indian context the correlation seems more skewed towards economic development. With enormous potential, glimmers of hope are emanating for the industry.

“Meant for the rich, educated or those in business… benefits hospitals more than holders” is the common (negative) perception about health insurance in India where the healthcare expense is a mere (3.6% of the GDP). What is startling is the fact that the health insurance market is still grossly under-penetrated with only 2% of the billion plus population possessing a health insurance cover. Juxtapose these with the fact that during 2008-09, the general insurance industry recorded total health insurance premium of Rs. 6,625 crore (a 30% improvement over the previous year).

Moreover, for the last six years health insurance industry has been growing at a CAGR of 35% to reach the current level. That clearly indicates the huge potential that the industry has in India. For private players in the domain, health insurance is emerging as an increasingly significant line of business. V. Vaidyanathan, MD & CEO ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Co Ltd, avers “health insurance contributes to 7% of the total premiums and we expect it to increase to 15%.”But then, as J. Hari Narayan, Chairman IRDA says, “the growth in numbers is also fraught with numerous challenges of ensuring accessibility, affordability and efficiency in the health insurance system, which requires sustained and focused efforts on the part of all stakeholders.”

But the question remains the same – why do people have a negative perception? It’s simply for the fact that approximately 70% of the health expenses are out of pocket. As a matter of fact out of the Rs.2 trillion health insurance spread, almost Rs.1.3 – 1.4 trillion are out-of pocket expenses. There is some inherent problems viz. definition of pre-existing disease/ critical illness, et al, which makes matter worse. 30% of health insurance claims are rejected and unbelievably 90% of these rejections are due to pre-existing diseases. If the industry has to grow, “the communication between sales force and policy holders must increase,” says Hari Narayan.

It is true that increasing awareness, rising healthcare costs, recent detariffing of the general insurance industry have been key drivers, but the real need is of products, which can capture other expenses. Standard definitions and list of critical illnesses and non-medical expenses will not only enhance customers understanding of these terms but will also help smoothen the interaction between the patients, hospitals, TPAs and insurers by minimising ambiguities.

Gyanendra Kumar Kashyap

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
Management guru Arindam Chaudhuri’s latest blockbuster book, Discover The Diamond In You
IIPM fights meltdown, places 2300 students By Education Mail Bureau
Delhi/ NCR B- Schools get better By Swati Sharma
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IIPM set to beat economic slowdown
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High Tech Computer Corp. ever heard about it?

2009-12-17T15:49:00.000+05:30

Moving on, apart from the HTC Magic, the company is currently offering 11 handset devices (10 GSM and 1 CDMA) that fall in the price range of Rs.10,000 to Rs.42,000 and is now looking to move beyond just touchscreens. “HTC has already become synonymous with touch phones and large screens in the Indian market and from now on our focus would be to go beyond the same,” explains Ajay Sharma, Country Manager, HTC India. As far as the company’s belief runs, it is only through provision of some differentiating and interesting factor (like a feature which enables the user to switch off the phone’s ringer by just turning the phone upside down) that consumers in the country can actually be attracted; ‘differentiation’ is the word here!

Innovation lies at the heart of HTC, and as company officials claim, 25% of the total workforce is engaged in R&D. Though the company has managed to capture a sizeable presence in India, yet in terms of brand power, it has to make bigger and better marketing efforts, especially when the market has other well-established brands that had moved in much earlier than HTC. Another hurdle for HTC is that, given the fact that it operates in the price points above Rs.10,000, it is clearly gunning the upper crust of the market. Today, the only other player that operates in just the plus Rs.10,000 segment is Blackberry, but its brand is much more recognised and has thus already created a cult following amongst its target group. As Rajeev Makhani, a mobile handset expert and host of Gadget guru at NDTV states, “Blackberry has been widely accepted in the corporate circle, who have actually started a culture of Blackberries. In comparison to that HTC is still small in India.”

Another problem that occured with HTC in the recent past (read: the year 2008) is that, it had made a huge splash by marketing the fact that it has launched the cheapest touch phone, but then the global economic crisis followed and the company suddenly found itself faced against the wall. So where did it go wrong? “What happened with HTC was that it had not hedged against the dollar and was impacted quite adversely and because of that they were unable to launch any new handsets in the Indian market and hence could not keep up the excitement that they had earlier created,” says Ram Makhijani, a telecom analyst. Certainly, any keen observer would have noted the fact that today, HTC only offers 11 products, unlike during 2007, when it had as many as 17! But Sharma dismisses this as the truth as he proclaims, “We are evolving as a company, and what we were doing at that time was right then and what we are doing now is what the time demands from us now.” Defending its claims, HTC also points out that it grew by a whopping 300% during FY‘09 as compared to FY‘08. What’s more, the company plans to sell 1 million units by 2010!

HTC also claims that in its short span there have been a few learnings for them, which they are now applying to the market and is expecting to get good results out of the same. One such learning is that when a person is looking at buying a touch phone especially at such price bands, he/she prefers to get a feel of the same before paying for it and hence, just a dummy may not work. So, HTC has put in place a demo zone at high-end retail outlets to encourage experiential buying.

So, the question remains – will the HTC brand receive more favour in the eyes of Indian consumers? Well, going by Sharma’s confident approach, there is no need to worry for those 25% in HTC’s R&D labs; for the rest (75%) are doing their ‘smart’ selling & branding bit on the field. By the way, I guess HTC could start by disclosing what HTC stands for, as an acronym.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM fights meltdown, places 2300 students By Education Mail Bureau
Delhi/ NCR B- Schools get better By Swati Sharma
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All roads lead to... !

2009-10-29T13:51:00.000+05:30

Education too, has seen PPPs mushrooming up. The latest plans of Education Minister Kapil Sibal to make vocational training more accessible indicate a bright future for PPP based ventures in up-gradation of ITIs. Till now 171 ITIs have already been identified by the government for upgradation under PPP basis. If implemented in a proper manner it has the potential to transform the education system in the country.

But then, PPPs don’t come without hiccups. While PPPs are proving to be a good means of turning out quality projects, there are long-term troubles attached to the model. The first and foremost is the time. While the tenders are given with a time-frame attached to them, the projects, most of the times, don’t end up on time. Raison d’être: the regulatory loopholes. Price too contributes heavily at times to such conflicts.

For instance, even with PPPs in line, power is one sector that has seen conflicts between the parties, both at the cost and price front. In fact, coming to a fair price agreement is the biggest hurdle in effective use of PPP model. “For augmenting investment, it is critically important to move from fixed rates to market determined rates,” agrees T. N. Thakur, Chairman, Power Trading Corporation.

Moreover, the number of PPPs on the social infrastructure front is also too small at present. In fact, it’s the current policy environment in the country that is discouraging private players from lending in their hands to the government for such projects. Further, wherever a PPP model exists, it’s mostly an Indian company doing the Tango with the government. The contribution from foreign players’ is almost missing.

“Decentralisation of power and quick decision making is what will make the PPP model click in India. Further, it’s important that empowered monitoring mechanisms are put in place so that all such projects are implemented in a time bound and phased manner,” Satish Bagrodia, President, PHDCCI tries to suggest a solution to the problem.

No doubt, in order to make the elephant dance, both private and public players have to dance together too. After all, it takes two to tango, they say! But then, the harmony somehow seems missing as of now and that is certainly not a good sign. If you don’t believe us, ask a dance instructor!

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

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

2009-09-01T11:57:00.000+05:30

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Many argue that the success of Airtel is largely because of Bharti’s first mover advantage. In contrast, in all their other (relatively new) businesses, they probably have somewhat of a last mover disadvantage. But a word about SBM, the ‘new age entrepreneur’ is perhaps in order here. Simply surviving (minus the deep pockets of the other biggies in the business mind you), let alone profiteering, in the cat-eat-cat world of capital-intensive big business takes vision, guts and above all, a killer instinct. Sunil had the vision to apply for a telecom licence at the right time and long before the biggies jumped in, he was selling mobile connections – when the price of a handset was Rs.40,000 and calls used to cost a whopping Rs.32 per minute.

When the next set of telecom licences were handed out, large industrial houses jumped in with big bucks. Unfazed, Mittal continued to lay the roadmap for Airtel. He deftly manipulated bureaucratic speed-breakers, competitive sharp turns and raised enough capital to build his infrastructure to achieve the targets he had set for himself. Next, when the entire industry was busy guarding their individual infrastructures, in 2004, SBM went ahead and boldly outsourced Bharti’s cellular network operations to its equipment vendors - Nokia, Ericsson and Siemens. His logic: telecom is a people’s business and so he must focus on customer service. Competition sniggered once again, only to recognise the intelligence of the move later. Two years down, other telcos also began hiving off their tower businesses. His model worked. Airtel recently was the first Indian service provider to cross the 100 million subscribers mark, growing by about three million new additions every month.

Now yeh Bharti maange more! But given the aura, success and grandeur of brand Airtel, can Sunil extract the same value from his other businesses? It should be noted that whenever a well entrenched player in a particular sector has forayed into other sunrise sectors, the path has not been easy. Take the shining example of India’s business monarch, Mukesh Ambani, who deviated from his core competence in the petro-chemical business and ventured into retail; only to falter. Ratan Tata’s ventures into telecom and retail have not really acquired the stature they could have given his deep pockets, huge manpower resource and influence. So what is in store from the next leap of the Mittal brothers? But before, we examine their options, here’s the caveat. Airtel’s m-Cap of Rs.1.52 trillion is a difficult mountain to scale for any of Mittal’s new businesses – at least in the medium term. The analysis of all Bharti Enterprise’s diversifications merely gauges their potential and whether they can ever become the cash cow that Airtel already is!

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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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There’s a method even to the cables madness!

2009-08-19T16:43:00.000+05:30

IIPM Best B-school

Brand: Havells Cables
Agency: Lowe

Step 1: compromise on margins

Step 2: aggressively sell its switches, energy meters, cables, bath fittings, fans, CFLs, et al and acquire a decent market share in every category

Step 3: focus on brand through large advertising spends. Enhanced brand image would enable higher bargaining power and improve margins.

Havells India did exactly that. It’s high decibel, emotive campaign moved with lightening speed to push the brand up in consumer mind space and Havells moved in for the kill. It’s operating margin went up to 10.05% in June quarter of 2008 from 9.2% in the previous year.

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

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Getting greedy, are you?

2009-07-28T12:59:00.000+05:30

Shahrukh khan is coming to IIPM - IIPM 4Ps Quiz

Brand: Alpenliebe
Agency: McCann
So you thought Kajol and the Croc display the ultimate creativity for Albenliebe? Well, think again. Their most attractive promos came in 2000-01 adding a tinge of wit, a pinch of humour and a whole lot of greed to the candy. Jee lalchaye raha na jaye positioned Alpenliebe both for kids as well as adults. In 2006, among sugar confectioneries, Alpenliebe emerged as the single largest brand in India. Howzzat for effectiveness?

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

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Rise of the Third Front

2009-07-14T15:19:00.000+05:30

IIPM Respected Business School

The unprecedented, heartrending combined loss of Rs.10,000 crore pocketed by the existing high flyers of the Indian sky in the last fiscal has failed to deter these greenhorns from taking a splurge. The ongoing turmoil has shaken the roots of even the established giants. Reeling under the twin phenomenon of declining passenger numbers and mounting operational costs, Vijay Mallya’s Kingfisher Airlines has lost Rs.6.26 billion and Naresh Goyal’s Jet Airways has registered a loss of Rs.2.14 billion for Q3, FY 2008-09. Such has been the dire market situation that even their alliance is unable to grapple with the situation. “Our Star A viation will shine in this industry with its prudent policies chalked out by experts in the airline industry, backed up by an effective business plan. We are optimistic that the aviation sector would bounce back and there are already signs of the passenger graph going up, though at a slow pace,” counters T. S. Shankar, Head – Corporate Media, Star Aviation to 4Ps B&M.

But looking at the volatility and uncertainties related with the air fare, travellers have switched loyalties towards relatively affordable air-conditioned bogies of the trains in this period of persistent financial crunch. The fact has been testified with the evident decline in the Indian air traffic by 4% for the period of April to November with a corresponding increase of 18.33% in passengers travelling by trains. Moreover, under the directives of the Airport Authority of India, 10% extra fees in the form of aeronautical fees and airport charges will now be levied on air travellers from 84 state-owned airports across the country, which will make it more unviable for the new players.

The fall in the Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) prices by 55% since August 2008 might seems to be a breather, as it accounts for more than 45% of an airline’s operating costs. But in reality, the fall in ATF prices has been easily negated by falling demand and plummeting revenues. Adding to the woes is the implementation of removal of fuel surcharges from airfares, thus further hurting the revenue generation. “The fall in ATF prices is definitely a relief but with new players coming into the market, an air fare war is likely to begin again; the travellers would definitely benefit from this, but with lower air fare the players’ revenue generation would take a beating for sure,” supports Hatim Broachwala, KSL. Fueling the fear of airfare war Zavery confirms, “Our basic strategy is to provide cheaper private air travel for the business or leisure traveller.”

Given that the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has revised the losses for the sector to go up to $4.7 billion (from the earlier $2.5 billion) in the current fiscal, the worst is yet to come. The revision emphasises that air traffic is likely to further contract by 5.7% in the coming year. “Demand has deteriorated rapidly amidst the slowdown. Combined with an industry debt of $170 billion, the pressure on the industry balance sheet is extreme,” testifies Giovanni Bisignani, Director General & CEO, IATA. In the current scenario, this ‘third front’ will have to ready itself for some seriously difficult times. And seeing the fate of some of their predecessors, extreme caution is advised!

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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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The ‘Fear Factor’ in Politics

2009-06-30T17:46:00.000+05:30

Shahrukh khan to Host IIPM 4Ps Annual Business and Marketing Quiz

On the face of it, the message being sent out by the President of BJP is quite purposeful and positive. Who wouldn’t want an India that doesn’t vote on the basis of religion? But then, when it comes to the foot soldiers of the party who actually ‘contact’ the consumer in the field during elections, the gospel of equal distance between religions somehow gets transformed into an invocation of the lurking ‘fear of the other’. Just look at what Varun Gandhi, grandson of Indira Gandhi and great grandson of Jawharlal Nehru had to say while campaigning in his constituency in Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh. If nothing else, it was a clear assertion that you can’t trust Muslims and that a vote for Varun Gandhi will mean the protection of Pilibhit Hindus from Pilibhit Muslims. Much has been said and written about the ethics and morals of the now notorious Varun Gandhi speech. But beyond the rhetoric, the brutal fact remains that the ‘fear factor’ will once again be decisive if Varun wins and turns out to be a smart marketing strategist.

In fact, the rise and rise of BJP and its prime ministerial candidate L. K. Advani can be clearly linked with the power of the ‘fear factor’. It was the Shah Bano controversy during the mid 1980s that created genuine misgivings amongst millions of moderate Hindus about the alleged appeasement of Muslims. BJP successfully parlayed this apprehension into a powerful marketing strategy. So successful was the strategy adopted by L. K. Advani and his team of strategists that the BJP actually emerged as a ‘national’ rival to the Congress.

The Left too has its own version of fear factor to play around with. Says, CPI leader D. Raja, “Our line of campaign is entirely different… We speak for the poor people, we fight for the interest of the people, for sovereignty, for secular values.” The message outwardly is positive. But at the ground level, much of the real message is visceral distrust and dislike of the United States of America. The Left still thinks that Uncle Sam is a malevolent imperial power and that the people of India would be scared enough of Uncle Sam to vote Left. No wonder, their appeal has dwindled over successive elections, except the unexpected bonanza in the 2004 General Elections.

And what of the Congress? The party was clearly the pioneer of the ‘fear factor’, using it dramatically & successfully back in the 1984 elections when Rajiv Gandhi won a historic mandate. But those glory days are well and truly gone and Congress represents a tired national brand whose market share is being constantly nibbled away by aggressive regional players. In state after state, the core competence of Brand Congress has been hijacked by regional parties and it has not been able to retaliate. In that sense, Brand Congress is like Brand Bajaj. Till the 1980s, both the Congress and Bajaj completely ruled the market. Their ‘hegemony’ was virtually unchallenged. To buy a Bajaj was to be an Indian. Contrast that with the situation today where Bajaj has become the No.3 two wheeler company of India. Can both Congress and Bajaj reinvent themselves and find a new positioning strategy?

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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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You may fly no more!

2009-06-04T12:52:00.000+05:30

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Current economic conditions are threatening survival for many aviation players. Tremendous scaling back is needed to avoid bankruptcy, says Ratan Lal Bhagat of 4Ps B&M

“Students open your textbooks to page number nine, chapter 11,” stoutly commanded the elderly professor. The students, who dreaded calculus, knew that their worst nightmare had just begun.

Players in the aviation sector dread Chapter 11 too, but not for the reasons that the students do. This is the chapter that airlines have to open when their flawed business models throw their business calculus (read profits, revenues) into complete disarray. They now have to look into the ever dreaded Chapter 11 (bankruptcy) despite loathing it from the bottom of their hearts.

According to a report by Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) more than 30 airlines the world over, like Frontier, Skybus et al, have been forced to shut ‘hangar’ and file for bankruptcy in the past 12 months. Many others like Continental Airlines, US Airways, Southwest Airlines, Alaska Airlines, et al are all passing through bad times and are on the verge of being grounded.

“The revenue outlook is not encouraging, but we remain competitively well-positioned. We are seeing declining revenues on international routes, but these are still good markets for us,” explains Larry Kellner, Chairman & CEO, Continental Airlines to 4Ps B&M. Delta Airlines and Northwest Airlines, wich have already swallowed the bitter pills of bankruptcy (in 2005) have come together to avoid a round two of the heart shattering episode. “Given the difficult economic environment we face, the flexibility in the system is even more crucial and we are moving quickly to create a flight schedule for 2009 that optimises the profitability of every route,” professes Jimmy Eichelgruen, Regional Director Sales, India, Middle East and Africa, Delta Air Lines exclusively to 4Ps B&M.

Many of the players who had dialed the frightful number in 2008 were hard hit by the sharp surge in fuel prices. However, while the economy was relatively strong, many airlines found that they were able to pass on these cost increases to passengers in the form of fuel surcharges, which added to the already high fares. The global economic slump is perhaps a more challenging situation than high fuel because airlines have limited ability to maintain demand and yields in a softening economic environment. “The current economic downturn is extremely challenging for the airline industry. There has been a particularly pronounced fall in premium class and cargo revenue. In December 2008, premium class traffic in Asia declined 24% year-on-year. Not only are airlines finding that fewer passengers are flying, yields too are declining,” explains Binit Somaia, Regional Director, CAPA. And it is evident that the current economic mayhem might prove to be the culprit bird that could get sucked into the propellers of these airlines, forcing them to crash land.

The accumulated loss for airlines was a whopping $5 billion loss in 2008. All these have been fuelled by the global international cargo traffic, plummeting by 22.6% in December compared to December 2007. Whereas a similar comparison for international passenger traffic showed a 4.6% drop. The international load factor stood at 73.8%. Moreover, throughout 2008, international cargo traffic was down 4%, passenger traffic showed a modest increase of 1.6%, and the international load factor stood at 75.9%. All the aforesaid factors, along with the gradual decline in the cash reserves of these players over a period of time, seems to only add pace to their fall and force them to file for bankruptcy.

Furthermore, the International Airport Transport Association (IATA) forecasts a further loss of $2.5 billion based on a fuel price of $60 per barrel in 2009. It further states that there would be a decline of 3% in passenger volumes, 5% in cargo traffic and yield deterioration of 3%. Moreover, industry revenues are expected to contract by $35 billion yoy to reach $501 billion in 2009. “2009 is shaping up to be one of the toughest years ever for international aviation. Keep your seatbelts fastened and prepare for a bumpy ride and a hard landing,” said Giovanni Bisignani, Director General and CEO, IATA. Somaia straight-facedly sums it up, “It is likely that we will see more carriers enter bankruptcy in 2009.”

The only way out is through controlling costs, cutting down on fleet size and maintaining a sustainable cash reserve. “In an environment of declining demand, the most effective solution is to reduce capacity, which would mean grounding aircraft,” explains Somaia. The Delta-Northwest joint collaboration is already applying such measures. Testifying to the fact, Eichelgruen of Delta explains, “We are cutting international capacity by 3-5%.... We are watching each route very carefully to ensure we are matching capacity to demand.” Surely, Delta has set its priorities right. A lot of such cuts in operations will be needed before the players get their business calculus right in order to avoid turning to the dreaded chapter 11!

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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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Feeling good in bad times

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

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Recounting McDonald’s and Horlicks’ experiences is not simply to indulge in back-slapping about past successes in the troubled economic times that we face today. The idea is to see what they did to deal with their version of ‘bad times’. While the Horlicks’ positioning ‘win’ is merely a tale of a brand combating the phenomena of its cyclical sales; and McDonald’s was only trying to tide over a global health sentiment; this time the crisis is of global confidence. Globally, as in India, brands in the auto, financial services, FMCG and consumer durables sectors particularly are reeling under the liquidity crisis that the global economy is facing. Sure, America, Japan and Europe are in more trouble than India and China. But hey, remember the bright guy who coined the smartass phrase about the world catching a cold when America so much as stifles a sneeze? Well, so here is India, suffering from the global meltdown, despite a 6-7% projected growth rate, a 300 million strong consuming class in its infancy and more than 40 million government employees having just got tonnes of money thanks to the 6th Pay Commission. But banks are refusing to lend, so consumers have less to spend; some are getting the sack, so others are holding back (from loosening their purse strings that is!); there’s too much negativity in the air, but is it all fair?

Not really! Because the slowdown is temporary and brands that play their cards well will emerge stronger when the tide subsides. Globally, recessions and slowdowns have a knack for either making or breaking a brand. Take the 1930s depression. Unlike its rival dry cereal brand Post in the US market, Kellogg’s maintained its marketing spends. Kellogg went on to dominate the dry cereal market for the next 50 years. Beer company Miller almost doubled its ad spends during the late 70s recession. Seeing them, close competitor Schlitz also increased its spend. But it was a little too late. Schlitz was a virtual nobody when markets returned to normal, while Miller had gained considerable mind and market share.

But this is not merely about ‘abnormally’ increasing advertising spends. It’s about thinking out-of-the-box and daring to dream beyond the clichés of traditional business prototypes… It’s about fresh imaginations and beliefs… and it’s about your marketing programme in its entirety, from product development, to market penetration, to new markets, to your positioning (so that your brand is in sync with the ‘bad’ times). The good news is that a connected world has ensured marketers in India are not just prepared but are already devising and implementing exigency antidotes to deal with this ‘crisis of confidence’. Sure, the dampening last quarter results did cast a gloomy shadow over Corporate India, but for some, their creative – and not necessarily expensive – marketing tactics have begun to pay off, and handsomely at that! The fighter brands seem to have taken a leaf out of Millward Brown’s Survival Tactics for Marketing during Recession – a note published and widely circulated in May 2008.

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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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Cashing in on optimism!

2009-05-08T14:36:00.000+05:30

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Want to improve sales in adverse conditions? Positive tag-lines should do the trick...

Crashing stock markets with evaporating values, increasing inflation with rising prices and tight liquidity with the dreaded pink slip issuance; the world is in doldrums. The populace has been engulfed in pessimism as the financial downturn creates an unprecedented hole in its pocket. As a result, purchasing power for even daily goods has been curtailed, hurting the bottom lines of many companies. In this bleak outlook when consumer confidence is at an all time low, corporations need to think out of the box. Vulnerable, major players have come out with ‘feel good’ taglines to hold on to their audiences.

In its bid to actuate things in a positive direction, Coca-Cola has decided to replace the ‘Coke side of life,’ the company’s tag-line of the past three years, with ‘Open happiness.’ Pepsi on the other hand has come up with its new campaign, ‘Every generation refreshes the world,’ while CK has launched the ‘We are one’ campaign. Showing its innovative side, Dunkin’ Donuts has come out with the tagline “You kin’ do it”. Not staying far behind, traditional players like IKEA and Mercy too have unveiled their new feel good campaigns, ‘Embrace change’ and ‘Believe’ respectively. Players claim that the current campaigns are meant to offer encouragement and a spirit of fun during these challenging times. “‘Open Happiness,’ embraces a positive outlook. It is an invitation to open ourselves to the positive aspects, to happiness, and to the potential for a better tomorrow,” explains a Coca-Cola, India Spokesperson to 4Ps B&M.

Before coming to a point, it must be understood that whatever marketing strategies corporations adopt, the sole motive is always boosting sales. Moreover, in the current market situation players cannot afford to lose their current customer base by not being innovative. “There is plenty of evidence suggesting that the tagline when used concurrently with other aspects of the brand such as the logo, colours and other auditory & aural stimulus, is likely to impact sales,” supports Stephen Byrne, Director (Strategy), DIFFUSION. These players are technically betting big on positive psychology in order to persuade audiences. A good and positive tagline increases the brand recall, leading to prompt purchases. “All this is part of a global movement towards more emotive and less functional taglines,” adds Byrne.

Interestingly, most of these ‘feel happy’ taglines are a response to competition’s calls rather than a perceptual favour to consumers. Evidently, the customer was of course always the king, but then it’s the corporations that laugh all the way to their banks!

Ratan Lal Bhagat

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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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CELEB ADS IN BIG TROUBLE?!

2009-04-09T13:53:00.000+05:30

IIPM set to beat economic slowdown

Just-exited-from-Ogilvy, Creative Director, Titus Upputuru offers his take. “There are advocates in India whose daily job is to pick up stuff that they deem to be incorrect of offensive. I remember I did this ad when I was with TBWA. It was against marble excavation. I wrote a headline that said ‘Somebody please stop this guy from hitting his mother on the head repeatedly with the hammer.’ Now that was supposed to be in the context of mother earth and stuff. But a huge hullabaloo was created saying we are encouraging violence against mothers. Now isn’t that crazy? And we had no option but to stop the next lot of releases. I guess there should be a body that has better representation from the industry who have the discernment to check if the ad is really misleading.”

Ujjal Sinha, CEO of the Kolkata-based ad agency, Genesis, believes that it is more posturing than the real thing. “I would like to see who or which body has the guts to throw Big B, SRK or Sachin Tendulkar in the cooler! Does every promise that they dish out through their endorsements to attract the desired response, resonate with solid facts that can be proved? Highly unlikely.” That at least something (at long last) has been done in this “surreal area” seems to please school teacher Radha Iyer. The 30-year-old believes that it could well work as a ‘warning’ to both companies and celeb endorsers, forever doing their bindaas, irresponsible number in this space. “Hopefully, they will look before they leap,” she adds.

Are they? Will they?

As this goes into print, Sani Fresh has signed on TV star, Saakshi Tanwar as their brand ambassador; Bollywood’s new sensation, Asin [Ghajini] has been scooped up by Tata Sky and Shahid Kapur has signed the dotted line for VIP travel gear brand. Is there a brand-fit between product profile and celeb profile? Will the consumer product promise really deliver the goods… or will misleading claims, riding on red-hot celeb-endorsers, continue to blaze away? Authoritative and high profile voices have lauded this move and are of the belief that it would definitely create “transparency between all parties involved as also encourage ad agencies to get genuine clients. It would also work as an effective filter and weed out irresponsible hustlers, while protecting consumers, ad agencies, companies and celeb endorsers from getting duped.”

Rhetoric or resolve? Only time will tell… in the meantime stand by for a fresh slew of celeb endorsements with mobile number pay cheque fees! Oh, also take a close look at prisons in your friendly neighbourhood lock-up for a whole new and starry version of Jailhouse Rock!

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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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Doling up for the ‘big boys’!

2009-03-26T12:36:00.000+05:30

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

2008 saw a flurry of old-school public sector banks rid themselves of their staid persona and adopt a nimbler, stylish image to compete with the private and foreign players in the segment. To be fair, it all began with the largest public sector bank – State Bank of India’s conscious effort to shed its sarkari image in 2006, but the trend caught real steam in 2008 when a series of other banks joined the fray, in preparation for the introduction of BASEL II norms in early 2009. And all this to fight the big boys in the race. Campaigns that led this makeover bug were that of Canara Bank, Union Bank, IDBI and Indian Overseas Bank, among many. Canara Bank and Union Bank, in particular, did not just sport a new tagline, but also went in for a change in logo. Canara Bank’s comunication (devised by O&M) tried to drill home the message that they had changed and that too for the people they love (read: consumers). Union Bank adopted a similar strategy, yet decided to retain its brand promise – ‘Good People to Bank With.’ IDBI, however, did not change its logo, but tried to aggressively position itself in the market place to get the idea across to its consumers that it was one bank that was not just for the big boys! All in all, a year that saw PSU banks doling out crores of rupees to position themselves efficiently!

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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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Veritell or Allzon?

2009-03-17T13:09:00.000+05:30

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Short term challenges apart, the Verizon-Alltel merger, seems worth the wait; By Savreen Gadhoke

Honchos at Verizon Communications and Alltel Wireless could now spare some time contemplating as to what name is best suited for the entity formed by their merger. The duo earned a breather when the proposed merger, worth a sterling $28.1 billion, which was until now held back by Department of Justice (DoJ) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), finally got a total clearance on November 4. The deal was struggling to get past the regulatory nod since June 2008 (when Verizon made its first attempt to acquire Alltel). But was the wait worth it?

DoJ and FCC had raised objections regarding the existing roaming contracts in rural areas. Explains Declan Lonergan, VP, Consumer Research, Yankee Group, “The merger may bring down competition and raise prices in future as it will reduce the number of roaming partners, which the local carriers can tie-up with.” And therefore, FCC has granted approval to the merger only on the basis of a commitment from Verizon that it will not play around with the roaming rates in the next four years. In addition, FCC has also demanded that Verizon divests its services in as many as 100 markets that overlap with the services of Alltel, to which again Verizon has happily agreed. And why not, as post-merger, Verizon will win over the 15 million plus subscriber base of Alltel, in addition to some 70 million of its own; hence leaving behind AT&T, with a subscriber base of approximately 75 million. Adds Lonergan, “Since both carriers are CDMA-based, combining the technical infrastructure should be hassle-free.”

Certainly the wait was worth the effort as Verizon has been catapulted to the first position in the US wireless carrier space, leaving behind arch-rival and seemingly irreplaceable AT&T Wireless at the first runners up position. Not only has Verizon tremendously increased its customer base, the merger will also make it one of the top US ad spenders. Now that the deal has finally got the green signal, what takes priority with Verizon is aggressive advertising and promotion to announce to the world that Alltel is now officially a part of Verizon. Camilla Armstrong of Brand Finance says, “Verizon will have to make an extra effort to reach out to the rural areas and explain to local roaming carriers why the merger is a good business opportunity for them.”

Objections raised by FCC may have left the local carriers unhappy with the deal. Industry experts peg the entire rebranding campaign to be worth $100 million, which could last for over six months; which makes it more challenging when coupled with the 4-year clause. So in essence, the ‘breather’ isn’t going to stay for long!

Savreen Gadhoke

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

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Carbon ‘Black Jack’ Traders!

2009-03-09T15:14:00.000+05:30

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As mentioned earlier, India (with a 6% market share and 930 projects in pipeline) is next only to China and contributes to about one third of the total CDM (Clean Development Mechanism, which accounts for 16.5% of the market) project base registered with UNFCCC (United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change). In 2007, Indian companies reportedly earned $300 million by selling CERs (equivalent to one tonne of carbon dioxide) and this earning is all set to touch $3.6 billion by 2012. The carbon trading market has grown phenomenally. The global carbon market was just $11 billion in 2005; went up to $31 billion in 2006; touched $64 billion in 2007; and is thundering upwards at $96 billion as per current figures. It is in reality expected to be a trillion dollar institution by 2020.

Corporate players across the globe foresee a huge demand in the future and hence are developing environmentally conservative technologies. This will not only help them cash in on millions of dollars of future demand but will also portray them as responsible corporates. Speaking exclusively to 4Ps B&M, Tom Johnstone, President & CEO of the $8 billion behemoth SKF (the world’s largest ball bearing manufacturer), said, “Carbon credits enhance both the company’s image as well as profits,” and further added that it’s a win-win situation for both the company and the consumer.

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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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Building dreams & real(i)ty!!!

2009-02-16T15:43:00.000+05:30

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4ps b&m talks to the man behind the omaxe dream about his perception and his growth strategies...

4Ps B&M: How do you see the current financial dynamics affecting the real estate industry?
Rohtas Goel (RG): The Real Estate market is experiencing some ups and downs. The situation for the sector looks very strained because of a combined pressure from rising input costs, escalation in inflation and rise in interest rates. However, the long-term forecasts for the sector continue to be good.

4Ps B&M: Do you think there can be more correction in the prices in times to come and why?
RG: The forces of demand and supply are the factors responsible for price correction. The clusters of small developers that have entered the industry very recently have substantially increased the supply level. However factors like inflation and costly home loans have given a setback to the demand. Hence the market has to reach an equilibrium which is only possible through a correction. But, the changes in prices wouldn’t be much because of the increasing increase in the input costs.

4Ps B&M: What are the key challenges for the industry and how can one address them?
RG: The Indian Real estate sector has emerged as one of the most dynamic sectors over the last couple of years with sustained growth. The price correction of inputs is the basic correction which will impact the overall cost of projects. Also a reduction in interest rates and check on inflation will give more purchasing power to consumers which can be diverted to the sector. Though inflation will put pressures on the purchasing power of the people, yet the high level of disposable incomes, easy availability of housing finance, and also the need for a housing unit for an individual will always remain high on priority. As a result of economic buoyancy, the developers will continue to offer projects to cater to the ever-growing demand for quality residential space.

4Ps B&M: In the recent past, formats of developments have undergone a complete change. How do you see the real estate market shaping up in the future?
RG: From our recent offerings of affordable housing and high end luxury projects, Omaxe foresees a good demand ahead. We have created a niche market for ourselves. But, the way forward is consolidation & innovation in products which can help a developer sustain himself in such dynamic market conditions. We believe that the real estate business will continue to remain a good medium for long-term investment. We are also coming up with a lot of luxurious projects in addition to existing 54 residential & commercial projects consisting of a Hotel, 24 Group Housing projects, 16 integrated townships, 14 shopping malls & commercial complexes. Nobody wants to compromise on issues related to lifestyle and housing.

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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 Gurus... on how they cracked the Big Idea!

2009-01-19T15:27:00.000+05:30

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Up next is the great Leo Burnett. While he totally endorsed Bernbach’s view on “saturating oneself with product knowledge,” he took it further. “I believe in solid, in-depth interviews of people I am trying to sell to. I try to get a picture in my mind of the kind of people they are, how they plan to use the product, what motivates their purchase-pattern and triggers their interest-area?”

Burnett then moves on to reveal a fascinating secret that even intrigued the likes of David Ogilvy… a great big folder tucked away in the lower left-hand corner of his work-desk, called the corny language dossier! “It’s like this. Whenever I hear a phrase in conversation – or any place – which strikes me as being particularly apt in colourfully expressing an idea, bringing it to life or accentuating the smell of it, I quickly scribble it down and shove it in the folder. Then, about 3 or 4 times in the year, I run through all the stuff, chuck out a lot of it and retain those that seem relevant to the kind of work we’re doing. I write a memo to inform the creative group and staff about this. So my ear is always tuned for putting usual things in unusual settings/relationships that – both – get attention and aptly communicate the big, core idea. I also have another bulging file. I call it ads worth saving and it’s an on-going thing, been with me for some 25 years! I go through them too. Extremely rejuvenating, both …”

Who better to round-off this amazing tell-all discourse than the legendary David Ogilvy. What did he do to make his stuff rock? “I try and loosen up if I’ve got to write some ad or get some ideas, otherwise there is a likelihood of feeling sterile and un-inventive. Many people – and I am one of them – are more productive and fertile when they’ve had a little to drink. I find if I drink 2 or 3 Brandies or a good bottle of Claret, I am far better able to write. I’ve also found the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, a useful start-up for ideas.”

He then warms up to present a fascinating insight. “The posture that I take when I finally close the door and have to write an ad is this: I always pretend that I am sitting beside a woman at a dinner party and she ask me for advice about which product she should buy, why and where she should buy it. So then, I write down what I would say to her! I try to make it interesting, engaging and personal – I don’t write for the crowd; rather from one human being to another in the second person, singular. And I try not to bore the woman to death by trying to make it as real and personal as possible. Incidentally, I have a theory that the best ads come from personal experience. My best ones certainly have. They have a sense of conviction, passion, validity and power of persuasion that is unquestionable…”

Right guys, got it? Thus spake the legendary gurus. Now, suitably inspired, get back to work. What? Starting problems? Oh God!

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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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They say fall of Wall Street giants will not have a bigger impact on Indian markets.

2009-01-08T13:13:00.000+05:30

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They say fall of Wall Street giants will not have a bigger impact on Indian markets. But with a sectorial review things may sound different, says Sunanda Roy

A humorous Internet one liner says, “Evening news is where they begin with ‘Good evening’, and then proceed to tell you why it isn’t”. Well, see any edition of any business news these days and you would get to know how true it is. Moreover, down on its knees the global financial market is providing them more than enough events to further validate the hypothesis mentioned above. Back home in India the domestic stock market too is leaving no stones unturned to help the news channels. But then, blame the modern era of highly integrated financial markets for this, which have ensured a negative impact of the US turmoil on the Indian stock market. Fall of the Wall Street giants, Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch and AIG – as if they are exemplifying what the ‘Domino effect’ is all about – quashed whatever little confidence investors were left with after the mayhem that they witnessed earlier this year. But the million dollar question is, did it actually impact India enough to draw a prolonged red line on the Dalal Street? Perhaps, that’s the priceless answer all investors are looking for at the moment.

So far, the overall reaction is quite soft – nobody has predicted any long term harassment on the Indian capital markets. Going by the words of Sandeep Nayak, Senior VP & Head – PCG dealing, Kotak Securities, “The Indian stock market will suffer from the contagion effect of the global crisis and move in tandem with the American markets for the short term.”

But then, how can one forget that the Indian stock market is still a slave to Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs). They have always reacted to FII movements, be it when they have pumped in money or when they have sucked out. And currently, the global financial crisis has made them take a flight back from risky emerging assets (equities and commodities) to safe havens like the US treasuries and bullions. Pankaj Pandey, Head of Equity Research, ICICIdirect.com avers, “As Indian markets are too FII sensitive, this pullout, as already seen, will continue to suck out liquidity from the Indian stock markets. This year itself, FIIs have pulled out close to $8 billion from the equity markets and since then the Sensex has corrected by 30%. Hence, one can asses the impact of FII liquidly in the markets.” FII pull out will not only keep the downward pressure intact on the bourses, it will also keep them volatile. Chances of volatility being persistent also increases manifold owing to relatively low volumes, bad market depth and breadth and distress selling by retail investors. It’s simply for the fact that absence of foreign money will see the market trade range bound along with some nibbling done by the domestic insurance and asset management companies.

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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 is not easy...

2009-01-05T12:42:00.000+05:30

IIPM INTERNATIONAL - NEW DELHI, GURGAON & NOIDA

Mahesh Chauhan,
President, Rediffusion

“It is not easy...”

“It’s not easy for a client to change his agency. He makes a certain investment in an agency and change means that he’d have to invest all over again in a new agency. It’s not easy. So, unless there is a strong cause for a change, led by maybe non-delivery or non-performance, the client will not change his agency. But on the other hand, the CMO is no longer under 1-5 year time cycles. He is virtually evaluated on a 1-3 months performance. The pressure is humongous. If an agency partner is not up to that speed then the CMO has no option but to look at other more promising agencies.

If you were to flip this argument and look at it from an agency point of view, I genuinely believe that the agency game hasn’t really evolved here. We have virtually become vendors of the creative product which is mainstream, traditional and not really hi-tech. Clients come to me for TV, print, radio, outdoor and go to somebody else for digital solutions. This de-bundling and media fragmentation, led to fragmentation of agency products too, which led to a lowering of the agency value, from a client point of view. So if the client is not ascribing so much of importance to you, as compared to a holistic communication consultant (as in the past), the threshold is lowered - agencies themselves have lowered it. Therefore you see that there are more pitches happening today than ever before, from a purely statistical point of view. But, the savvy marketer still believes in – and maintains a longer term perspective of his relationship with the agency.“

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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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Monojit Lahiri attempts a peep into male-zone to investigate the accuracy behind the projections and portrayals of this creature in today’s ad space

2008-12-18T12:06:00.000+05:30

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Hey c’mon guys, everybody – and that includes screaming, fire-eating libbers and their docile, quaint, demented toothless aunts – has opinions about how women are portrayed in today’s advertising, right? What about ‘MEN’ … what’s their scene? Is the poor sucker also taken to the cleaners by a militant mob or the portrayals, generally perceived as realistic, honest and true-to-life?

Ad person Moon Moon Dhar believes the latter and for good reasons. “There is a sea change when you compare today’s guys with those of the last generation. The perspectives, mindsets and attitudes of my father, husband [and hopefully] my son are worlds apart! I think this has been captured, with reasonable accuracy, by today’s ad people. There actually exists avatars of the man-boy, spoilt brat, goof-nerd-dumbo, caring type, Mr. Responsible, the sexy hunk, the stylish dude… the range and bandwidth is there reflecting the gradual evolution of the male. The Dharmendra-type has been replaced by the sensitive, caring sort … and it shows.” Journo Sapna Khanna agrees. She believes that stereotypes cannot – be it Bollywood or Advertising – disappear or be wished away overnight. After all it is tried – and – tested seduction in the public space designed to single-mindedly trigger the purchase intent and therefore needs all the artillery [read: masala!] it can get. “However, within that framework, most of the recent male-centric ads appear spot-on. The era of the MCP’s and overbearing louts are over. Today’s males are sensitive, caring and involved with family matters. They take pride in sharing space in the kitchen, PTA’s and children’s functions at school. The boundaries are blurring.” She cites her own example where her boyfriend of six years is “today my husband of 16 years!”

Gorgeous theatre activist Lushin Dubey, however, begs to differ. She believes that today’s advertising sexily, glamorously, stylishly – with all the techno gizmos available at their disposal – pirouettes, preens and postures but doesn’t even begin to portray the real thing. And what is this real thing, Maam? “The simple fact that today’s men are schizos! They are struggling to find their space, define themselves, discover where they are coming from and where they want to go … in short, figure out who they really are or want to be!” She believes that today’s guys are trapped between yesterday and tomorrow and don’t quite know how to react. The advertising, hence, is superficial because if one were to scratch the glam surface, all the smart poses and pretentious, confused emoting would disappear revealing the real laadla, spoilt, mama’s boy. “This genre of advertising appears to concentrate more on entertainment than truth! Agreed not all of it is hogwash but its like Bollywood – heavy sugarcoating of the message!”

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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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Women on Top... Why not in Ad-Land?!

2008-12-04T12:00:00.000+05:30

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monojit lahiri probes this mysterious imbalance and tries to figure out where the problem lies... and why

Once upon a time, Advertising was considered an arty-farty, boutique biz – a cosmetic adjunct of the FMCG universe mostly illuminated by English-speaking, theatah-loving, culture-vultures… Even back then, it attracted women, some of whom were extremely gifted creatures who distinguished themselves and made a name. Nargis Wadia, Tara Sinha, Nuru Swaminathan and Sayeeda Imaam come to mind. Today, as ‘woman-power’ zooms ahead (with an over-the-top media tracking and celebrating the movers n’ shakers like there’s no tomorrow) it appears strange, odd and inconsistent when one sees hardly a single woman gracing the top slot (CEO, President, Chairperson) of any of the big ad agencies around. Clearly it’s not about talent, drive, creativity, intelligence, focus or dedication. Then what is it? Vertigo (read: fear of heights!) lack of ambition? Reluctance to reach the top at any cost? Gender bias? Or the age old hassle of having to balance a career with home and family, with no prizes for guessing which way the cookie finally crumbles for her …?

The iconic Helayne Spivak (the celebrated worldwide Creative Director & Chief Creative Director, North America, JWT in the early nineties) when asked about the shortage of women in top positions in adbiz had (famously) stated that “no matter what you do, how many clients you impress, accounts you help swing, awards you pick up and respect you garner from peers – there are still those groceries you gotta pick up, remember?!” Ms. Spivak then goes on to add that women don’t really seem to be welcome to the top ranks. “Otherwise there would be more help for us – like childcare, flexible hours, things that help us with our extra responsibilities. Ultimately it’s a juggling act. Its trying to keep everything up in the air and sometimes it falls… and what usually ends up falling is the family.”

Sayeeda Imaam, who brilliantly fronted the creative department of JWT (HTA), Clarion & Contract across the seventies, eighties and nineties (and now operates in Consultant mode) has a different take. She believes that enough women enter the field of advertising, marketing and media. They enjoy their work and even excel in it, with the newness, creativity and absence of monotony providing them a continuing high. “However seniority and hitting the top slot messes it up because it comes in the way of things that excited them – the ferment of cracking a problem and honing an idea. Suddenly delegation comes into play and there are fewer situations to go hands-on. This leads to a boring sameness”. The other reason is that there is nothing to prove in terms of scoring over a man. “Being better in the area of professional excellence is not a big deal any more. It’s happening around us, all the time (Lynne D’Souza of Lintas being the latest example), everywhere. Women basically come into the business for the joy of it. They quit when the joy has lost its edge – or has to be relegated to others as she (yawn) moves up!”

Grey Worldwide’s NCD Priti Nair comes next. The tattoo-flashing hottie, without fuss or frippery, comes straight to the point. “It’s a very personal, difficult and complex call that women have to take; men (usually) have no role in it. Whether the total priority is with the job, a balancing act of fifty-fifty or a part-time assignment is completely a woman’s call. Once the children come, it gets even more difficult.” Nair believes that advertising today is a hugely high-pressure profession with travel, late night shoots, deadlines and constantly having to deliver the goods in a frenetically competitive space, coming with the territory. In this kind of an environment, playing a caring wife, devoted mother and sharp ad-woman together can be mission impossible! So, sadly, there are dropouts. What about madam Nair, herself? She has survived seventeen years, even after marriage. “Sure, but I don’t have kids, no? If I did, I am sure I would have pulled out (pauses) and, gawd knows, made life hell for people in the house! C’mon yaar, after almost two decades of working in such a fast-paced, creative and exciting environment, sitting at home and changing nappies or – whatever – would definitely drive me nuts!”

The still-gorgeous Nargis Wadia, (who headed Interpub through the seventies, eighties, even nineties) and who turned a zillion heads during her hey days with her chutzpah, glamour and intelligence – rounds off this debate on a personal note. “Speaking for myself, although we did quite well, I could never step on the gas like, say a Tara Sinha, because I definitely lacked the killer instinct! Also (you’ll laugh) I frequently felt awful for the agency who’s business we took away!” The other reason was that most men who were bright and talented, refused to work in an agency where a woman was the Boss! “There was a definite gender bias with the result that we could only hire fresh talent. Has it changed? I don’t know … maybe a little, but …”

So what’s the score? A recent survey indicated that women make better leaders than men in strategic drive, risk-taking, people skills and innovation; where – alas – they lose out are command and control of management operations and focusing on financial returns. Women are bold, ambitious, mischievous, colourful and imaginative. They can also be competitive, visionary and have a strong presence. Men were seen to be more task-focused and concentrated on getting the job done rather than dealing with relationships. They believe that revenues, budgets and profits are the only game in town. Financial hits is what it’s all about. Hence, they are more comfortable with hierarchies; title silos and processes … touché!

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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B&O Beovision 9

2008-11-10T12:17:00.000+05:30

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Technical Specification

Screen Size – 50 inch; Resolution – 1366x768; Dimensions (WxHxD) – 127x122.9x56.9
PRICE: Rs.15,00,000 without taxes
WARRANTY: 2 years

Run by the fastest engine in the world, B&O Beovision 9 is a total entertainment solution with high quality. The in-built Hard Disk recorder serves as a unique feature that allows to play, pause, record and replays the pictures. The automatic colour management has the feature of adjusting the set once every 120 hours of viewing. It possesses a contrast ratio of 3000:1. The Beovision 9 is available in six different colours. Talking about the sound system, it has surround sound system with centre loudspeaker with power amplifiers of 2x250 watts. It also has 4xHDMI and 2 USB ports, allows wide range of sources and devices, optional beomedia technology.

Marketers’ delight: B&O Beovision gives you the pleasure of enjoying the best quality and standards of picture along with complete home theatre benefits.

Tester’s note: Pros – Automatic colour management. Excellent sound quality and sleek design. Con – Comes in the extreme high-price range.

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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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You, me, and... a lotta debt!

2008-11-04T11:19:00.000+05:30

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Religare’s takeover of Hichens leaves many questions unanswered...

Before we break the suspense, let’s give the usual spin. London’s oldest stock broking firm has accepted an open offer from Ranbaxy’s Religare Capital Markets Ltd. (RCML), which will pay Rs. 226.05 per share, valuing Hichens, Harrison & Co. Plc at Rs.4.4 billion. “Our businesses are complementary and this will help both leverage the expertise, acumen and capabilities of the other,” averred S. Godhwani, MD, Religare Enterprises (parent company of RCML), to B&E. Hichens surely has a strong hold in emerging markets and on the face of it, the deal seems appropriate for increasing Religare’s global presence. Well, on the face of it...

Of course, the deal will not only increase the portfolio of investment products that Religare will be able to offer domestically (apart from the global capital that can be sourced by it cheaply), but it would also give Religare the opportunity of “creating a global distribution platform,” as told by S. Nath, Director, RCML.

But experts are perhaps ignoring a few critical facets. Crisil has already put Religare’s short term debt program on ‘Rating Watch – Negative Implications’, due to the debt it’ll have to mobilise for the deal. Secondly, Religare Enterprises, the holding concern, as per late 2007 figures, only has a 3.89% of the Rs.4 billion Indian financial services sector, clearly pointing that it could well have invested in increasing domestic shares first. And lastly, though share prices post the April 5th deal, have remained more or less constant (Rs.370 avg, BSE), trading volumes have most strangely gone down from a high of 92,944 traded shares (March 25, 2008) to a classic low of 5,460 shares (April 11, 2008), displaying a clear negative trend. Without doubt, the most imperative measure for Religare is nothing but managing cash...and a lotta debt!

Pawan Chabra

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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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Recession seems to be imminent in the US. Its length & severity now need to be judged by policy makers so that they may attempt to minimise the damage

2008-10-22T13:20:00.000+05:30

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Is it a ‘Recession or a Slowdown’ in the land of Uncle Sam? The debate rages on in earnest. Leave aside the fact that the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) defines recession as “a significant decline in activity spread across the economy, lasting more than a few months, visible in industrial production, employment, real income and wholesale-retail trade…” What matters the most is the fact that the US is suffering from one of the worst housing and financial crises in living memory. The ongoing crisis may not adhere to the definition as given by NBER; yet the outlook for US economic growth, employment figures et al has worsened in the last couple of months and the possibility of a recession cannot be ruled out. The financial market crisis, which erupted in August 2007, is worrying one and all.

The analogy drawn, however, has been debated by economists and analysts alike. Is the economy in a short-lived, cyclical recession or will there be a capitalist economic crash? As it is, the devastating 1929 stock market crash leading to the Great Depression of the 1930s silenced similar debates at that time.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF), though not very vocal of the present developments in the US (as it was during the East Asian Crisis), has said in its recently published World Economic Outlook, “The financial market crisis that erupted in August 2007 has developed into the largest financial shock since the Great Depression, inflicting heavy damage on markets and institutions at the core of the financial system.” It further estimates that the total losses for banks, hedge funds, pension funds, insurance companies and sovereign wealth funds arising out of the crisis will swell to $945 billion. Even the estimates have been a point of debate; some argue that it is pretty much an accurate estimate of the loan losses while others argue that the estimates do not in any way reflect possible decline in the quality of the loans that they hold.

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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 - Admission Procedure
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BERNARD ARNOLD - Defining luxury

2008-10-17T13:48:00.000+05:30

IIPM INTERNATIONAL - NEW DELHI, GURGAON & NOIDA

BERNARD ARNOLD
Defining luxury
LVMH is one of the earliest brand that came to India and slowly, the brand has become a recognised brand among the Indian premium class. The credit should not be only given to the chairman and CEO Bernard Arnold because as far as my knowledge about LVMH goes, there is immense teamwork there. But yes, if the leader is not competent enough and fails to guide his team, then no team, especially in business, can grow. I think the Chairman knows how to identify the market and then make a proper team for that market. He identified India & China much before any other players did and then supported the markets with a good team.

Today LVMH has an edge over the other luxury brands. To speak about the future, we all know India is an emerging market for all luxury brand and the early movers will necessarily be the winners. In this parameter LVMH will be one of the few players which will able to make profits from India. This definitely means that Bernard Arnold has big plans for India and the way LVMH is expanding, at least one of its brands will be present in every city of India. I feel, Arnold and his team will have the maximum retail presence and maximum brands in Indian market. He has successfully integrated various famous classical brands into the LVMH umbrella and he knows the perfect time to introduce them in Asia Pacific. The success of LVMH will motivate other luxury companies to come to India and this in turn will help India shine in the century in context of luxury goods too.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM : EXECUTIVE EDUCATION
IIPM’s 36th Glorious Year of Academic Excellence
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IIPM is A World of Career
Why Study Abroad When IIPM Gives You 3 global Advantages!
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beginning of the end?

2008-10-06T13:03:00.000+05:30

IIPM INTERNATIONAL - NEW DELHI, GURGAON & NOIDA

There has been talk of an al Qaeda resurgence, but the truth is that most hard-core members of the first and second waves have been killed or captured. The survival of the social movement they inspired relies on continued inflow of new members. But this movement is vulnerable to whatever may diminish its appeal among the young. Its allure thrives only at the abstract fantasy level. The few times its aspirations have been translated into reality – Taliban in Afghanistan, parts of Algeria during civil war, and Iraq’s Anbar Province – were particularly repulsive to most Muslims.

What’s more, a leaderless social movement is permanently at the mercy of its participants. As each generation attempts to define itself in contrast to its predecessor, what appeals to the present generation may not appeal to the next. A major source of the present appeal is the moral outrage provoked by the invasion of Iraq. As the Western footprint there fades, so will the appeal of fighting it. And new hotheads will always cause ever escalating atrocities, which will, in turn, likely alienate potential recruits.

The US strategy to counter this terrorist threat continues to be frozen by the horrors of 9/11. It relies more on wishful thinking than on deep understanding of the enemy. The pursuit of “high-value targets” directly involved in the 9/11 operation over six years ago was an appropriate first step. And the US has been largely successful in degrading the capability of al Qaeda Central. But this strategy will backfire when used against the leaderless jihad. Radical Islamist terrorism will never disappear because the West defeats it. Instead, it will most likely disappear for internal reasons. The key is to accelerate this process of internal decay. This needn’t be a long war, unless US policy makes it so.

Terrorist acts must be stripped of glory and reduced to common criminality. Most aspiring terrorists want nothing more than to be elevated to the status of an FBI Most Wanted poster. Younis Tsouli boasted online a few months before his arrest, “I have the Feds and CIA, both would love to catch me. I have (an) MI6 on my back.” Any policy or recognition that puts such people on a pedestal only makes them heroes in each other’s eyes. They aspire to nothing more glorious than to fight uniformed soldiers of the sole superpower. That’s why the struggle against them must be given to collaborative law enforcement. The military should be limited to denying terrorists a sanctuary.

It is equally crucial not to place terrorists arrested or killed in the limelight. The temptation to hold press conferences to publicise another “major victory” against terror must be resisted. The US underestimates the value of prosecutions, which often can enormously demoralise radical groups. There’s no glory in being taken to prison in handcuffs. No jihadi Web site publishes such pictures. Arrested terrorists fade into oblivion; martyrs live on in popular memory.

This is very much a battle for young Muslims’ hearts and minds. The point is to regain the international moral high ground. There’s been a gradual shift to online networks, where young Muslims share their hopes, dreams, and grievances. That offers an opportunity to encourage voices that reject violence.

The entire debate must shift from imagined glory to very real horror. Young people must learn that terrorism is about death and destruction, not fame. The voices of the victims must be heard over the bragging and posturing in online jihadist forums. Only then will the leaderless jihad expire, poisoned by its own toxic message.

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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Farmer will continue to be at the mercy.

2008-09-27T14:06:00.000+05:30

IIPM - Admission Procedure

Vibha Batra, Co-head (Financial sector Ratings), ICRA, agrees: “A large percentage of these overdues (of Rs.60,000 crore) could be on the books of cooperative banks and rural banks. Therefore, the impact on scheduled PSBs may only be a subset of this amount. Further, the incremental hit on the PSBs’ capital (assuming no reimbursement from the government) could be still lower to the extent of unprovided NPAs, as these overdues could comprise interest overdues on NPAs (which are not booked as income).”

At the same time, economists like Swaminathan Ankleswaria Aiyar feel that the waiver will reduce demand for farm loans in the next season, thereby allowing banks to lend more to other profitable entities. This will immediately improve their bottomlines in the coming year. In many ways, the state-owned banks will suddenly be in a much-better financial position, and will also be more prepared for Basel II norms as well as for the aggressive entry of foreign banks in 2009 due to changes in FDI norms.

However, there is a flip side to the issue. In fact, there’s another catch; it’s called Catch 60,000. And this shows that what Chidambaram has done is not going to make too much of a difference. It’s only a political hype; at the socio-economic level, the lives of the impoverished and suffering farmers will not change. In addition, the loan waiver scheme goes against the letter and spirit of the finance ministry’s report in July 2007 on agriculture indebtedness by a committee, headed by R. Radhakrishna.

For instance, the Committee found that most of the farmers were indebted to non-institutional (read: non-banking) sources. In 2003, over 42% of them had taken loans from such agencies; in fact, nearly 27% of the farmers were in debt to the local private moneylenders. In states like Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar, and Punjab (surprise, surprise!), the farmers were more dependent on the moneylenders for finances. In Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan, the exposure was over 65%, and the figure was over 50% in Punjab. Even in states like Tamil Nadu, it was slightly higher than 45%.

When one looked at the marginal and small farmers, the dependence on non-institutional sources went up dramatically. In the case of farmers, who owned less than 0.01 hectares, their exposure to moneylenders and traders was over 75%. Those who owned 0.01-0.40 hectares got nearly 57% of their loans from such agencies. Overall, the figure for those farmers who owned upto two hectares of land – it’s these farmers who have got the much-touted loan waiver from Chidambaram – was nearly 50%.

“It is indeed a matter of concern that in spite of all the efforts made for the spread of institutional finance (read: scheduled banks), it accounted for only two-fifths of farmers’ outstanding debt. Since the interest rates charged by non-institutional sources are high, this might have imposed heavy burden on farmers,” noted the report. Therefore, the Budget largesse means nothing, or little, for these farmers. Unfortunately, it is especially true of states, where the dependence on farming is higher than others.

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
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Debunking the Regan myth to curry favour with conservatives

2008-09-22T15:10:00.000+05:30

IIPM : EXECUTIVE EDUCATION

Reagan might have got it all wrong. But is there any point for US presidential candidates to time and again re-hash the same old story?

Historical narratives matter. That’s why conservatives are still writing books denouncing FDR and the New Deal; they understand that the way Americans perceive bygone eras, even eras from the seemingly distant past, affects politics today. And it’s also why the furor over Barack Obama’s praise for Ronald Reagan is not, as some think, overblown. Fact is that how we talk about the Reagan era still matters immensely for American politics.

Bill Clinton knew that in 1991, when he began his presidential campaign. “The Reagan-Bush years,” he declared, “have exalted private gain over public obligation, special interests over the common good, wealth and fame over work and family. 80s ushered in a Gilded Age of greed & selfishness, of irresponsibility & excess, and of neglect.” Contrast that with Obama’s recent statement, that Reagan offered a “sense of dynamism and entrepreneurship that had been missing.” Maybe Obama was, as his supporters insist, simply praising Reagan’s political skills. But where in his remarks was the clear declaration that Reaganomics failed? For it did fail. The Reagan economy was a one-hit wonder. Yes, there was a boom in the mid-1980s, as the economy recovered from a severe recession. But while the rich got much richer, there was little sustained economic improvement for most Americans. By the late 1980s, middle-class incomes were barely higher than they had been a decade before – and the poverty rate had actually risen. When the inevitable recession arrived, people felt betrayed – a sense of betrayal that Clinton was able to ride into the White House.

Given that reality, what was Obama talking about? Some good things did eventually happen to the US economy – but not on Reagan’s watch. I understand why conservatives want to rewrite history & pretend that good things happened while a Republican was in office. But why would a self-proclaimed progressive say anything that lends credibility to this rewriting of history – particularly right now, when Reaganomics has just failed all over again?

Like Ronald Reagan, President Bush began his term in office with big tax cuts for the rich and promises that the benefits would trickle down to the middle class. Like Reagan, he also began his term with an economic slump, then claimed that the recovery from that slump proved the success of his policies. And like Reaganomics, Bushonomics has ended in grief. Public mood today is as grim as it was in 1992. Wages are lagging behind inflation. Employment growth in the Bush years has been pathetic compared with job creation in the Clinton era. Even if we don’t have a formal recession, the optimism of 90s has evaporated. This is a time when Progressives ought to drive home the idea that right’s ideas don’t work and never have.

It’s not just a matter of what happens in the next election. Clinton won his elections, but – as Obama correctly pointed out – he didn’t change America’s trajectory the way Reagan did. Why?

The great failure of Clinton administration was the fact that it didn’t change the narrative, a fact demonstrated by the way Republicans are still claiming to be the next Ronald Reagan. Now Progressives have been granted a second chance to argue that Reaganism is fundamentally wrong: Once again, vast majority of Americans think that the country is on the wrong track. But they won’t be able to make that argument if their political leaders, whatever they meant to convey, seem to be saying that Reagan had it right.

Paul Krugman

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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Entertainment Boy

2008-09-10T15:40:00.000+05:30

IIPM : EXECUTIVE EDUCATION

Moser Baer’s Ratul Puri has taken risks & entered uncharted territories, which will test his mettle to the fullest, feels MANISH K. PANDEY

Often, leaders tend to shun complicated projects, but Ratul Puri, Executive Director, Moser Baer, thrives on them. And that aggressive stance has earned rich rewards as well, as he has played a major role in making Moser Baer a global behemoth. “Ratul is a sharp-minded professional with a proactive approach towards work. He is a visionary...,” says one of his current employees. In retrospect, his is a journey from a 3-storeyed infotech firm in Delhi’s congested Lajpat Nagar, which was on the verge of closure thrice during its initial days, to the second largest optical storage media manufacturer in the world and, finally, to the new diversifications into photovoltaic & home entertainment.

After Ratul joined Moser Baer in 1994 at the age of 22, he was instrumental in setting up Moser Baer’s Noida & Greater Noida plants to manufacture recordable compact discs (CDRs), and the plants were the first of their kind in India. Moving further, he is now leveraging Moser Baer’s robust R&D strengths to develop a new generation of storage devices, which can archive critical & sensitive data for years. Already, Moser Baer has become the leader in marketing new storage formats like Blu-ray Discs and HD DVD.

But his impeccable strategic acumen came to the forefront when the company ventured into new and unrelated areas like photo-voltaic and home entertainment. Since 2006, Ratul has bet big bucks on non-conventional energy sources. By 2010, Moser Baer aims to derive 40% of its overall revenues from selling solar panels, which is now a hot bed of opportunity. Industry sources expect the global PV business to grow over six times to $40 billion by the same year. Moreover, the demand here is price-elastic. If Ratul can offer a cheaper option, as Moser Baer has done in storage devices, he can expand this market exponentially.

By acquiring stakes in three firms – Solaria, SolFocus and Stion – and establishing thin solar film plants across India, Ratul has made his intentions clear. Moser Baer has also made investments in Slovenia-based Solarvalue, which manufactures silicon ingots/wafers. This may turn out to be a smart strategy as it will help overcome the existing supply constraints in raw materials.

Moreover, how can one forget Moser Baer’s foray into home video segment last year? It was Ratul’s vision to swamp and invade the already-entrenched market with low-priced VCDs and DVDs. The move opened up a new opportunity, as the segment is expected to grow at a CAGR of 18% over the next five years (according to joint study conducted by FICCI and PricewaterhouseCoopers). And he doesn’t want to stop there. Ratul has chalked out huge plans to mark Moser Baer’s presence across the value chain – from film production to distribution at the customer’s doorstep. As he is responsible for corporate management and financial control, Ratul has always focused on maximising shareholders’ value and raising funds from global and domestic investors. Under his leadership, Moser Baer wooed various institutions like IFC, Electra Partners and Warburg Pincus Singapore LLC to invest in the company. In fact, Electra had picked up a sizeable 17% stake in Moser Baer and offloaded 4% at huge profits. Moreover, a year ago, when the storage media industry was facing a severe global pricing pressure, coupled with competition from low-cost producers and rising raw material prices, Ratul played a crucial role in bringing Moser Baer back on the growth and profitability path. In FY 2006-07, the company not only posted a 19.8% increase in gross revenues to Rs.20.74 billion, it improved margins that drove a 2,253% growth in net profits to Rs.1.09 billion. Says Yogesh Mathur, Group CFO, Moser Baer, “I agree that two years prior to the last one were not good. But now, both the industry and Moser Baer are back on the growth and normal profitability cycle.”

So, should one give credit to Ratul or was the recovery a part of the improving business cycle in the sector? Current employees contend it was a mix of both; Ratul also imposed cost efficiencies & forced productivity improvements during that critical period. Many feel that this crisis also gave Ratul the idea to transform Moser Baer into a multi-technology organisation & ventured into solar electricity & home entertainment.

However, Ratul faces many challenges in the near future. In the storage device business, technology becomes obsolete in no time, and all players have to keep pace. Although Moser Baer has successfully transformed itself several times with changing technology, it may not be so easy in the near future. In home entertainment, distribution is still a weak link. While Moser Baer has played the price warrior card nicely, it has to soon play the premium content & technology ace too.

But Moser Baer managers are excited and enthusiastic about Ratul’s capabilities. “We are bullish about all three businesses. We see the optical storage business growing at 25-30% CAGR over the next few years. Home Entertainment is a huge opportunity and we expect this to be over half-a-billion dollar business in the coming few years,” says Mathur.

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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Communicating information

2008-08-25T17:11:00.000+05:30

IIPM : EXECUTIVE EDUCATION

It will take some time for people to understand RTI

He is a respected bureaucrat, something uncommon today. He has been trying throughout the year to make the government more transparent & accountable. He has appointed lawyers, judges & journalists as information officers to strengthen the RTI Act. The law is new & the people’s rights are yet to be fully utilised, but we are determined to implement it in both letter & spirit,” the Central Information Commissioner, Wajahat Habibullah told B&E.

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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Jobs aplenty...

2008-08-19T13:03:00.000+05:30

IIPM’s 36th Glorious Year of Academic Excellence

but whom to employ?

India is gradually entering the league of richest countries in the world, but will its people be as wealthy as the average American and European? As per the Indian Labour Report 2007, 90% of Indian youth are unemployable. While only 8% of the youth are unemployed, 53% have some kind of skill deprivation. With nearly 90% of the jobs in the country being skill orientated and most Indians having some kind of skill deprivation, the whole issue unemployment and employability needs a fresh look.

It is estimated that India needs to allocate about Rs.490,000 crores in order to train its skill deprived workforce over the next two years. The current budget for the same is just 25% of the required amount. Along with monetary allocation, proper academic planning, including technical and vocational training, is essential. Majority of India’s youth are below the age of 35 and this should tip-off the polity that unemployability is a bigger concern than minority reservation. Mere rhetoric would not solve the problem of rural unemployment. Wish the Indian Labour Report had got even an iota of the attention that the Sachar Committee report has been garnering. Until better sense prevails, India’s dream of reaping demographic dividend will remain a dream or daydream at best.

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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It’s really the ‘real’ty factor!

2008-08-12T16:50:00.000+05:30

IIPM’s 36th Glorious Year of Academic Excellence

It’s really the ‘real’ty factor!
Anuj Punj, MD, Jones Lang Lasalle Meghraj draws a parallel...

For many even in the recent past, Maharashtra was all about another Mumbai. But, times have changed and despite the fact that another Mumbai is far from being, there’re alternatives... precious alternatives!!!

In India, as in other parts of the world, the vigour of the economy is mirrored in the demand for and price levels of real estate. Reserve bank of India has estimated that the real estate sector represents approximately 5% of GDP, being the second largest employer in the nation. Real estate can thus provide a glimpse into the marketability of a state.

To my reckoning, Maharashtra represents in this regard a unique market model – it is an amalgam of high business and, as a result, intense residential and commercial real estate activity. In fact, its operative trends are so firmly entrenched that we have not witnessed any significant slackening in the overall activity despite the economic pressures affecting many other Indian states. However, there is no denying that there has been an impact. The cities of Mumbai, Pune and Nasik would serve as suitable illustrators for the current scenario.

In Mumbai, affordable housing has become an elusive dream. Sky-rocketing real estate rate appreciation brought on by the continuing demand-supply mismatch have boosted residential home prices almost completely out of reach of the common man. However, Navi Mumbai – the new growth sector – offers options both for those seeking affordable homes and those who seek lucrative investment opportunities in the state. Pune benefitted for a considerable period from Mumbai’s unrealistic property price hikes. The recession in the US market has weakened the commercial and residential markets. The slump in the stock market has caused investors to start moving out. Second, home buyers are keeping away and end users are cautious in their buying activities, awaiting price corrections. Despite the generalised slowdown, developers continue to have holding capacity though.

Nasik, where the residential market has grown at a rather leisurely pace until 2006, suddenly began showing significant annual appreciation rates from the beginning of last year. Nasik had begun emerging as a realistic alternative destination for buyers who were discouraged by Mumbai and Pune’s high rates. It offered low entry costs and, at the same time, reasonably attractive appreciation rates. Another reason was the increasing presence of the IT/ITeS sector there. In recent times, Nasik has been witnessing rather healthy appreciation rates; because of its relatively late entry into the real estate stakes, it was insulated from the regressive dynamics currently prevalent in the rest of Maharashtra.

Despite the slowdown, Maharashtra remains one of the foremost contenders in the real estate sweepstakes. All sectors – residential, commercial, retail, industrial & hospitality – continue to show an upward curve in the long term.

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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Kunal Gill (31), Bates David Enterprise

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

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

Kunal Gill (31), Bates David Enterprise. His best work till date is the Virgin Mobile ad released just recently. However, he loves the 8PM ad – Aath ke Thaath – done by his team mates in Delhi and envies them. And what turns him on? “Seeing my brands out there. Seeing my brands doing well. Seeing my clients come back and trust me more each time,” he haughtily says. Advertising pretty much happened to him. “You discover at some stage that you have no qualification and advertising is the only job you can take,” he laughingly adds. After two and a half years in Singapore, he moved back to India, where he has been Creative Director at Bates David Enterprise since May 2006, handling brands such as Tata AIG, AIG Investments, The Times Group, Killer Jeans, Marico (corporate campaign), as well as successfully winning the prestigious Virgin Mobile account; a business which he has led for six months, including building their brand design and identity. What’s more, in just eight years of his advertising career, he is sitting pretty as the Delhi branch head of Bates.

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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Cricket first? Not always

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

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

ICL is using Bollywood star power to pull audiences & advertisers. Will the strategy work?

It’s the amalgamation of cricket and Bollywood again, the only two religions that can claim to capture the heart of Indians. The extravaganza and the deadly combination of cricket and showbiz do seem to stump one and all.The stars of both the worlds are like demi-Gods and Goddesses for their ever growing fans, who can give away anything to have just a ‘dekko’ of them. Trying to cash in this chemistry is the so called rebel league, the Indian Cricket League (ICL). Strategically making the audience dance to the duel tunes by providing them the best of both the worlds as welll as to entice advertisers to play ball. To what extent can this ‘Bhelpuri’ of cricket and tinsel town masala succeed in stalling the march of big brother IPL, which is already threatening to destroy all prospects of ICL’s survival?

Incorporating performances of movie stars like Kareena Kapoor, Neha Duphia, Rakhi Sawant, et al during matches seems to be a valiant effort to redeem itself from failure of the earlier editions of its tournaments, which failed to get desired attention. Kapil Dev, former Indian cricket player, who heads the ICL’s Executive Board, states, “Entertaining the audience is the main motive. The concept of clubbing together two diverse entertaining sources seems to work wonders.” Adds Ashish Kaul, Executive Vice President, Zee Networks, “India as a country is not a sport crazy nation, cricket being an exception. Thus it becomes imperative to put forward a right mix of both entertainment and sports to pull the crowd to the grounds.” Well the idea as of now seems to move in line with the objective, but the real dilemma is for how long? And at the end of the day, wouldn’t the game and the players matter far more than some lame frills in between play time?

India’s only World Cup ODI winning captain clarifies further, “Well, ten to fifteen minutes of fun filled performance do not take away the entertainment; the game is there to provide over a period of three to four hours.” Well, that’s exactly the moot point! But with the Indian Premium League (IPL) getting all the big names in cricket, Bollywood as well as India Inc. it’s anybody’s guess as to which 3-4 hour time slot (ICL/IPL) the audience is more likely to be looking forward to!

The stars of the ICL galaxy failed to shine and twinkle to draw the audience to the stadiums the last time, which had cast serious doubts on the sustainibility of the league. “With performing star galleries, we also plan to adopt other marketing and advertising strategies like puppet shows, clown performances, et al to attract a larger number of eyeballs,” explains Ashish Kaul of Zee.

Of course, with IPL already having the backing of big names like DLF, Hero Honda & Pepsi, it remains doubtful if ICL can really attract media planners with such moves. Agrees Pravin Nair, Senior Executive, ACNielsen, “When you have Kareena dancing, there will be a number of eyeballs attracted, thus advertisers would benefit from showcasing their advertisements, but it won’t be able to outdo IPL.” For now, IPL reigns supreme in the Indian cricket sweepstakes. For ICL, it appears to be more a battle for survival. And as cricket is being watched more for its entertainment value, adding a few extra doses of star power surely wouldn’t harm.

Ratan Lal Bhagat

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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Will SAIF be the next Temasek or Blackstone?

2008-07-22T12:17:00.000+05:30

When IIPM comes to education, never compromise

It is the largest PE/VC player in China. It manages the biggest non-sponsored Asia fund. Since 2004, it has invested huge sums in Indian firms. And now, with its ability to spot new opportunities, it hopes to become the Numero Uno PE player in India, says ASIF AHMED

In March, 2006, Ravi Adusumalli, General Partner and India head of SB Asia Infrastructure Fund, better known as SAIF Partners, flew from the US to ink a deal with a media company to invest in a new line of business related to electronic media. In a chat then, Adusumalli, who debuted at 77 in the Forbes’ “The Midas List, 2008,” told us that he believes in a strong ‘local’ team that is fiscally responsible. That was an eye opener as most global Private Equity (PE) and Venture Capital (VC) players used to fly down from their home country, sign an agreement, and return back. So, talking about an India-dedicated team was certainly a rare occurrence.

In fact, SAIF goes a step further: it is one of the few PE/VCs that have separate teams dedicated to the firms that it has invested in. What this means is that investor SAIF Partners has an in-house office inside the investee firm’s headquarters. And this unique strategy works well with the investees. “It’s good to have people, who are more intelligent, around us,” says Vijay Shekhar Sharma, the MD of One 97, which is one of SAIF’s portfolio companies, where the investor’s office is located.

But this is just the beginning of this story. And in the arena of PE/VC segment, it is probably one of the most successful business scripts. When it started in 2001-02 as a Joint Venture between Japan’s Softbank Corporation and America’s Cisco Corporation, the world’s largest router company, the fund’s mandate was to invest and drive technology firms in the Asia-Pacific region. In the beginning, most of SAIF’s investments were in China and South Korea.

From China’s largest home shopping company to the largest mobile gaming company, SAIF has seeded some of the China’s biggest technology companies in recent times. According to the recently-released China Venture Capital & Private Equity Annual Ranking for 2007 by Zero2IPO, a Chinese research house, SAIF Partners has emerged as the number one venture capital firm in the country. It was only a few years ago that the Fund ventured into India. Today, SAIF has investments in 70 firms in the region, through three different Asia funds, and 15 of them are in India. “Since 2005, we are no longer a technology fund. We are more broad-based, and investing in all sectors, except real estate. We have been active in India since mid 2004; before that, we had one investment in Sify, which we have liquidated now,” says Vibhor Mehra, Principal (India), SAIF Partners. Now, SAIF hopes to become the largest in India. If all goes well, SAIF may soon become the next Temasek (the biggest PE/VC firm in India) or Blackstone (one of world’s most powerful PE/VC firm).

Let’s hear the reasons why this can happen from Mehra, who joined SAIF in 2004, and is the senior-most member of the Fund’s India team, and has played an instrumental role in SAIF’s investments in India, with deals with varied investee companies like Home Shop 18, Just Dial, MakeMyTrip.com, and One 97. “There are two differentiators that we have. One is that we are a long-term player. While all investors say that they are long-term players, very few actually can justify this claim by its actions.” That explains why its investment portfolio comprises a host of unlisted companies.

The second factor that has maintained a momentum for SAIF is its “contribution in terms of non-financial inputs to our portfolio companies, through our strategic inputs, board-level contribution, and our ability to drive internationally-accepted corporate governance practices,” says Vibhor, who has worked with Boston Consulting Group prior to joining SAIF. “You may ask any of our (investee) CEOs, and they will be happy to spend time talking about the non-financial values,” he adds confidently.

At present, its India strategy is about to jump to a higher level. The reason: in early 2007, SAIF raised the largest non-sponsored Asia focus fund of over a billion dollars. The PE/VC is in the process of investing out of this third fund. “The (recent) investment in National Stock Exchange came partially from the second and third fund,” says Vibhor, and he hints that India is expected to get anything between 30-35% of the third (billion-dollar) fund. This could be the first major step on part of SAIF to catch up with Temasek, the leading PE player in India with an investment of $3 billion. In addition, SAIF has the advantage that, unlike most of its competitors, it has the ability to spot sunrise opportunities. In fact, one of the reasons for SAIF’s success in China – and India – has been that it has provided the first round of investments in most of the happening sectors today. Take the case of IL&FS, where SAIF was the first investment by PE/VCs in the retail brokerage space. Or consider the cases of MakeMyTrip.com, the first firm in online travel portal, Just Dial, the first in local telephone search, or Home Shop 18, the first in Television shopping space.

Given this strategy, it’s clear that in sectors that have been already identified as promising, SAIF bets on promising companies that have the potential to become future leaders and visionaries. Its investment in One 97 falls in that category; One 97 was one of the 2-3 companies in India, which had their VAS infrastructure deployed inside the premises of telecom operators. This enabled them to not only meaningfully provide existing set of services, but launch new services with a short turnaround time.

“When we invested in One 97, it was in the process of deploying its infrastructure across all the major operators of the country. It had historically been working with just one operator, but it had won new contracts from other national operators. Its performance has been very encouraging and in a short span, we have seen it emerge as a leader,” says Vibhor. The same has been the case with several of its investments, where the investee firm has managed to capture a sizeable market share.

“We make individual equity investments of between $10 million and $100 million, in one or more rounds, and generally seek to obtain a significant minority equity ownership position in the range of 15-40%. Our philosophy is spotting discontinuous growth opportunities in sectors that are going through radical transformation,” explains Vibhor. Take the example of SAIF’s investment in MakeMyTrip.com. “At that time, India had 2-3 airlines, and the ticket prices were fixed. In the last two years, we saw advent of several airlines. So, this was a sector that was undergoing a dramatic transformation because of the number of new airlines, and the fact that fares became variable. There was a clear-cut opportunity for an aggregator to provide fare-related information at one location, and the facility to book tickets by comparing fares of all airlines,” says Vibhor.

Another instance is that of Home Shop 18, which actually happens to be the brain child of SAIF and, therefore, calling it an investee company won’t be right. It’s a JV between SAIF and Network 18, and an example of an idea that the Fund was sure about. The reason: SAIF had already successfully invested in Acorn, China’s largest home shopping firm, which recently got listed on NASDAQ. If one looked at the enablers for home shopping – like TV penetration, telecom penetration and spending power – it seemed the right and opportune time to tap the Indian market. India has approximately 105 million TV households, and mobile penetration of 281 million.

“SAIF partnered with Network 18, one of India’s most reputed media houses, to launch a home shopping channel with our learning and knowledge that we had in China. We knew how to source, what kind of product to sell, how to package it, and so on and so forth. We gained traction by partnering with TV-18, and we targeted TV, which had all the ingredients of success. This company is doing phenomenally well and the rate at which it is growing, it will emerge as one of the largest retail company in India in couple of years across categories, even accounting for offline players,” boasts Vibhor.

However, like all PE/VCs, Vibhor is hesitant and apprehensive to disclose SAIF’s average returns from India investments. “We are the best kept secret in India, both in terms of our returns as well as the size of our non-sponsored fund,” he says. But sources contend that the portfolio that Vibhor has been associated with has appreciated 2.5-5 times in a span of less than two years.

Entering high-growth markets like China & India is a dream for every company. The GDPs of both China & India have risen 120% in the past five years (according to IMF data). With dedicated local offices in China, India and South Korea, SAIF currently manages over $2 billion of portfolio. And as far as India is concerned, SAIF is all poised to be the next big thing, or rather, the biggest PE/VC player. Beware Blackstone and Temasek!

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

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

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The nano revolution

2008-07-18T15:35:00.000+05:30

IIPM, GURGAON

It’s called Nano, but it wasn’t built in a nano-second. It took years, and a lot of sweat for Ratan Tata to bring the People’s Car to the masses. As car buyers bristle with excitement, competitors with jealousy, and experts with disbelief, Tata’s Nano is set to become the first ‘Made in India’ global brand in modern times.

Social entrepreneur Ratan Tata: truly a BHARAT RATNA!

A one lakh rupee car! And that too made in India!! It could have perhaps only come from one house in India – the house of Tatas. Tatas have traditionally been known as people with a different social commitment despite being a business house. While their competitors in the entrepreneur-unfriendly-era of license raj went ahead with corrupt practices to grow, Tatas sacrificed growth in order to remain clean. The Tata history is replete with examples of patriotism. The famous Taj Mahal Hotel at the Gateway of India in Mumbai being one of the finest examples! The hotel had a signboard outside, stating, “Dogs and Britishers not allowed,” because many hotels then – and in particular a hotel right behind the Taj – used to have signboards stating, “Dogs and Indians not allowed.” Thus, the people’s car for India had to be from their stable!

However, what comes as a surprise is that the car comes under the leadership of Ratan Tata. Though the house as I just mentioned has always been known for its honesty, integrity, patriotism and its modern day father figure J. R. D. Tata (our only industrialist Bharat Ratna), but then during recent times, its journey hadn’t been quite smooth. From the Tata Tea fiasco to Ratan’s not so smooth takeover as the group head, and past record of failures to the biggest bungle of all (which even slightly shadowed their big Corus acquisition) – the flawed insistence on carrying on with the Singur plant, despite the West Bengal Government’s inhuman acquisition of land, leading to state-wide protests and agitation – things had not really been looking great. Especially in a case like that of Singur, any other leading corporation of the world (like Microsoft etc.) in a similar situation would have come out with a public statement, at least on its website, that it has nothing to do with the government’s controversial land deal, and that it would not go ahead with the same till the issue was resolved amicably without bloodshed and rapes! However, the Tata group didn’t do the same and came very rightly under severe criticism, though it was more of the West Bengal Government’s fault than theirs.

Modern day concepts of honesty, however, forgive such indirect mistakes in no time, especially if they’re made up by a world class initiative. And that’s exactly what Ratan Tata has done! After making India’s presence felt in the global map to some extent with the Corus deal last year, he has started this year with the biggest ever news for India Inc.. This biggest news, interestingly, has a small name – Nano!!! Yes! Traditionally, it’s the automobile sector which has been looked up to as the key to a country’s success story. With Ford and General Motors, the American superiority got established globally. With Toyota and Honda, the Japanese came to be known as world beaters many years later. And it is now with the Nano that we have made our presence felt in the world. To me, personally, the most exciting aspect about the car has been the humane philosophy behind the car – and that is the urge to shift the high risk of any four-member family riding a scooter to the safety of a covered car. This alone makes Ratan Tata, someone special. The fact that he has been able to convert that noble dream into a reality at a price that every scooter owning family can afford, makes him very special. The fact that for him a promise is a promise (he could have easily backed out of his one lakh promise – since he had made it four years back – saying that inflation etc. had forced him to re-price the car) makes him almost like JRD himself, who symbolised honesty and integrity. And finally, the fact that after making such a noble contribution to India in the form of Nano, he has proceeded to announce his next venture – a water purifier for less than four to five hundred rupees for every Indian household to give them access to clean and safe water – also goes on to show that Nano is not a one-off socially committed venture for Ratan Tata. He, like JRD, has graduated to a different league altogether, where it is not money that’s driving him (the Nano might not make any worthwhile money for him in any case). What’s driving him is a concept called ‘Social Entrepreneurship’ – something that the globe on the whole and India in particular desperately needs in order to come out of the clutches of the Third World tag and grow ahead. It is such entrepreneurship which doesn’t solely look at profits alone that can bring costs down to the lowest and take ahead the millions of people who are otherwise being marginalised by globalisation. Thus it is not even India that’s driving him, it is the downtrodden India, our own Bharat that’s driving him. And that’s what makes him a real Bharat Ratna, much like JRD himself !

I hope that in order to keep the respect for India’s highest award alive, our insincere politicians move over their pathetic demands of giving this most respected title to their brethren, who have been least committed to ‘Bharat’, and give it soon to the real Bharat Ratnas!!!

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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 heat is on...

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

Enters Ranjan Kapur! A very senior and distinguished O&M veteran, Kapur was based in the agency’s Singapore office, but made frequent trips to India and watched with interest and enthusiasm the seismic change happening. When he was picked to be the top gun succeeding Mani Iyer, he was very clear about the vision and values, direction and focus, he would bring to bear on the agency’s blue-print. “For the first time ever, the head honcho of O&M, India came out loud and clear, spelling out his agenda. He wanted the agency to be the biggest, riding on outstanding creative work!

This wasn’t an empty slogan because overnight he empowered the creative guys. He wanted us to re-invent the agency’s persona, give it a heavy-duty creative spin and take on the world with all cylinders firing!” Suddenly, the on-leash lunatics were unleashed and threatened to take over the asylum! Shortly after, the brilliant and resourceful Sonal Dabral came on board and helped Kapur and Pandey build a magnificent team of cheeky, out-of-the-box thinking, irreverent & unconventional creative people who vroomed the agencies’ credentials as a creative powerhouse to another level... The Cadbury (girl dancing on cricket field) TVC officially served notice to all who cared to see that a new, hungry & daring creative player had arrived. O&M was a hand grenade with its mouth open, as the countdown to explosion had begun!

The driving force behind it all explains. “We said, why shouldn’t advertising be endearing to people? Why should people – who switch on the TV – be subjected to brain-destroying dull ads which deal primarily in spoon-feeding? We will entertain them, delight them, bring them joy and laughter, and make them love our brands. That was our mandate. And that’s when stuff like the Fevicol, Cadbury and Perk started happening...” Pandey describes his role in typical bindaas entertaining style. “I see myself as a fair, fearless and passionate champion, custodian and protector of our core competencies – creativity. My job is to protect the barbarians from the bureaucrats, freaks from the rule book and defend the idea brigade from the stereotypical client-servicing types, who believed they ruled the company. I remember that in earlier times it was not uncommon for a client-servicing dude to pompously announce that he wanted his entire creative team changed because he wasn’t happy with them. In today’s scenario, the first question asked would be: What makes him believe that for everyone’s true happiness, he shouldn’t be changed?! Pandey is, however, quick to point out that it’s not – and never will be – about favouritism or taking sides, but putting things in perspective. He insists that the planning, researches and strategy guys are held in high esteem, and respected for what they bring to the table, but at the end of the day (to quote the legendary Bernbach), “Superior creativity remains the most effective way to sell an agency’s services. Every agency knows what to say. What makes the defining difference is ‘the way you say it’. Bringing dead facts to life and making them memorable.” From day one, Ranjan Kapur & Piyush Pandey shared the belief unconditionally in both letter and spirit. It showed in the work, the passion that powered the people behind the work, and of course, the growing buzz in the ad world. Thumped a confident Piyush, “When Ranjan & I walked together into a pitch, you could figure out by the expression of others that they had already lost it – were out of reckoning! To the best of my knowledge, a partnership like us, resulting in the kind of waves we made, was unique & the first one of its kind in the country...”

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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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Peter Kronschnabl, President, BMW India

2008-07-12T11:44:00.000+05:30

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Your India plans?

We will sell 1,000-1,200 units in nine months, between March and end of this year. This comes to a 60% increase if the full year is considered. We have sold 424 units of 3 series and 7 series till now. We have started selling the 5 series July 2007 onwards. Localisation content is 10% at this time, but we want to increase it to 30%.

Are you threatened by the entry of your competitors?

I don’t think the competition has an edge over us. Only Mercedes Benz is present with a manufacturing plant. Audi has barely started its marketing here in India.

Being a late entrant, what’s your branding strategy? We are not late. For BMW, it is important to enter with a 100% subsidiary and that was only possible after 2001. Now since we have done that we are here. BMW has a streaming strategy and not a penetrating one. We do product differentiation between our top and entry level models.

The luxury car mart is tiny. How much feasible is it to operate?

We are not competing in the mass market as we are a premium brand. If a consumer wants a premium brand, he must pay a premium price. These cars are very advanced and employ technology, which is very expensive. From a car of this class, a consumer expects high technology. In our branding, Indian buyers can expect the same experience as a consumer in any other BMW market.

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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 day of reckoning for health insurance!

2008-07-10T16:16:00.000+05:30

When IIPM comes to education, never compromise

De-tarrification will not only bring premiums, but practices as well, to internationally accepted levels

The fun is coming to an end. This year, the insurance regulator has announced that deregulation of pricing will be effected from January 2007. It is widely expected that free pricing will reduce the fire insurance premiums substantially and will bring them in line with international prices. This will wipe out the extra profitability that was being used to subsidise corporate mediclaim insurance.

Four years of high losses in corporate health insurance business and the imminent price deregulation has knocked some sense in the insurers. Corporate health insurance prices have been hardening, insurers have refused unprofitable business and have cancelled high claim policies in mid term. A bare bones health insurance plan for the organisation will have to be drafted in consultation with a competent insurance broker. Add on benefits on this minimum plan will have to rigorously evaluated in terms of additional cost and perceived benefit by the employees and the actual benefit to the employees.

A bigger question that the insurance buyers will have to address is that if the insurers will charge on an expected claims plus management expenses and profit basis, should a health insurance plan be taken at all? Internationally, health insurers own and/or manage service provider networks which include physicians, consultants, pharmacies and hospitals. Insured persons enjoy considerable cost benefits and standard costs by availing of services and buying medicines from these network members. Insurance companies also control cost by ensuring strictly that over medication and over stay is not indulged in by the network members. Indian insurers have yet to graduate to this level. The insurance regulator had introduced Third Party Administrators (TPA) four years back, as vendors to insurers, to achieve these very objectives. The experience has not been encouraging till now. After four years of chaos, TPAs have just about graduated to become mere claims processors. TPAs have yet to work out cost plus rates with hospitals, grade hospitals, standardise charges across grades and plug leakages in the systems. In a scenario where insurers will charge on cost plus basis, are not in position to provide reduced rates, do not have a mechanism to provide standardised charges at hospitals and do not have control over leakages; will a self funded scheme with a self appointed Third Party Administrator to manage the scheme be more cost effective? Indian companies have yet to evaluate this option rigorously. Finance managers should start this exercise to avoid a rude shock next year.

HR managers will not only have to define, evaluate, choose and manage benefits in a health insurance plan, but will also have to manage wellness to avoid over-use of these benefits. In mature markets wellness management is as important as health insurance benefits planning. Internationally, insurers place a lot of emphasis on wellness management. Higher levels of wellness lead to lower medical costs. This not only increases profitability but also increases customer retention as insurers are able to give more competitive prices.

Health insurance is moving from a ‘send employee data – get good quotes’ mode to ‘analyse-discuss-monitor-manage’ mode that a large ticket size purchase deserves. Are HR & finance managers ready?

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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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Side effects of admiration

2008-07-09T11:04:00.000+05:30

When IIPM comes to education, never compromise

Dr. Reddy’s presence across the value-chain is set to reap benefits

While walking through the corridors of one of the most effective research labs in India, one might miss out on the boring blue and grey colours of the walls. But one can’t ignore the people working in white attires and hiding behind a cluster of hi-tech apparatus to evolve a range of molecules to cure diseases.

The description might sound dreary to that whole bunch of forgiven scientists, who in their school days were more interested in testing acids on their classmates uniforms rather than mixing them with other chemicals. But, for Rajeev Kumar, a scientist working in this drug discovery unit of Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, it is “an excellent place to work in.” He has his own reasons but he is reluctant to share them. However, that doesn’t affect the reputation of this pharma company. In fact, it only drives it strong with over 350 dedicated Rajeevs, who work at the two research facilities in Hyderabad and Atlanta (US). Moreover, a wide presence across the value chain, including APIs, branded formulations, generics, biologics, speciality products and new chemical entities (NCEs) makes it one of the most admired companies.

No doubt, while FY 2005-06 was characterised by a rebound in profitability and value-creating partnerships and acquisitions, the last fiscal (FY 2006-07) saw the drug maker acquiring a new growth trajectory and momentum across its businesses and markets. The company reported over two and a half times growth in its topline with consolidated revenues of Rs.65,095 million against Rs.24,267 million in FY 2005-06. Profit after tax increased almost five-fold to Rs.9,327 million in FY 2006-07.

A superlative performance that not only made Dr. Reddy’s the largest and most profitable pharma company, leaving behind Ranbaxy, but also one that’s well entrenched to get into the list of top 10 global generic players. But the one aspect that transformed Dr. Reddy’s over the last two years is its growing focus on R&D. With seven molecules or NCEs, of which five are in clinical development and two at pre-clinical stages, Dr. Reddy’s will be the envy of any pharma company.

Moreover, the company’s unrelenting focus on access and affordability while finding treatment options for un-met and poorly-met medical needs has placed it in a different league. These twin objectives have been further enhanced through a business model that prioritises the manufacture of affordable generic medicines on one hand and a growing investment in discovery of new molecules on the other, both translating into a positive impact on patient lives.

Going a step forward, the company promoted India’s first integrated drug development firm, Perlecan Pharma, which is engaged in clinical development and out-licensing of NCE assets. It was primarily a derisking strategy but the move was appreciated by several critics. “The formation of Perlecan pharma was an innovative agreement, which brought to table the strengths of the three firms (Dr. Reddy’s & 2 private equity firms). It provided Dr. Reddy’s with a model to rapidly advance its existing as well as future NCE assets through Phase II trials and seek out-licensing, co-development or joint commercialisation opportunities thereby enhancing the value of the pipeline,” says a Dr. Reddy’s spokesperson.

The company seeks to diversify into new markets, especially the low penetrated and regulated ones. To achieve this objective, it has acquired firms in Germany and Mexico. There is no doubt that Dr Reddy’s, like other pharma firms, has been an under-performer in the recent past, but industry experts believe that the company can elevate these concerns through enhanced presence in other regulated markets, and outsourcing its larger requirements through India. “While the concerns persist, the profitability of the company should be on an uptrend from here on. We believe that the risk-reward ratio is highly favourable,” says Sarabjit Kour Nangra, VP (Research), Angel Broking. This expectation is due to an interplay of several factors, which has made Dr. Reddy’s the most admirable pharma company. A clear focus on basic research along with an evolving growth strategy has placed this one on the elite list.

Edit Bureau: Manish K. Pandey

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM is A World of Career
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GODREJ

2008-06-18T11:28:00.000+05:30

IIPM is A World of Career

Godrej may not be called a brand savvy organisation, but its word-of-mouth popularity is tremendous

Godrej – this century-old brand is almost a household name in India. No surprises there, right? After all this brand has years of toil, integrity and quality delivery to its credit? What’s more, over the last year the brand has latched on to a new style, while carrying forward the same legacy. Godrej roped in Priety Zinta as brand ambassador to add chutzpah to its consumer appliances and portray itself as a contemporary and trendy brand against competitors like LG (that has junior Bachchan endorsing its products) and Whirlpool (with Devgans as ambassadors). What’s more, Godrej also acquired Keyline Brands (UK) and Rapidol (South Africa) over the last year, putting to rest any remaining speculation about the future brand equity of this swadeshi brand. A valuation by UK-based brand consultancy, Brand Finance, estimates the net worth of just Godrej’s top five brands, at an astounding Rs.26.50 billion. In categories like cupboards and locks, brand Godrej is almost a generic name. “We believe in living up to our values of honesty, integrity and quality and that’s what feeds the equity of our brand,” says HK Press, President, Godrej Consumer Products Limited. And for those who thought that Godrej was not branding itself enough, chew on this. The company estimates a 30% rise in ad-spends for the year 2007-08. And that’s after shelling out a whopping Rs.720 million during 2006 alone for the same. This one sure wants to rise above the waters!

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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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Flipping Through fat facts

2008-05-26T13:23:00.000+05:30

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And you thought that fat would bulge out!

A dangerous flaw that mostly goes unnoticed is fat; not on a stout body but the fat that lies hidden underneath the beanstalk figures. Those who always believed that devouring all the delicacies of the world without worrying about the calories was their birth right, weren’t being very considerate to themselves. Research clarifies that looking thin isn’t proof enough that you aren’t that fat, for it slowly accumulates around the body organs and doesn’t always show om the outside, in the form of huge love handles. “Many a times, different body symptoms, genetic compositions, heredity factors are responsible for the body type, but that doesn’t exempt thin people from the perils of a heart attack,” affirms Dr. S. M. Sachdeva, Sr. Consultant, VIMHANS.

A chubby one who fights fat each day and toils day and night to shed the extra pounds, becomes much healthier than the inactive yet skinny, who guiltlessly relish the most succulent snacks. A lifestyle, high on physical exercise, is crucial for strengthening the cardiovascular and respiratory system. “Eating the required calories and moderate exercise are essential for a healthy living. There are several factors at play and it is difficult to pinpoint only one thing. So even a small internal fat deposition can become serious if the person gets stressed out,” warns Dr. Sachdeva.

Once again, Murphy’s law comes to one’s mind, ‘If something can go wrong, it will. If anything simply can’t go wrong, it will not, anyway.’ For a change, the slim ones could do themselves good by exercising and eating right – are the lanky ones listening?!

Edit Bureau: Swati Hora

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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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Harry Potter and the India story