IIPM- INSTITUE PRESS: August 2010

Friday, August 27, 2010

IIPM Awards - IIPM Leaders: Unfurl their Wings “Convocation 2010 - Ahmedabad"

Ahmedabad, July, 2010: The Indian Institute of Planning & Management (IIPM), one of the leading management institutes in the country paved the way for generation next to excel and be the best leaders of tomorrow. IIPM, Ahmedabad conferred Diploma Certificates to students of batch 2007-2009 on the successful completion of their Post Graduate Programme in Planning & Entrepreneurship and also the Post Graduate Degree in Management from IMI, Europe.

The Convocation saw 55 students being awarded their respective graduating diplomas. It was an opportunity for all to reunite and relive the memorable moments of the most exciting and crucial two years of the students' lives that they had spent at IIPM. To inaugurate the event, IIPM students performed Vandana Dance-a prayer to the Lord.

Dr. J J Irani, Director - Tata Sons graced the occasion as the Chief Guest. Among other Guests of Honour’s were Mr. P. R. Joshi, President Group-HR & CC, Zydus Cadila, Mr. Pankaj Sachdeva, Managing Director, Kalpataru Power Transmissions Limited, Mr. Kaushal Mehta, Founder and Chairman, Motif Inc., Mr. Mukesh Bhandari, Chairman, Electrotherm India Limited, Mr. Hitesh Buddhbatti, DGM & Branch Head, Times Group and Dr. Binod Agrawal, Vice Chancellor, Himigiri Nabh Vishwavidhyalaya.

The Directors’ Gold and Silver medals for outstanding performances both in academic and non-academic activities were also awarded by Dr. J.J. Irani to the brightest stars of IIPM. The Academic Gold and Silver medals were awarded to students who ranked first and second consistently throughout the two years of the program by Prof. A. Sandeep, Dean-IIPM, All India.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. J.J. Irani, called upon the graduating students to be responsible to the one billion Indians rather than only to the shareholders of the companies they work for. He stressed on the fact that businesses need to cater to overall community and successful businesses are created by taking the communities they are surrounded by with them. Dr. Irani stressed that India should become a 'Happy Nation' rather than an 'Economic Superpower.' This he felt can be achieved by ensuring corporates and their executives follow ethical practices. He demanded that the new generation pay heed to values and ensure that these values are passed on wherever they go.

The diplomas were conferred upon the students of IIPM Ahmedabad by the various Guests of Honor. The alumni then gathered on stage for the cap-throwing ceremony. It was a very proud moment for the parents when all the students joined for the cap throwing ceremony after receiving their testimonials.

The ceremony also saw the Corporate Recruiters’ Award being presented to various organizations for their continuous association with IIPM Ahmedabad. These included Claris Lifesciences Ltd. , Hitachi Home and Life Solutions, ICICI Securities Ltd., Evosys, Zydus Cadila, Mahindra Finance and Times Group.

The ever dynamic and competitive world patiently waits for our wits, talents and abilities to grow sharper. These would grow sharper when we put our mind, thoughts and actions in the right direction and grab the right opportunity at the right time. IIPM has never let this opportunity shun away and has given its students the right platform to explore and boost their abilities keeping pace with this dynamic business world and help them “Dare to think beyond.”

Thursday, August 26, 2010

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

Shivani Hedge

General Manager – Foods, Maggi

The single greatest achievement during Shivani Hedge’s tenure as General Manager, Foods, Maggi, is that when Maggi completed 25 years of launch in India, Shivani oversaw the launch of the Me and Meri Maggi campaign to commemorate the same. The campaign took off for thousands of consumers to share their Maggi stories on air. Second to this came the launch of the instant noodles in a cup category targeted at the workplace crowd. Then, Shivani has been the torchbearer for marketing of the new Maggi Nutri-Licious Pazzta late last year along with the launch of the two bottom of the pyramid products. Thus, Shivani’s own Maggi story has all the ingredients of a blockbuster.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
“We will change your outlook” - The Sunday Indian on B-SCHOOL RANKING SCAMSTERS EXPOSED! A must read...
The Sunday Indian:-
B-SCHOOL RANKING SCAMSTERS EXPOSED!
For Exclusive Footage by Sunday Indian Click Here

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

IIPM enters into media education
IIPM makes record 10,000 placements in five years
TSI exposes b school ranking scamsters Mahesh Peri of Career 360 and Premchand Palety of C fore. - For Complete Sting Operation Video Click Here
Pioneer Exposes the fraud called Mahesh Sharma and Mahesh Peri of Career 360 and Barbel Schwertfeger of mba-channel.com
IIPM: An intriguing story of growth and envy
Prof Arindam Chaudhuri of IIPM on MF HUSAIN‎

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

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

Nitin Mathur

Director – Marketing, Yahoo! India

The experience which stands out was the It’s Y!ou campaign in 2009, wherein we tried to make our product more open. So it was about opening up for people to think of Yahoo! as an open product, so that becomes more social and more vibrant. The campaign was all about our users, what we mean to them and how we aim to be at the centre of people’s online lives. The campaign celebrated our connection with our users besides core product enhancements. The brand strategy showed its commitment to deliver personally relevant online experiences in line with the new brand strategy of Yahoo!

Monday, August 23, 2010

Nutrivita PRESENTS 100 MARKETING BRAINS THAT MOVE AND SHAKE INDIA

Kishore Biyani

MD, Pantaloon retail india ltd.

Well, this franchisee agreement that we have entered in with Tata Teleservices Ltd in regards to launching the T24 brand might be one of the most interesting things that we have done. The reason as to why I feel that way is that with this initiative, we are bringing together two very separate fields - that is retail shopping and airtime under one proposition. This would give consumers more incentive to shop as well as to talk. If you look at all the categories of consumer spending, you would notice that mobile is an intrinsic category in which everybody spends. And if we are able to sell this and link it with shopping, it would enable us to achieve something very interesting in this market place.

Friday, August 20, 2010

WHAT THE F...?

Ford has once again banked on the alphabet ‘F’ – this time they call it Figo. But will the Figo brand really be a game-changer for this Detroit giant in India?

Evidently, Figo will have to work pretty hard to achieve that success. Ford had entered India in 1995 with its globally acclaimed Ford Escort. But as a whole, significant volumes have been absent for Ford in India in its 15-year-long journey. Escort, Mondeo, Fusion, though having a great brand recall, failed to an extent in making a clear purchase impact in the minds of Indian consumers. Ford did stock acclaim with brands like Ikon and Fiesta, but high volumes has been a rarity than a regularity for this American automaker. That said, the company has been able to make a significant impact in the SUV category with its Endeavour brand; but the brand’s smooth run too now is under threat with Toyota’s Fortuner entering the market.

The turnaround that Alan Mulally has crafted for this automaker in US is truly overwhelming, but, in India, Ford still roughly holds only a 2-3% market share. The company sold 29,499 vehicles in 2009 (28,563 in 2008) registering a sales growth of 3% on the Indian turf, which is way below the levels that the market leader Maruti Suzuki or the chaebol Hyundai enjoys in the Indian market. “We haven’t been able to clock high volumes simply because of the fact that we weren’t present in the segment where 70% of the cars are sold in India (read: small-car segment). But with the launch of Figo, we expect to grow rapidly in the Indian market,” says Boneham.

There is credible weight in his argument. In fact, Ford has already invested $500 million to double the annual capacity of its Chennai plant to 200,000 vehicles and is also setting up a facility to make 250,000 engines annually primarily for the high demand that Figo is expected to bring in for this Detroit giant. While Ford has no plans to bring the famous F-Series to India in the near future, Boneham doesn’t completely rules out the possibility of its launch in the long run. “Currently, our focus is on the launch of Figo and ensuring that it is a success in the Indian market. We will launch the F-Series when we believe that the Indian market is ready for such a product.”

Though a considerable lot of what will happen in India for Ford will depend on the pricing and the marketing strategy that the brand pursues in the short run, what would be key learning for Ford – and for Boneham – would be that the reason Maruti Suzuki has succeeded over the years has not been just because of introducing new brands, but because of their clever play between quality of products offered, service support provided, and market grabbing pricing. Not to forget that the legacy of the ‘Indianness’ of the name of Maruti would remain an extremely crucial factor for Ford, one no other auto manufacturer has been able to replicate.

Till that happens, Ford would have to target a hope that Figo provides it leverage to consolidate market shares in the future, rather than attempting to grab market leadership. And of course, then we have the F-Series... but then again, that’s altogether another story!

Thursday, August 19, 2010

HOW DOES THUMS UP KEEP STEALING THE THUNDER!...

“Thums Up has evolved with changing times but at the same time has retained its central element of positioning, that is, it’s a drink for macho men,” says Anand Halve, Co-founder, Chlorophyll, a brand consulting firm. In the American markets, Coca Cola is the cola of choice and Pepsi is an alternative to Coke – both having a distinct positioning. But in India, while Coca Cola experimented with Thanda Matlab Coca Cola, Jashn Mana Le, Open Happiness, et al, PepsiCo too adopted various taglines like Yehi Hai Right Choice Baby, Nothing Official About it, Yeh Dil Maange More, Oye Bubbly, Yeh Hai Youngistaan Meri Jaan, et al. “In the last 20 years, both Pepsi and Coca Cola have supported half a dozen positionings, baselines, endorsers, et al,” says Halve. Pepsi dropped Sachin Tendulkar and Shah Rukh Khan (both having a cult status) and roped in Ranbir Kapoor and a bunch of young cricketers.

Now compare that with the iconic Thums Up, which on the other hand, has played on Taste The Thunder consistently for the last 20 years and has had only two prominent ambassadors (Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar). And that’s the secret in true resplendent honour! Thums Up has attained the status of a cult brand as it did not give in to the demands of momentary seasonal temptations and maintained its positioning relevant with times.

Certainly almost all the campaigns from Thums Up have always build on its strength and its positioning as a macho drink. In fact, all of its ads – from the Thums Up man riding through the desert in search of a cantina that sells the drink, to the same man breaking his bones in a busy street to grab a bottle of Thums Up – have clearly stuck the right chord in the minds of Indian consumer. The key challenge now for Thums Up would be to retain its leadership as rival Pepsi and lime-based drink Sprite close in on its position. (Coke’s Sprite has already become the No. 2 brand in the country). But then again, it’s been there, done that, and we guess, doesn’t care less about competitors. Taste it, if you haven’t already!

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

A new battleground

Jangipur – a relatively unknown name (except for the fact that it is Finance Minister Pranab Mukherje’s constituency) – has all of a sudden become the preferred destination for initiatives aimed at financial inclusion. With RBI allowing domestic banks to open branches in Tier 3 and Tier 4 cities (with population below 50,000) without prior approval, small town India is warming up to the new banking battle. The private sector banks are drawing plans to attack public sector banks (PSBs) in their backyard – rural India – by opening hundreds of new branches. The initiative makes great business sense for the new age banks as the business growth from rural and semi-urban branches is over 40% compared with 30% from urban area branches. Over half a million farmer households still do not have any access to credit from financial institutional sources and private sector banks are well poised to cash in the very concept of financial inclusion. So are the PSBs feeling threatened?

J. M. Garg, CMD, Corporation Bank, says, “We compete with them (private and foreign banks) in urban areas and still grow very healthily, why should their entry in rural areas worry us?” While the efforts of bankers (particularly PSBs) in opening branches in Jangipur are praiseworthy, their counterpart, the private sector banks, are perhaps targeting the remaining 6,00,000 odd villages.

Gyanendra k. Kashyap

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

OF CONTENT, CHANNELS AND… THE CONSUMERS!

A few have done justice so far to the concept of Roadblocking, having ensured that their advertising dollars don’t go waste. Will the others follow suit?

When I hear the word Roadblock Advertising, the first thing that comes to my mind is ‘high impact’. In my belief Roadblock as a strategy works very well with the launch of a new product or service as it successfully captures the attention of the target segment.

An advertiser can roadblock one or many media vehicles across various media (TV, Print, Radio, outdoor, digital, Internet et al). But I feel that television is a very strong medium of communication and offers a larger reach compared to other media vehicles. Thus a roadblock on TV is generally very effective. Nonetheless, companies have used the print media (especially the leading dailies) as an effective media vehicle, while implementing the very concept of Roadblock advertising.

Roadblock is definitely a very efficient tool to attract eyeballs in a short span of time. A number of examples can be cited in this respect; however on a contemporary note, one of the very strong Roadblocks in the recent past was Volkswagen in print media. As few opt for print media to carry forward their Roadblock strategy, one is bound to question the effectiveness of a Roadblock in print media. I think with the same money, a Roadblock on television can be much more effective since it has a wider reach. Also, television being an audio-visual medium will have a higher impact. Having said that, it is also important to note that Volkswagen’s case was a little different. It’s not a mass product. It has a specific target audience, thus a massive reach through TV channel would not have served the company’s purpose better as compared to Roadblock through print media.

Another very important factor in context to Roadblocks is that it’s very important that the consumers register the Roadblock as a Roadblock. For instance, take the much talked about HUL Roadblocks that happened twice last year. I will not call it a Roadblock. Rather I would call it high efficiency buying, for the very simple reason that a consumer didn’t register it as a Roadblock. The consumer saw Fair & Lovely ad followed by Dove, Lux, Lifebuoy et al. Thus the consumer failed to register that it was a roadblock. A consumer is not bothered about who is paying for the advertisements, therefore when a high price (with a high premium) is paid for advertisements, it becomes important that it’s registered well with the consumers. Thus, I feel that Roadblocks work when they are for one brand and not for a bunch of brands from one single company.

Monday, August 16, 2010

‘H’ FOR HITLER STRIKES BACK

HARI SADU – the metaphorical Hitler boss is back! H for Hitler, A for arrogant, R for rascal, I for idiot – the campaign of Naukri.com with an original yet humourous storyline successfully portrayed the employee’s psyche of ‘not quitting their jobs but their bosses’ and positioned Naukri.com as the No.1 job portal website of India when it was first launched in 2006. Hari Sadu, the chief protagonist, a fictitious character, became synonymous with a pesky and arrogant boss. And this time, the campaign shows the name plate of Hari Sadu with various pairs of hands scribbling on the door funny words like ‘Hernia’, ‘underwear’, ‘swine flu’, et al. The campaign ends with the tagline – ‘Recession is over. Jobs are back.’ Created and conceptualised by Draft FCB Ulka, the campaign was first released on YouTube. Encashing on green shoots of recovery and spurt in hiring in sectors like telecom, BFSI, et al, the ad has hit at the right time.

Friday, August 13, 2010

Mohit Khattar

Managing Director, Godrej Nature’s Basket, talks to b&e’s angshuman paul about the peculiarities of the industry and the company’s future plans

B&E: How does Nature’s Basket plan to leverage from the other businesses of Godrej group?
MK: We are leveraging from various other FMCG businesses. We would be selling all our food products in the stores. However, we are yet to implement other way of leveraging. We are planning to share our retail presence or even buy retail properties together.

B&E: Frankly, do you think the Indian market is prepared for a concept like gourmet retailing?
MK: There’s a huge demand for exotic foods, especially things like dried herbs, wines, which you get only abroad or is imported into the country. This is what creates the base for gourmet retailing. Even last year, irrespective of the global slowdown, the Indian economy registered healthy growth numbers. The metro lifestyle is witnessing a change; there is a growing liking for good food and this is what makes us feel that there is a market for gourmet retailing – if not in the mass level, then in the niche category.

B&E: What are your investment plans; have you reached the break-even point as of now?
MK: We don’t believe in announcing investment figures – we invest wherever we find it’s necessary. At this time, it’s too early to comment on if whether we have reached the break-even point or not; but I should mention that we have been growing at a rate of 80% and segments like assortment retailing, wine & bear retailing have been doing phenomenally well with significant contributions towards our turnover.

B&E: It’s said that to shine in the retail industry, it’s crucial to have a sturdy base of logistics. You have paid heed to this – but how much?
MK: I think and we strongly believe that you should not open a retail store if you don’t have a logistics plan for that particular retail store. We deal with 400 importers as most of our products come from overseas; and then we have our own storage procedures ensuring the quality of the goods and its freshness are maintained.

B&E: Food Bazaar and Spencer respectively from the Future Group, and even RPG are focusing a lot on creating inhouse brands. Will you follow suit?
MK: No, not as of now. Like I said before, we don’t believe in doing things just because other players are doing it. We rolled out an inhouse brand in organic mangoes at a time when no other players were offering the same.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Everybody loves Drew!

35-year-old Drew Barrymore is playing a Greenpeace worker in the upcoming movie Everybody Loves Whales, which is based on a true story of three trapped gray whales. The movie is scheduled to be shot in Alaska and will employ Alaskans for some 1000 extras’ roles and 30-40 speaking roles in the movie. And word is that this opportunity to work in a film starring Drew has gotten the ‘cold’ Alaskans all fired up!

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
“We will change your outlook” - The Sunday Indian on B-SCHOOL RANKING SCAMSTERS EXPOSED! A must read...
The Sunday Indian:-
B-SCHOOL RANKING SCAMSTERS EXPOSED!
For Exclusive Footage by Sunday Indian Click Here

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

IIPM enters into media education
IIPM makes record 10,000 placements in five years
TSI exposes b school ranking scamsters Mahesh Peri of Career 360 and Premchand Palety of C fore. - For Complete Sting Operation Video Click Here
Pioneer Exposes the fraud called Mahesh Sharma and Mahesh Peri of Career 360 and Barbel Schwertfeger of mba-channel.com
IIPM: An intriguing story of growth and envy
Prof Arindam Chaudhuri of IIPM on MF HUSAIN‎

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Welcome to ‘The Land of the Rising Debt’!

While sovereign debt crisis in EU is sending shockwaves across the globe, Japan continues to silently babysit a huge pile of public debt. Emotional tugs apart, the Japanese policymakers urgently need to wake up, or the noise of the economy’s crash will ensure they do. by Manish k. Pandey

It was broadcasted to the whole world order as the Land of Economic Promises in the 1960s. [It didn’t gain fame as the Land of the Rising Sun for nothing!] Japanese economy had started rewriting the rules that defined global progress and prosperity till then. While the world economy was on a smile ride with a CAGR of 6.1% during the 1960s, the Japanese bandwagon outran it with a growth of 10% (World Bank data). By the end of the 1970s, the country had turned out to be the engine of the world’s new order. Bewildered economists called it a “Japanese miracle”; Japan was unique.

It still is today. With a public debt figure to GDP ratio hovering around the 200% mark, its situation is worse than even the most recent citadel that fell – Greece. The far east nation has perplexed economists, and stranger is the fact that even the most well-read of economists are shooting very few and far warning flares in the Japanese skies. Apparently they don’t consider anything suicidal until the subject is dead. The debt to GDP figure of Japan is way above that of its troubled counterparts in the West (refer chart titled ‘Government debts’ for a comparative look). What’s more? The Bank of International Settlement (BIS) projects (under “a best case scenario”) that Japan’s debt could zoom past 400% by 2040! Despite this horrid situation, there seems hardly an extra wrinkle on the faces of the Japanese government officials. But truth is: Japan is slowly approaching its end. And there is no end to the bad news. Here’s the next in line – Japan’s nominal GDP is almost the same as it was about 15 years ago ($5.58 trillion today as compared to $5.24 trillion in 1995). Unbearable debt amidst close to zero growth in over 15 years – beat that for an awkward macroeconomic situation!

Heavy spending by the government is not only deteriorating country’s long-term fiscal health, but is also gradually turning the Japanese government bonds (JGBs) into a bubble that can burst anytime. In fact, in just three years from now, the total volume of JGBs is likely to exceed Japan’s households’ net monetary assets, the value of which, as of today, stands at roughly $12.03 trillion. The list of headaches doesn’t end here. “Though it’s frightening to consider public debt increasing to more than 100% of GDP, an even greater danger arises from a rapidly aging population,” says a recent report by BIS.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Betting big on the inorganic mode

First it was the Bank of Madura. Then, it was Bank of Sangli. And now, the Bank of Rajasthan. ICICI Bank is seemingly strengthening its presence in the Indian banking space by undertaking a slew of acquisitions much like its peer HDFC Bank did in the past. by Avneesh Singh

It was the February of 2008. The world was yet to come face-to-face with the debacle of the US banking giant Bear Stearns. Yet in India, officials of the largest private sector bank, ICICI Bank, had started feeling the heat. And it was not for the fact that they had already predicted the slowdown that was coming their way, it was due to the acquisition of the Centurion Bank of Punjab (CBoP) that proved the genesis of all headaches in the ICICI camp. CBoP had been on the radar of ICICI Bank for quite sometime already, but it was HDFC Bank that finally got hold of CBoP. ICICI Bank, which had held on to its numero uno position in the private banking space and second slot in the banking space apparently felt that it was losing its ground. It made ICICI realise that something’s got to give, if it wanted to avoid nightmares of the likes of HDFC Bank, Axis Bank and Punjab National Bank beating it with the lesson cane! It decided that growing inorganic was the route to redemption.

What followed was interesting. Despite the Bear Stearns episode in March 2008, the Indian banking scenario continued sauntering without many hiccups. There were promises in the air, especially the air above the Indian banks. But something set the cat amongst the pigeons – the crash of the banking behemoth Lehman Brothers, which filed for bankruptcy in September 2008. The world economy was heading for its worst crisis since the Great Dipression and Indian banks set off the alarm. One which set off the louded was ICICI Bank. Reason – during that point in time, it had an exposure of around 57 million euros in Lehman senior bonds and another $30 million in the insurance company American International Group (AIG), whose financial health too was as shaky as Lehman Brothers’. ICICI Bank was forced to pack its dreams (of steaming past others of its ilk in the Indian space) in a suitcase and catch the next flight to the land of protectionism. Times were too risky to take a plunge and ICICI Bank wanted to play safe.

More than a 21 months later, after a prolonged phase of silence, the bank has stepped back into its aggressive boots. And this time around, it has given clear indications of a desire to grow through both organic and inorganic means. Even Chanda Kochhar (CEO of ICICI Bank) has done much work towards rebuilding the perception of the bank amongst its customers. May 3, 2010, also saw ICICI open its 2000th branch in the country (it opened it in Andheri West, Mumbai). But there was more in store for the market. Withing 20 days, the Board of Directors of the bank approved an amalgamation of Bank of Rajasthan (BoR) with ICICI Bank, subject to approval by shareholders and Reserve Bank of India, therefore sending that signal of aggression to competitors and customers alike.