Thursday, December 18, 2008

Domino effect...


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But isn’t Big Mac (McDonald’s) considered the most economical product in the QSR category? And if Domino’s is intending to compete with dosa and chole batore, then what about Mac Aloo Tikki Burger? Well, the competing products do remain, and some other competitor will surely launch a similar low-priced product soon, but Domino’s wants to do more... It plans to lure consumers with new launches through 360 degree ad-campaigns coupled with a new tagline ‘kushion ki delivery.’ Dev Amritesh, CMO, Domino’s Pizza India Ltd., while explaining the concepts behind the new TVC, points out that, “The new tagline & promotional acts would address the emotional proposition more, and that’s the reason we say kushio ki delivery...”

The strategy is clearly to cajole the consumers emotionally, but at the same time the company is not planning to do away with its on-time delivery anytime soon. After a clear dominance in the home-delivery segment, the real question that comes in mind is its future plans to improve its situation in the ‘sit & dine’ segment. “We are doing phenomenally well, in the sit & dine segment too, in which we grew by 55% over last year. Specially in tier-II cities like Nasik, Panipath et al, our restaurant segment is really doing well,” claims Ajay. Not a hollow boast, as Domino’s is aggressively mushrooming even in those places where others haven’t forayed-in yet. For numbers, Domino’s has rolled out as many as 210 stores across the country (Pizza Hut has 100 stores, McDonald’s 130) and in most of these towns & cities, where Domino’s is having a roll, Pizza Hut isn’t present yet!

Financially, launching a typical Domino’s outlet (being smaller than a Pizza Hut outlet), requires lesser capital. But that really doesn’t tantamount to an advantage as my Sunday dinner proved... Therefore, besides multi-locational expansions, Domino’s should immediately upgrade all its stores, as an industry analyst warns, “In the hospitality segment, a slight difference in service from a well-known brand can prove a disaster...” But then, it’s also true that in places like tier-I and tier-II, where Pizza Hut is absent, Domino’s is having a gala time. With the sit & dine segment contributing to 35% of its total turnover, Domino’s can’t let the ‘golden pizza-laying hen’ advantage fade away.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
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Thursday, December 4, 2008

Watch out for plunging skylines!


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“The price correction expected in the sector is what is driving us to play safe and therefore you will see most of the investments by us in the commercial space,” said Dr. Anil Jindal, Chairman, SRS Group explaining the strategy of the group to bank on commercial land in order to stay away from the major correction seen in the sector. Tinku Sigh, Group President, SRS Group added further, “We will be focusing on Tier-II and Tier- III cities only as the prices of properties in metros are almost attaining saturation level.”

There are certain developers in the country that have raised debt at a very high rate of interest as there was a enormous scarcity of supply as compared to the demand in the sector (remember the boom in the sector), which made them believe on the formula of ‘Higher risk, higher return’ blindly. According to Unmesh Sharma, real estate analyst, Macquarie Research, the problems of the real estate players don’t seem to be ending with the festive season around the corner as he states, “Given the current interest rate scenario, I see a higher than 50% probability that recovery in sales volume will be weaker than expected.” This, if true, can surely raise some problems for the famed players in the industry.

Already, there seems to be a shift in strategy by mid and small players, signalling some consolidation. They are already facing a liquidity crunch and have seem to be sending an SOS message to big developers. Small and mid-sized players are more than willing to sell their land to biggies in order to arrange funds for the ongoing projects. “The real estate sector is facing a slowdown altogether and the players are facing a major liquidity crunch at this point of time” avers Susil Dungarwal, an independent realty & retail analyst.

Even Parsvnath Developers saw blood on its balance sheet as they announced a 17.8% dip in net profits for the quarter ending March 2008 standing at Rs.108.88 crores as compared to Rs.132.44 crores in the corresponding quarter last year. And their problems seem to be getting compounded with the rise in input prices; which could make it difficult for the company to script a comeback this year.

For DLF, the brand value continues to shield the group quite well from the sectoral upheaval. Recently, Symphony (a UK based PE fund) invested a hefty amount of $450 million in DAL (DLF Assets owned by the promoter of DLF, DE Shaw, Lehmann Brothers and Symphony Capital – with no cross holdings between DLF Ltd and DAL), which eased the risk of off-take for the commercial properties of the realty major. The problem of liquidity crunch is bothering Unitech the least as it is capable enough of raising the fresh venture capital and attracting new PE funds even after the debt the company has on the balance sheet.

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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Monday, November 10, 2008

Samsung SyncMaster 220TN


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Technical Specification
HD TV Support: Yes; Contrast: 300:1; Response time:5ms; Brightness: 300cd/m
PRICE: Rs.35,000 without taxes
WARRANTY: N.A.

Samsung is in with its latest SyncMaster 220TN monitor. It comes with a distinct Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) feature, along with a screen resolution of 1680x1050 embedded in a 22-inch LCD display which also has a HDTV Support. The 220TN’s response time is 5 milliseconds, has a 10/100Mbps Ethernet capacity with a 4x USB. Its 2 megapixel webcam is indeed best in its category. Its uniqueness however is in the fact that the VoIP can be used for voice & video calls when connected to a LAN Cable without the assistance of the active PC as it has a built-in PC while it supports the multi video conference call. The monitor promises a lot in resolution and high-definition viewing with a brightness of 300cd/m2. Its contrast can be worked upon though.

Marketers’ delight: SyncMaster’s magic Colour & MagicBrights technologies give anti-glare & anti-static pictures. Besides, Samsung’s glorious past with anything flat makes it easy to market!
Tester’s note: Pros – Dedicated processor to run VoIP and video call without PC (if LAN is connected), High-Definition TV compatibility, 2 Mega-Pixel webcam, 5ms response time – fastest in its category, 4x USB port making connectivity a ‘no’ issue. Con – Low contrast level.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
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Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Apple Macbook Air


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Technical Specification
13.3-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen display with 1280x800 resolution; 1.6 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 4MB L2 cache; 800 MHz front-side bus; 2GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM; 80GB hard disk drive with Sudden Motion Sensor

PRICE: Rs.96,100
WARRANTY: 1 year

Beat this slim lady – an extraordinary 0.16 inch at its thinnest point and a maximum 0.76 inches, the Apple MacBook Air is way ahead of its competing notebooks! It is powered by a 1.6 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor and outfitted with 2GB RAM and 80GB hard drive. It carries a Bluetooth 2.1 and is loaded with 802.11n Wi-Fi technology. The Air has an eye-catching 13.3-inch LED-backlit widescreen display, backlit keyboard and a large trackpad with multi-touch support. It also consumes least power vis-a-vis other Macs. Steve Jobs takes pride in this prized steal as he asserts, “We’ve built the world’s thinnest notebook – without sacrificing a full-size keyboard or a 13-inch display!”

Marketers’ delight: Its features and just ‘one’ touch makes you drool all over it!

Tester’s note: Pros – Simply gorgeous with 13-inch display on a 3-pound chassis and excellent features. Power efficient. Cons – Only one USB port. No ExpressCard or card-reader option.

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
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Wednesday, October 22, 2008

The Internet was like paradise found in the final years of the previous century. But a poor understanding of it proved fatal for many start ups


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Get big fast! Well, this was perhaps the motto of every Internet company towards the end of the twentieth century. And why not, anyone and everyone who had an idea were making their website and hence were epitomising their great American dream of becoming billionaires like Bill Gates. Even the roadmap seemed quite clear and easy!

Venture capitalists were pouring in millions of dollars in a young acne ridden industry that was showing unparalleled growth and most importantly, showing no visible signs of fatigue. Interestingly, the novelty factor of the Internet industry played a big role in getting investments from the venture capitalists and PE firms as they were struck by a fear of getting left behind in the global technology race. This obsession with the online El Dorado became a pandemic of sorts across global economies. For it was time to pop the bubbly and beat all the odds.

However, what ultimately did pop was not the bubbly, but the dotcom bubble, for the odds became too hard to beat. This joyous ride of exuberant of geeks & irrational investors came to a screeching halt. The fateful day of March 10, 2000 marked the beginning of the end of the dot com era. It was the day when NASDAQ’s tech stock index reached its all time high of 5,048.62 for the last time. Suddenly, the markets started crashing and most of the Internet companies lost billions of dollars in the market value, badly denting the global tech economy. As one analyst comments, “The greatest amount of wealth was created and destroyed in 2000, it was more than during any other period in the market’s history.” But what was it that led to the sudden downfall of the global tech economy?

Part of the reason was over inflated expectations about what the web could achieve for consumers as well as for businesses. “We were told that you’d be buying sandwiches over the Internet and having them delivered the next day by FedEx. Everything was about “eyeballs” and finding ways to attract customers, whether they bought anything or not. Every article in every newspaper in the country parroted the litany as to how you’d be out of business in a year or two if you were not present on the Web in a big way,” says leading technology analyst John C Dvorak.

Well, though industry watchers cite many reasons for this sudden dot com debacle, there is no consensus as to which was the sole reason for the dot com burst. Analysts have been trying to figure out a reason for the startling way in which the valuations of the IT firms reached at unprecedented levels and the way in which they fell flat post 2000. Why, indeed, were investors buying into companies at unprecedented valuations. What were they hoping for?

Interestingly, one reason that is being supported by most is the fact that the dotcom burst was a direct consequence of the emergence of a many radical Internet based models in the mid 1990s, which focused on attributes like networking and brand building before considering profits into account. This strange strategy followed by the Internet start ups lead to a situation, which made it difficult to evaluate these firms. Due to this, the firms were being highly overvalued considering their strong branding initiatives and web presence, which ultimately brought about irrational enthusiasm in the investors to buy these stocks.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
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IIPM, GURGAON
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Friday, October 17, 2008

PREETHA REDDY: Gentle healer


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PREETHA REDDY
Gentle healer

Born in Hyderabad, Preetha Reddy spent most of her growing years in Chennai. Unknown to many, she graduated from Kalakshetra under the renowned Rukmini Devi Arundale. While dancing remains her passion to this day, she pursued chemistry as her educational calling. Apollo Hospitals happened to her both by accident and design. When her younger sister Sangeeta decided to get married and move to Hyderabad, Preetha had to step into her shoes. Though she had grown up seeing her father work at HM Hospital, observing a healthcare business and running one are two entirely polarised propositions. Yet, Preetha, proud of the absence of B-School background, adopted a hands-on approach to the business. In 1989, the group had a turnover of Rs.1 billion. Today, its turnover well exceeds Rs.11 billion, with 44 hospitals, 60 clinics and 600 pharmacies in India and Asia. The group employs over 30,000 people.

Preetha introduced the concept of Tender Loving Care (TLC), which integrated service delivery with clinical outcomes resulting in exceptional patient experiences. She stewarded the JCI accreditation process in four Group Hospitals (Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ludhiana, Dhaka). She is largely instrumental in Apollo Hospitals, Chennai being rated “Grade A” by CRISIL and being one among the two hospitals in India to be awarded a “Grade A” for service and business excellence. She has also redefined hospital networking, telemedicine, hospital management, Day Care Clinics, staff training colleges, hospital BPO and pharmacy retailing. However, what remains closest to her heart is the Group’s CSR initiative: SACH (Save a Child’s Heart) meant for children from economically underprivileged sections of society. SACH has performed over 2000 free/concessional cardiac surgeries and screened over 10,000 children from India & several parts of Africa.

Yet despite all that she has accomplished, her greatest ability has been her unabating humility. They say an ordinary leader looks into a mirror at times of success and sees himself as the one responsible for that achievement. An extraordinary leader, on the other hand, opens a window to point out at all the others responsible for that achievement. Preetha is the latter. The business of family is equally precious to her. Her husband chairs the Board of Trustees at the Kapaleeshwarar Temple while her two sons are waiting in the wings, ready to take their spot under the sun.

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Monday, October 6, 2008

The terrorists we should fear most are self-recruited wannabes who find purpose in terror and comrades on the Web


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The fluidity of the Hofstad Netwerk has created problems for Dutch prosecutors. The first few trials succeeded in convicting some members as belonging to a terrorist organisation as they met regularly. But at later trials, when defendants faced more serious charges, problems emerged. In January, a Dutch appeals court threw out the convictions of seven men for being part of the Hofstad since “no structured cooperation (had) been established.” It’s hard to convict suspects who rarely meet face to face and whose cause has no formal organisation.

The perpetrators of the Madrid bombings in March 2004 are another example. They were an unlikely network of young immigrants who came together in haphazard ways. Some had been lifelong friends from their barrio in Tetouan, Morocco, and eventually came to run one of the most successful drug networks in Madrid, selling hashish and ecstasy. Their informal leader, Jamal Ahmidan, a 33-year-old high school dropout who liked to chase women, wavered between pointless criminality and redemptive religion. When he was released from a Moroccan jail in 2003 after serving three years for an alleged homicide, he became increasingly obsessed with the war in Iraq. He linked up with Tunisian-born Sarhane Ben Abdelmajid Fakhet, who had moved to Madrid to get his doctorate in economics. They were part of a loose network of foreign Muslims in Spain who spent time together after soccer games and mosque prayers. They later masterminded the Madrid bombings, the deadliest Islamist terror attack on European soil. As Spanish authorities closed in on them several weeks later, Fakhet, Ahmidan, and several accomplices blew themselves up. Try as they may, Spanish authorities have never found any direct connection between the Madrid bombers and international al Qaeda networks. The 2007 trials concluded that the bombings were inspired by al Qaeda, but not directed by it.

In June 2006, Canadian security forces conducted a series of raids against two clusters of young people in and around Toronto. The youths they apprehended were mostly second-generation Canadians in their late teens or early 20s and from secular, middle-class households. They were accused of planning large-scale terrorist attacks in Toronto and Ottawa, and when arrested, they had already purchased vast quantities of bomb-making materials. The core members were close friends from early high school years, when they had formed a “Religious Awareness Club,” which met during lunch hours at school. They also created an online forum to share their views.

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

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Saturday, September 27, 2008

Left bounces back in business


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The recent victory in Hamburg has enhanced the Left’s appeal in German coalition politics

A spectre is haunting the capitalist Germany now. The spectre of eastern communism. It’s been almost three decades now since the Berlin Wall was brought down & West Germany triumphed over the East. Throughout this long period, the mainstream German political parties, be it the Christian Democrats (CDU), the Liberal Free Democrats (FDP), the Social Democrats (SPD) or the Greens, collectively treated the children of East German communism as pariahs.

Did they succeed in their effort? Yes, but only until some members of the erstwhile East German Communist Party reinvented themselves in a changed political landscape through the formation of a new political outfit.

The Left Party, daring the de facto political untouchability, set out a fresh campaign, which eventually started producing results. When the results of the Feb. 24 Hamburg state election were out, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s CDU lost absolute majority in the state, which simply endorsed the shift of political Centre to the Left. The CDU won 42.7% of popular votes down from the 47% it bagged in 2004. CDU’s main rival SDP scored 34%, 4% higher than the 2004 figure. The most interesting performance is that of the Left Party which is set to enter the Hamburg Parliament for the first time with 6.5% of the votes. Hamburg result was just the continuation of what happened in the state of Hesse in January. The Christian democrats lost absolute majority in Hesse as the Left Party, along with the Social Democrats, emerged as a crucial player.

When the Left Party bagged some seats in the 2005 general elections, both the conservatives & the Social Democrats joined hands together to deny any national relevance to the communists. That cooperation led to the formation of Volksparteien – the CDU and SPD alliance – which has now become a liability for both the parties. The SPD, which earlier ruled out any kind of alliance with the Left, has now changed its tone, expressing willingness to have an informal power sharing agreement at state levels. In Hesse, they started efforts to win the outside support of the Left. SPD chairman Kurt Beck has backed the move. On the other side, Hamburg’s conservative mayor Ole von Beust is now hoping to retain power by winning the support of the Greens. The Left knows that the current political impasse in the country could not be solved without taking them into the mainstream political process. Today or tomorrow, it has to happen. After all, it is election season in Germany. And the spectres seem to be on their way back.

B&E edit bureau: Stanly John

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Monday, September 22, 2008

Nokia’s march to the top


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After its continuing dominance in the global market, Nokia now aims to conquer the important US market


It was exactly a year ago, when Nokia’s CFO Rick Simonson outlined company’s plan to increase pressure on its closest rival Motorola. Simonson pointed towards further reducing the entry-level prices of Nokia’s phone in an attempt to widen its lead over Motorola in the global handset market. Nokia’s strategy worked well with its global market share soaring to an emphatic 39.4% in the Q3 07 while Motorola lost its second position to Samsung and now has a minimal market share of 12.9%.

However, what Simonson and his team could not turnaround was Nokia’s fate in the important US market where this global handset leader occupies a distant fourth position. According to Strategic Anlaytics, Nokia is struggling to compete in the US market with a minimal market share of 11% while Motorola is comfortably placed at the top with an impressive 33% share. Even the players like Samsung and LG, which stand nowhere near Nokia in the global market are giving it a tough fight in the US. The fact is that Nokia hasn’t been able to come up with a definitive winning formula for the US market. Nokia’s dismal performance there can also be attributed to the fact that the company hasn’t been able to collaborate effectively with the wireless service providers. Even the appointment of Mark Louison (as President for North America) to collaborate with specific US carriers, didn’t furnish the desired outcome.

However, on January 10, Mark Louison announced that the Nokia would be launching 12 new handset for the US market in the year 2008. “It’s not unreasonable you’d see between six to 12 new operator-specific devices this year. It’ll probably be more than this,” said Louison.

He further commented, “You’ll see some of that in the first half of 2008, with the velocity to increase that in the second half and going full steam ahead in 2009.”

Despite all these, Nokia must not forget that even Motorola is playing its cards to stay ahead in the US market and improve its performance in the global arena. “With Motorola’s new product line coming out soon, the company should be able to achieve continued growth in shipment volume during the fourth quarter,” says Tina Teng, analyst for iSuppli.

With its new subscriber specific strategy, Nokia can definitely hope to amend its poor performance in the US market. However, with Samsung and Motorola making inroads into the global handset markets with a renewed vigour, maintaining the global crown, along with marching ahead in the US mart won’t be a cakewalk for this Finnish giant.

B&E edit bureau: Devdeep Singh

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

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Thursday, September 11, 2008

Valuable Asset


IIPM : EXECUTIVE EDUCATION

Nirma’s Hiren Patel has the same instincts as his father, says SAVREEN GADHOKE

Google ‘Hiren Patel’ and you are unlikely to find more than a few links. Search using more key words and there are only a handful of articles that have his reference. That’s the low profile that Hiren maintains, despite being in charge of the Rs.25 billion consumer-care giant, Nirma, along with his brother, Rakesh. Agrees Dipankar Roy, Regional Director, FICCI (Ahmedabad), “He is not very flamboyant and is totally entrenched in his culture. He believes in doing more and talking less. Hiren is a soft-spoken, young, dynamic leader who believes in action.”

For those who know him, he’s in the mould of his father. In his younger days; Karsanbhai started as a small-time chemist at Gujarat’s Department of Mining & Geology, prepared washing powder in his backyard, and started selling 20 packets a day on a bicycle while returning from office. Hiren may emulate his father more over time. When he was older; Karsanbhai took on the might of Unilever when he launched Nirma, which originated from his daughter name, Nirupama. Reminisces Harish Bijoor, CEO, Harish Bijoor Consults, “Nirma was established as a home-grown business with a unique consumer proposition.”

But it was under Hiren’s leadership that the brand reached a new level. From being touted as a value-for-money detergent manufacturer, Nirma made the transition to a premium products maker. For example, Hiren played a key-role in acquiring the India manufacturing, marketing & distribution rights of global beauty care soap, Camay, in 2002. Globally, Camay is owned by P&G Home Products. Call it far-sightedness or sheer instincts, this move increased revenue channels as competition in the soap & detergent market became cut-throat.

While launching two premium variants of Camay, Milk Cream and Saffron, in 2002, Hiren disclosed that he would position the brands in the skin care segment to give them a broader perspective, & price them lower than competitors. He hoped Camay would be able to do well this time, referring to the fact that P&G had earlier failed to reposition the brand in the premium segment.

Even as Nirma has gone forward to acquire a premium image, it has strived to strengthen its backward integration initiatives. On November 27, 2007, it acquired the US-based natural soda ash manufacturer, Searles Valley Minerals. for over $200 million. An official statement said: “The acquisition would enable the company to raise soda ash capacity to more than 2 million tonnes a year, placing it among the world’s top seven producers.” Nirma’s scrip price spiraled, closing at Rs.220.05 on the day, an impressive 7% higher than the previous day’s close. According to news reports, the move gives Nirma an access to low-cost raw material, apart from an entry into newer markets.

Like his father, who created a new market for detergents, Hiren has tried to do the same. When he re-launched Nirma Shudh salt in 2002, he said that the “salt will be a distinct business. We aim to be a major foods player within the next two years. Be it a product or segment, Nirma believes in creating markets.” However, many analysts believe that diversification is not Hiren’s, or Nirma’s, cup of tea. They maintain that each time the group entered new categories, it was unable to make an impact.

For instance, Camay has a miniscule share in the marketplace. The salt business is still quite small as a proportion of the group’s overall turnover. It’s only in the bread-n-butter business of soaps and detergents that the group is doing well. According to the latest report by Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy, Nirma commands a 20% market share in the detergent powder segment. The company recorded consolidated net profits of Rs.1.15 billion and net sales of Rs.22.9 billion in 2006-07.

In addition, there’s a question mark on the management capabilities of the Patel brothers, Hiren and Rakesh. Critics claim that they have been unable to make the shift from being a family-managed firm to professionally-run. An analyst at FICCI, who started his career at Nirma, says, “I felt that they lacked professionalism and were conservative. But, of course, they are hard working. And whatever may be their successes and failures, they take it on their own shoulders.”

Also, Hirenbhai, as he is fondly called within the organisation, has managed to strike an emotive chord with his employees. “Once an employee committed a grave mistake because of which the company incurred losses. Hirenbhai took control of the situation, and made sure the matter was not leaked publicly. And, in a calm manner, he explained the repercussions of such mistakes to the employee. The idea was that the individual realises his folly and does not repeat it again,” recalls a current employee.

Adds the same employee, “Hirenbhai knows how to take care of people. It is his care and the individual importance he bestows on employees that has enabled him to motivate them. No wonder, in Nirma, all employees share a long-term relationship with the organization.” And Roy of FICCI adds, “Hiren is a soft-spoken, young, and dynamic leader who believes in action.” Maybe, these are the qualities that have worked in his favour. Whether Hiren emulates the successes of his father or not, the fact remains that the MD of Nirma Consumer Care lives in a world that’s defined by one mantra – take Nirma to newer heights.

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

Read these article :-
IIPM awards four Bengali novelists
ZEE BUSINESS BEST B SCHOOL SURVEY
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Monday, August 25, 2008

Greening up the world & UN


IIPM : EXECUTIVE EDUCATION

Ban quietly begins to make his mark on Earth


It was the year which saw, an Asian, complete his first year in ‘world’s most impossible job’ - as his predecessor Kofi Annan, described the job, while handing over reins to eighth Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, of South Korea. The year, he said, didn’t give him the honeymoon, which his predecessors got, as he went about the task of making progress on Millennium Development Goals, the crisis of genocide in Darfur and of Iraq. It has been said that the big powers wanted him as they wanted an ineffective and inactive person at the helm of the world body. But belying all Western expectations, the Korean has been effective in getting world’s rulers to business on climate change issue. The real task most wanted him to set out on was, as he said, “The reform of the UN, which has been put off for the past 60 years, must be carried out in earnest.” He further needs to see through the Millennium Development Goals, to make the world better, by 2015. He is also expected to promote multi-lateralism & ensure that US unilateralism is not allowed to checkmate global institutions & regulations.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

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

IIPM ranked No.1 B-School in India, Management News - By ...
The Hindu Business Line : IIPM placements hit a high of over 2000 jobs
Deccan Herald - IIPM ranked as top B-School in India
India eNews - IIPM Ranked No1 B-School in India
IIPM Delhi - Indian Institute of Planning and Management New Delhi ...
domain-b.com : IIPM ranked ahead of IIMs

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Beyond the glittering perception...


IIPM’s 36th Glorious Year of Academic Excellence

Are skyscrapers the ideal benchmark to define development?

It is said, “All that glitters, is not gold.” But there are people of wisdom with holistic views, who believe the opposite. So, if New York City’s skyline glitter over the shore at night, wisdom says it is the 24 carat gold that is shining. The rich New York has a coterie of rich friends apart from her American brothers. Whether it is Big Ben, Eiffel Tower or Monorail, these shining princess’ privilege and position draws adulation and idolatry from millions across the world while Indians dream that their cities draw same kind of admiration as our Western counterpart. Yet, Mumbai (India’s commercial capital) is simmering under grave infrastructure problems. As much as 54% of Mumbai’s population lives in slums, making it maximum in Asia. India’s capital, Delhi, has a figure of 20%. The living condition in these vast urban ghettos is pathetic to say the least with nest of 100 sq. ft. of thatched hut with no sanitation, no sewage and extremely poor drainage system. The roadways in Mumbai (albeit concrete) are below par because of poor maintenance and misappropriation of funds.

Delhi on the other hand has tar roads – but well maintained, compulsively done being the capital. Kolkata has tar roads too, but not well maintained at all, for decades now. Both Mumbai & Delhi has shortage of power creating frequent power cuts – unheard of in developed economies. Does London have beggars in the streets? Not many. Neither there are too may in Paris. But Mumbai boast of three lakhs, and Delhi have 58,000 on their streets. So behind the shining mask of Indian cities, lies ugly face of poverty, malnutrition, lack of social infrastructure and most importantly, hope for the future. Unless these factors are addressed and solved the glossy face of ‘India Shining’ cannot be sustained over a long period of time.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

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

The Hindu Business Line : IIPM placements hit a high of over 2000 jobs
Deccan Herald - IIPM ranked as top B-School in India
India eNews - IIPM Ranked No1 B-School in India
IIPM Delhi - Indian Institute of Planning and Management New Delhi ...
domain-b.com : IIPM ranked ahead of IIMs

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Kerala


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

The moment you think of this place, you want to slip into a dream. Beauty is what you associate with this state, and using its natural beauty to lure hungry eyes is the new big secret of prosperity for this state says savreen gadhoke

A country within a country? God’s own country?! Now wait, we’re not talking of something too far-fetched in imagination; we’re still talking India, rather Kerala. So, why this exaggerated gesture? Those serene backwaters and the coconut groves, those rubber and cocoa plantations, those ports in Cochin and Kollam, all remind you of one thing – ‘attractiveness’. If on one side there is a vast beach line of 575 kms (like in Kovalam and Varkala), on the other lies the Western Ghats, from where as many as 44 rivers originate and form the most scenic backwaters; the largest in the world! Situated on the Malabar Coast, Kerala was the first state to have declared tourism as an industry (way back in 1986).

The revenues from tourism touched Rs.10,000 crores in 2007-08 – an all-time high & an increase of 18% from the previous year. Close to 6,500,000 tourists flocked the state for the first 11 months of 2007 (out of which approximately 93% were domestic tourists). Till sometime back, tourism in Kerala was restricted to only the southern part of the state. However, the Government of Kerala is making efforts to promote tourism in other parts as well. Mohanan S., Deputy Director, Kerala Tourism asserts, “The Government is now concentrating on developing hotels and adequate infrastructure in the northern part of Kerala.”

For the year 2008-09, the Government of Kerala has sanctioned Rs.89 crore for the development of tourism – 12.6% more than in 2007-08, concerning which Kerala Chief Minister V. S. Achuthandan asserts, “The Kerala government will accord more priority to tourism and create infrastructure.” Apart from this, even the Centre has allocated nearly Rs.50 crore for promoting tourism in Kerala. Further on, he states that the private sector will play a major role in creating infrastructure facilities for tourism.

Kerala, due to its rich environment focus does not support heavy industries. But due to a high literacy rate it has immense room for the “smokeless industries” like IT. In fact, Achuthandan says that, “IT and tourism are the two sectors he is looking forward to.” Companies like Wipro & Infosys have invested heavily in the state. Navas Meeran, Chairman, Eastern Condiments, says, “The major advantage Kerala has is that it has huge skilled labour force and emerging companies are favoured.” The government plans to develop IT infrastructure in a hub-and-spoke model with Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi as the hubs. With nearly Rs.20,000 crore invested in the ‘industries’ sector since 2006, Kerala is all set to be a state for the capitalistic tourists as well!

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

Read these article :-
ZEE BUSINESS BEST B SCHOOL SURVEY
B-schooled in India, Placed Abroad (Print Version)
IIPM in Financial times (Print Version)
IIPM makes business education truly global (Print Version)
The Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM)
IIPM Campus
The Hindu : Education Plus : Honour for IIPM
IIPM ranked No.1 B-School in India, Management News - By ...
IIPM Ranked No1 B-School in India
Moneycontrol >> News >> Press- News >> IIPM ranked No1 B-School in ...
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The Hindu Business Line : IIPM placements hit a high of over 2000 jobs
Deccan Herald - IIPM ranked as top B-School in India
India eNews - IIPM Ranked No1 B-School in India
IIPM Delhi - Indian Institute of Planning and Management New Delhi ...
domain-b.com : IIPM ranked ahead of IIMs

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Mohammed Khan, Ex-Chairman


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

Mohammed Khan, Ex-Chairman, Bates David Enterprise: Kunal is already a leader. He was a young chap when he had joined, but then he went to Singapore to work and came back as a very mature guy. He is one of the brightest guys around, with a balanced head on his shoulders. He is an organised person who has a good understanding of the creative process. He has consistently produced good work and is not like a young, frightened ad guy, but a solid, talented fellow. He has a very pleasant personality, is a team player, very likeable and vigorous. We sent him to head Delhi as the creative leader to guide the young talented minds of the office and channelise their creative energy in the right direction.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

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

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

Monday, August 4, 2008

After burning millions of dollars on domestic tracks, comes the $4 billion plan to raise cash.


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

After burning millions of dollars on domestic tracks, comes the $4 billion plan to raise cash. How do they plan to spend it and what (if any) remains the sole means to save Indian aviation giants from doomsday? STEVEN PHILIP WARNER analyses…


NACIL, too, is on its way to acquire 111 more aircrafts from both Boeing and Airbus and for that matter, it plans to raise $1.5 billion, which would primarily be used for the expansion process. Besides planning a debt scheme from EXIM Bank, NACIL also has plans for an IPO. Ask Ashok Chawla, Civil Aviation Secretary, and he defensively asserts, “We’ll have to take a view on when to consider having the IPO based on the performance (of Air India), which will require the approval of the Cabinet.” Of course, he disclosed nothing about the deadline, but one thing’s for sure – NACIL can’t wait for long, if they are to keep abreast with aggressively expanding private players…

Then there are a host of private airliners – Jet Airways, for one, plans to raise $800 million. “50% of this total amount would be raised through dilution of shares through rights issue & qualified institutional placement. We’re in talks with financial institutions to finalise the finer details,” revealed a Jet Airways official. Then there is the now-Mallya run Kingfisher and Air Deccan combine, which is raising about $400 million for “overall expansion and international foray of Deccan & Kingfisher Airlines,” as G. R. Gopinath, MD, Air Deccan puts it. Interestingly, Mallya might end up diluting 15% of his stake in the merged entity. “There are talks in the boardroom that Mr. Mallya might just sell-off about 15-20% shares out of his 76% holding in the airline to raise Rs.16 billion and expand authorised capital by Rs.3.5 billion,” reveals a source in Kingfisher Airlines.

There are also other fish in this aviation sea that are willing to try their luck at the fund-raising game. Paramount Airways too plans to raise about $350 million and would absorb this sum to acquire more aircrafts to take the total count of its fleet to 47 by the year 2010. As M. Thiagarajan, MD, Paramount Airways adds, “By 2010, we would have a national presence and will get 40 more Embraer aircrafts till then. We’ll focus on one region, saturate and dominate before moving to other regions like we did in the South. We wanted to establish the brand before expansion even within the country and with our international plans we will always be a premium product offering only first and business class products when we enter Europe, the Far East and it will be a matter of fact before we fly the United States as well. We will have a global presence by 2015-16.”

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
4Ps Power Brand Awards 2007
When IIPM comes to education, never compromise
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM is A World of Career
Why Study Abroad When IIPM Gives You 3 global Advantages!

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Lodha Group


When IIPM comes to education, never compromise

Investee:
Lodha Group
Investor: Deutsche Bank
Investment Value: $425 mn

Abhisheck Lodha, Director, Lodha Group, believes, “Under this transaction, the investors have invested $425 million in the Lodha Group’s Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for the development of three of our FDI compliant projects, located in and around Mumbai. The investors will receive a stake in these projects.”

A clutch of PE investors led by Deutsche Bank Singapore invested $425 million in the real-estate developer, Lodha Group in September 2007, marking the single largest investment in a city-based developer in India. The demographics of India’s boom in the real estate sector, is extremely compelling for global investors. Established in 1980, Lodha Group is headquartered in Mumbai and is currently developing in excess of 25 million sq. ft. of prime real estate over 27 projects in and around Mumbai. The group has also recently kicked off its geographic expansion by winning 13 acres of premium property in central Hyderabad. The company’s portfolio consists of residences, office spaces, IT campuses, townships, weekend retreats and also the very high potential SEZs. The group professes to abide by quality and timely delivery of projects and currently employs over 500 professionals. The bid is to expand ferociously and boost employee strength to 5,000 over the next few years. Following DLF’s example, the Lodha Group too aspires to come out with a Rs.8,000 crore IPO in the first half of 2008.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM is A World of Career
Why Study Abroad When IIPM Gives You 3 global Advantages!

Friday, July 18, 2008

First-mover’s disadvantage


IIPM, GURGAON

Or call it the fast-follower’s gain. Many think that in the race to produce the world’s cheapest car, Tata Motors has a clear advantage; it’s the first to enter the fray, it has forced others to follow suit, and it will retain a dominant market share for a long time to come. It did it in the small diesel car category by being the first and ruling the roads for years. Even today, Indica is a big challenger to Maruti and Hyundai in the compact segment.

But then, think again, and think out of the box. Several studies have now proved that “there were plenty of industries, where the first movers got killed.” Richard B. Mckenzie of the University of California has shown that failure rates across traditional industries for first-moving pioneers were 71%, and they had a meagre market share of 6%. Even in the field of technology, where first-movers invariably have an edge, studies have shown that their success wasn’t dependent on technological progress; in fact, other factors played a larger role in determining their outcomes.

Here are a few examples of first-movers’ failures globally. On June 4, 1924, the ten millionth Model T Ford left the Highland Park factory. But, by 1926, the sales of this path-breaking model had plummeted, and it was out of production the next year. It was America’s first ever cheap car. In the 1960s, v Excel was the first patented spreadsheet software. But the market changed rapidly by the 1980s, and Lotus became the new spreadsheet standard. The same happened with CP/M, the first operating software that none of the readers may have even heard about. We have all been either ‘Gated” by Microsoft or ‘Linuxed’ by the free developers.

As a 2006 edit in 4Ps B&M read: “So which was the first company to introduce shaving blades? Not the current world leader Gillette, but the extinct Wilkinson Sword. Browsers? Obviously not Microsoft with their number one Internet Explorer, but the ‘over the hill’ Mosaic. Search engines?

Surprisingly, not Google, but the laggard Yahoo! Supermarkets? Not at all the giant Wal-Mart, but the King Kullen Grocery Company. The first liquid soap? A thoroughly unheard of Minnetonka. VCRs? You wouldn’t even have imagined the name of Ampex. The first hybrid car? Not Toyota with its world beating Prius, but Renault. The first computer? Neither HP, Apple, IBM, nor Dell; but Micro Instrumentation & Telemetry Systems (phew). Video games? Not the numero uno Sony, with its Playstation series, but the well-forgotten Atari….. Refrigerators, televisions, cell phones, cameras, banking, watches – the downfallen first movers’ list is never ending.”

In the small car space, there are several second and third-movers, who are gearing to steal the thunder, or rather the accelerator, from Tata. Skoda has launched Fabia, a premium model in the compact segment. Maruti Suzuki has showcased A-Star and Splash, which are likely to be priced between the Alto and Swift. Ford has decided to invest $500 million in India to launch a small car. And don’t forget about Bajaj Auto, Honda, Renault and Nissan, and many others, who have similar dreams.

Still we at 4Ps B&M think that Ratan Tata can easily shift into the fifth gear from here. It may take him a couple of years, but he will be way ahead of his competitors in this race to sell small cars in India and overseas markets. His first advantage is that he has created a new market, he has dared to tap into new set of consumers, decided to design, develop and manufacture a product for the ‘bottom of the pyramid’. He has opened the floodgates for millions to own and drive a car.

The second advantage that Tata Motors has is that he has managed to convert its engineering skills into making an innovative product(s). It has managed to slash costs that no one thought was possible. This was despite the fact that costs (including manpower) have risen tremendously ever since Tata conceived of his ‘dream’ project. The third advantage is that Tata Motors has forced other competitors to think differently. Now, firms can talk about a people’s car.

If Indica (diesel) changed the way an Indian consumer thought, the Nano will force him/her to act (and now buy). And if the Nano becomes a big hit, it will make Tata a global super hero.

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