IIPM- INSTITUE PRESS

Chinese Fire vs Indian Thunder

2011-12-29T16:26:00.000+05:30

Considering how they made The Incumbents Bleed, both Micromax and G’Five have been Revelations in The Indian Mobile handset Industry. Now they are Increasingly getting in each Other’s Way

Ages ago, Charles Darwin coined the phrase “survival of the fittest”. His words make all the more sense in today’s era where change happens overnight. And verdicts are given on the victor and the vanquished in much lesser time. In fact, one can safely adapt Darwin’s theory and say that this is the era of survival of the “fittest and the swiftest”. The Indian handset industry, with estimated sales of around 10-12 million units every month, currently has its hands full with a number of players already in the race for a slice of the pie; of course, the larger, the better. But with that perspective, comes the fact that there are always newer players looking to get their foot inside the doorstep. This market, which earlier boasted of only a handful others, was redefined a few years back by a clutch of companies, which made the incumbents bleed, and profusely. Micromax and G’five are two brands, in particular, that emerged from the resultant hostilities to become prominent players in their own right. And while they both have benefitted from attacking the leaders, they are off late increasingly finding themselves in each other’s way. And given the fact that they perhaps are the most acerbic competitors in the market front, 4Ps B&M decided to cover them in this section of Marketers@War..

Micromax established a new business model in India by importing handsets – as there are no duties levied – and selling them in the Indian handset market. Most imports are occurring from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and other east Asian countries. Off late, the Chinese players have also realised the potential and growth opportunities and entered directly. And Honk Kong based G’Five, irrespective of its lineage (how many of us associate Hong Kong with consumer electronics?), is playing on similar tunes.

Micromax and G’Five are competing in the Indian market on a common principle – offering exceptional value for money to their users and becoming the alternatives to the incumbent MNCs. However, they are not similar in their actual method of approach. Micromax, since its inception, has adopted an aggressive marketing campaign to promote its brand. It has leveraged both cricket and Bollywood (it roped in Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar, a testimony to its ambitions) and indulged in a number of visibility campaigns. “Our target audience identifies itself with cricket, Bollywood and music. That is why we have been marketing our product around them,” points out Pratik Seal, Head Marketing, Micromax.

On the other hand, G’Five has remained a silent killer in the industry and hardly promoted its products or its brand at the national level. It therefore came as a shock when IDC reported that G’Five has emerged as the largest handset player in India after Nokia for the quarter ending September 2010. Nokia further slipped by around 5% to post a market share of 31.5% and G’Five took the second spot with 10.6%; beating Samsung at 8.2%.“Yes, I agree that G’Five as a brand was not visible in the Tier I cities and metros. But we have been doing enough branding and marketing campaigns in Tier II and III cities,” says Arshit Pathak, Managing Director, G’Five. In the initial stages, the company has been targeting Tier II and Tier III cities, and 80% of sales of G’Five handsets are coming from these cities. After having reached a formidable position, G’Five is now positioning itself in metros and Tier I cities. It is also looking forward to tie-ups with some of the large format retail outlets.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2011.

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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Special Cell to probe blast outside Delhi HC

2011-05-26T17:21:00.003+05:30

Delhi Police's elite anti-terror wing Special Cell will investigate the explosion outside the Delhi High Court on Wednesday.

A senior police official said the investigations of the "low intensity explosion" near a car outside the High Court has been transfered to Special Cell as they were better equipped and trained to investigate such cases.

The explosion also prompted Delhi Police to sound an alert in the city and strengthen security by deploying more personnel on streets and crowded places like markets and to intensify checking of vehicles.

The explosive kept in a white polythene bag near a lawyer's car parked at Gate No-7 on Service Road went off at around 1:25 pm, causing panic, and three minutes later, police received the call regarding the blast.

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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“IT SYMBOLISES STRENGTH TO ME”

2011-03-15T17:22:00.000+05:30

With India entering the league of a select few who have their own currency symbol, the creator of the new symbol for the Indian rupee shares with 4Ps B&M the symbolic meaning of the creation, his research and the cultural roots etched deep into the symbol

How does it feel to be the man behind our new rupee symbol?
It feels great to be able to become a part of something that will give this country its own visual recognition globally. Actually, the feeling is quite phenomenal.

What did you want to portray while the design was still in your mind?
When the Government of India had announced this competition, if you can call it that, there were certain guidelines to be followed. We were supposed to work on something that will reflect our culture. So I was focussing on how the Indian culture could be best portrayed. I did a lot of research on Indian scripts as I had already done my PhD in the Tamil script. After a lot of research, I decided to use the Devnagri script.

Why the Devnagri Script?
I could not afford to miss the uniqueness of this script. While every other currency symbol in the world starts from the baseline, it is only in Devnagri script that you write from the topline. I tried many other options, but this was unique among other scripts. I thought this will represent India’s identity distinctly!

What does the symbol symbolize to you now?
It symbolises strength to me. All this while, I had the same concept in my mind. It was a strong concept then, it is still a strong one after it got selected. The verdict has not changed anything for me, I see the symbol in the same manner as I did when I created it. Even people will see it in the same light.

Would this symbol change India’s stand globally?
It has given the nation’s currency a visual recognition, which is an important landmark in itself. I think it has brought about a face value to Indian currency. More importantly, it has served as a symbol of differentiation among our seven neighbouring countries that have the same currency as the rupee.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2011.

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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FACE2FACE WITH ASHA GUPTA, MANAGING DIRECTOR, TUPPERWARE INDIA

2011-03-10T17:53:00.001+05:30

What exactly do you consider as competition ?
Every storage container available in the market is our competitor. But the parameter and the policies we have, make us unique. So I would say we do not have any competition. There are many products in the market, which say they are warm and airtight, but they end up in having worms and stale food.

We have never seen much glamour from your side. Why has Tupperware shied away from the ad world?
Our brand itself has so much of a glamor quotient. Our brand is our brand ambassador which speaks much for itself and outside. We don’t have many endorsers. I believe only 12-13% of population go for ads, rest of the population takes only what they feel is good. For example, if a friend of yours posts on Facebook that they didn’t watch a certain movie as it was a waste of time, you would generally trust him/her rather than a newspaper review. That is the way we sell – by building the chain of confidence.

What other market segments is Tupperware heading towards?
We are looking at cookware as our new showcase. Cookware has tied up very well with out product. We know about the market in India quite thoroughly and how people behave. We are going to bring in very high quality cookware and help Indian housewives to save on gas and cook healthy food. Through cookware, we will be completing the whole kitchen: from cooking to preparation, to serving, to taking food out and saving it to the refrigerator.

And any CSR activities of Tupperware?
Yes. We have focused our target on young girls, helping them get educated. We also have an association called Literacy India. So every time a Tupperware product is sold, there is an amount which is being sent to the fund maintained by Literacy India. Through that, these kids get education, training in paper making, handicrafts, colour paper etc. We help them selling their products by promoting them and buying them ourselves (for the company).

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.

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Marketing - On Steve’s Radar

2011-01-13T17:18:00.001+05:30

AUTO PILOT

Lee Thomson,
Senior VP, Corporate Sales, Asia Pacific, Salesforce.com

What is the logic behind offering multiple clouds?
Lots of organisations have legacy technologies and they don’t want to make that leap in one transaction. So we have many customers who want to adopt some of the technology on the cloud, retain some of the technology on premise or legacy technology. As long as you can give that customer an integrated solution and once they evolve, and once that legacy technology becomes older & less relevant, they move to new technology and tend to move to the cloud.

What will be your major competitive advantages going forward?
A number of people are now researching on cloud computing. A lot of people would look to internet for advice on CRM or cloud computing. People would talk to Salesforce as it is the market leader. The more powerful thing is that those organisations will talk to our other customers and understand why they shifted to Salesforce. That’s where the real value is.

Virat Bahri

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.

IIPM B-School Detail
IIPM makes business education truly global
IIPM’s Management Consulting Arm - Planman Consulting
Arindam Chaudhuri (IIPM Dean) – ‘Every human being is a diamond’
Arindam Chaudhuri – Everything is not in our hands
Planman Technologies – IT Solutions at your finger tips
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Arindam Chaudhuri's Portfolio - he is at his candid best by Society Magazine

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domain-b.com : IIPM ranked ahead of IIMs
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WHY HDFC STD’S BET MIGHT JUST PAY OFF

2010-11-16T17:06:00.001+05:30

4Ps B&M cuts across the honchos within HDFC Standard Life, as well as the whiz kids of Leo Burnett, the creators of their campaign, to understand why a simple, staid, standard message may actually get the numbers running along for the financial behemoth

But first, why in heavens didn’t HDFC Standard rub the money into some electrifying campaign with loads of, say, sfx... or comedy perhaps, or better, celebrity branding? Alright, they have some part of the celebrity stuff, but surely, not much of the rest. Take your pick – the latest Indian Premier League’s Sar Utha Ke Khelo, Sar Utha Ke Jiyo ad campaign in association with the Rajasthan Royals; or the Kal Ki Socho, Sar Utha Ke Jiyo campaign, which urges people to look at insurance in a new light and get them to do proper financial planning for themselves and their families; the Chanda Mama campaign, which suavely shows a small child aspiring for an expensive profession and subconsciously assumes her dad not being able to support her; the ‘dependable papa idea’ based around the insight that whatever the child’s need may be, she can depend on her father to provide for her; or the Simplelife Plan ‘Big Car’ ad campaign; the insurer has always promoted messages that are not, for the lack of a better word, shocking.

In fact, one would even accuse them of looking more towards developing the insurance sector in their ads rather than plumping in for their brand. Sanjay Tripathi, Executive VP and Head of Marketing, HDFC Standard Life, tells us, “The need for life insurance – either protection or saving – is universal, and thus, there is a tremendous need to increase awareness about life insurance.”

But that’s not to take anything away from one of their campaigns that clearly has moved a lot of minds. That’s the IPL ad campaign; the communication strategy was to convey the brand philosophy through individual stories of players (Shane Warne, Yusuf Pathan, Swapnil Asondkar, Munaf Patel, and Kamran Khan). The campaign celebrates pride and self-respect of individuals who, while others see adversity and despair, see a challenge and hope and strive and struggle to reach their chosen goal against all odds. Creditably, one has to accept that the campaign seems to have integrated cricket and insurance well.

“The campaign has been received very well. Through that campaign, we blended the common values (to both HDFC Standard Life and Rajasthan Royals) – self respect or living life with head held high with each of the success stories of these players,” says Tripathi. And one strong reason for that could be the fact that all the so-called ‘struggles’ that you see the featured players revealing in that particular ad-series are in fact real issues that the cricketers have experienced in their life. We jump across to Rupesh Kashyap, Creative Director, Leo Burnett (the agency credited with the ad campaign), who lets us on to the huge challenges in making the players open up, “When we started working on this brief, we had not one or two, but almost four challenges. The first challenge was to bring out the personal story and experiences of the players, which they knew better than anybody. The second challenge was to make them feel comfortable as they were going to share their personal stories with the world for the first time. The third was to shoot five individual films within five hours. And the fourth challenge,” Rupesh adds amusingly, “was to make them act!”

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.

IIPM B-School Detail
IIPM makes business education truly global
IIPM’s Management Consulting Arm - Planman Consulting
Arindam Chaudhuri (IIPM Dean) – ‘Every human being is a diamond’
Arindam Chaudhuri – Everything is not in our hands
Planman Technologies – IT Solutions at your finger tips
Planman Consulting
Arindam Chaudhuri's Portfolio - he is at his candid best by Society Magazine

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domain-b.com : IIPM ranked ahead of IIMs
IIPM: Management Education India
Prof. Rajita Chaudhuri's Website

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

2010-08-27T16:59:00.002+05:30

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.”

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

2010-08-26T11:35:00.000+05:30

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

2010-08-25T12:31:00.000+05:30

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!

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

Nutrivita PRESENTS 100 MARKETING BRAINS THAT MOVE AND SHAKE INDIA

2010-08-23T14:17:00.000+05:30

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.

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

WHAT THE F...?

2010-08-20T17:38:00.000+05:30

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!

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

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

2010-08-19T17:34:00.000+05:30

“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!

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

A new battleground

2010-08-18T15:46:00.000+05:30

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

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

OF CONTENT, CHANNELS AND… THE CONSUMERS!

2010-08-17T17:46:00.000+05:30

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.

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

‘H’ FOR HITLER STRIKES BACK

2010-08-16T16:49:00.000+05:30

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.

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

Mohit Khattar

2010-08-13T16:35:00.000+05:30

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.

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

Everybody loves Drew!

2010-08-12T17:55:00.000+05:30

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

Welcome to ‘The Land of the Rising Debt’!

2010-08-11T16:13:00.000+05:30

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.

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

Betting big on the inorganic mode

2010-08-10T15:59:00.000+05:30

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.

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

SANJAY MODI

2010-07-26T16:55:00.000+05:30

The Managing Director (South East Asia/Middle East) of Monster.com reveals how the global recession affected the job market in India and what were the company’s new initiatives during this slowdown period

B&E: How badly was the job market and particularly your organisation affected by the slowdown? How did you manage through the phase?
SM: I would like to share two perspectives here. There was a huge recession in the international market, predominantly US, while what was happening in our market was slowdown. Let’s be very clear that we were just lucky to be in this part of the world. We made a lot of hue & cry in 2008 because of this global crisis, but if I were to ask that did it touch the kind of scale that it touched in US, the answer would be no. What happened here was that on the face of it companies never stopped hiring. They just pushed it back by a couple of months and adopted the wait and watch policy. So, it would be wrong to say that we were not affected by the slowdown. However, we used this period to launch some new initiatives.

B&E: Could you throw some light on your new initiatives?
SM: Just like all large corporates in India that were talking about the rural markets, we too focussed on tapping the talent pool in the rural markets. We tied up with ITC and through its e-Choupal initiative, we forayed into rural India. We launched a website Rozgarduniya.com will enable job seekers in rural India, to access and apply for jobs through the ITC e-Choupals. Another key initiative has been our collaboration with Dish TV, whereby we are offering an Interactive Jobs search service MonsterJobs Active to the Dish TV subscribers. Basically it is a user friendly interface that will allow job seekers to search for jobs across the country in various industry verticals from the convenience of their homes. The convergence of Internet and TV will make job services easily accessible to TV viewers across cities of India. I strongly feel that job search on TV has great potential in bridging the unmet need of the audience whose access to the Internet is limited. The range of information also includes services like Resume Writing and Resume Blaster; services through which a jobseeker can get their resume written by a professional resume writer and can also send their resume to thousands of placement consultants in one go.

B&E: What was the big idea behind the Rozgarduniya.com initiative?
SM: Rural India has a huge untapped talent pool and Rozgarduniya.com will provide a platform to bridge the demand and supply gap. Job opportunities available to the rural population through this initiative will help improve employment in addition to facilitating corporate expansion plans in the rural market. Rozgarduniya.com was designed after Monster conducted intensive research with the rural youth to understand their profiles and rural internet usage behaviour.

B&E: After a relatively tough period, do you think that the job market is on the path to recovery’
SM: Let me put in this way, we will come back in the latter half of 2010. The job market started getting back on track from March-April 2009. There has been an almost 100% growth in job listing during the period April 2009 to February 2010 and hiring is happening across sectors.

B&E: Which are the key hiring sectors right now?
SM: Apart from the usual suspects like IT, banking, financial, insurance (BFSI), production, manufacturing, engineering, two new sectors – heathcare and education – have seen a huge surge in hiring. As far as recruitment goes we are just at the tip of the iceberg as far as there two sectors are concerned. We are also focusing on FMCG, telecom, security companies, logistics and construction business in a big way. It is heartening to see that the recovery is not restricted to a particular sector, but is consistent across all the sectors.

B&E: What is your strategic roadmap for the future?
SM: Earlier most job sites were just catering to the top 20 cities but now my large audience will come from rural India. We believe Rozgarduniya.com will act as a catalyst and play an instrumental role in the government’s vision of inclusive growth in India. It is our hope to expand this unique offering to over nine states and about 40,000 villages through the ITC e-Choupals in the future.

B&E: Naukri.com, your main competition in India has diversified into areas such as matrimonial and real estate portals. Any such diversification plans on the anvil for Monster?
SM: We have a couple of ideas but we are waiting for the right time to make the next strategic move.

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

Nipped in the bud

2010-06-30T12:19:00.000+05:30

Arrested for alleged complicity in the Lajpat Nagar blasts when he was just 16, Syed Muhammad Maqbool Shah was acquitted when he was 30. Haroon Reshi spends time with him and brings out a moving picture of gross human rights violation.

After 14 long years of imprisonment, Syed Muhammad Maqbool Shah (now 30) finds it difficult to resume his life at the same pace and with the same passion as he could have done nearly one and a half decades back.

In early 1996, he had just passed his 11th standard examination from the Gandhi Memorial College in Srinagar when he planned a visit to Delhi where his two elder brothers stayed in connection with their (Kashmir Art) business.

The 16-year-old boy was full of joy as he left his home in the Lal Bazar area of Srinagar in April 1996. It was his first tour outside Kashmir. He could have never imagined that he would not be able to see his family for the coming 14 years.

Maqbool’s journey out of Kashmir proved to be a horrible turning point in his life. A few days after he arrived in Delhi, a bomb blast ripped through the Lajpat Nagar market in south Delhi, killing 13 people and injuring 38.

Soon after the incident, the Special Cell of Delhi Police arrested 10 accused from different parts of the country. Maqbool was among them. Nine of the arrested people, including a woman, hailed from Kashmir. Mohammad Naushad, the sole exception, was from Delhi. Maqbool, the youngest of the accused, was initially kept in the juvenile jail of Tihar for a couple of years and was later shifted to the main prison.

On April 8, 2010, a Delhi court convicted 6 of the 10 accused and acquitted four others, including Maqbool.

Mohammad Ali Bhatt, Mirza Nissar (both from Srinagar) and Mohammad Naushad were sentenced to death and three others, including the woman, were held guilty under the Explosive Substances Act and the Arms Act to face a maximum punishment of seven years’ imprisonment.

Maqbool is now trying to resume his normal life but he is still shaken, physically as well as mentally. His happiness at rejoining his family has been overshadowed by the pain of losing his father and sister during the period he was in prison. Before entering his Srinagar home on April 11, Maqbool went to the cemetery to pay his respects to his father Syed Muhammad Shah and sister Hadeesa Bano. He embraced the graves and broke into tears.

Everyone else was in tears too. His father died a year after his arrest while his 24-year-old sister passed away a month after she had visited him at Tihar. Family members say that both the father and his daughter were traumatised by Maqbool’s arrest.

When Maqbool returned home, the first thing he noticed was a huge walnut tree in the middle of the lawn. The tree was planted by his father a few years before Maqbool’s arrest. “I was stunned to see a huge tree with fruits as it was very small when I had seen it last time,” Maqbool tells TSI. “Every thing has changed here. It is like a new world for me,” he adds.

These days, youngsters at home, are teaching him how to operate a mobile phone as there were no mobile phones in Kashmir (due to security reasons) when Maqbool had left home 14 years back.

“There was only one landline in this whole area at that time and now every person is having a mobile phone in his pocket,” he exclaims.

“I have learnt how to receive a call. I can also play a game. Now I am learning how to find contact numbers from the phone memory,” he says.

Maqbool is excited in a similar way about the “money machine”. One of his childhood friends took him to an ATM to show him how it worked.

For Complete I I P M Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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Veering Vir

2010-06-22T15:44:00.000+05:30

Stand-up comedian Vir Das has seriously taken the plunge into acting in films. He went through a gruelling nine-audition ordeal to land a role in Aamir Khan’s “Delhi Belly”. Not one to forget his first love, Vir also took time out between the shooting schedules of “Badmaash Company” and performed live shows in the US. Now, despite the appreciation that “Badmaash Company” garnered him, Vir is flooded with fan-mail calling him back to stand-up comedy! Let’s wait and see if Vir laughs-off the mails or stands up for his new passion.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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IIPM makes record 10,000 placements in five years

IIPM: An intriguing story of growth and envy

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Kerala tourism gets a boost

2010-06-17T15:27:00.000+05:30

Kochi International Marina, the first of its kind in India, has all necessary ingredients to redefine the travel and tourism sector of the state, writes T. Satisan

The Kochi International Marina, a full-fledged marina of international standards, was inaugurated by Defence Minister AK Antony on April 24. The ambitious project of Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC) is located on the eastern coast of Bolgatty Island in the Bolgatty Palace. It was built at a cost of Rs 8.21 crore with a Central assistance of Rs four crore. Designed and developed by Ocean Blue Marinas, it can berth 34 yachts at a time. The number may be increased to 50 in the second phase. The marina can accommodate sailors from across the world and seems to be an ideal spot for yachts from the West. Every boat can avail the power supply and all other necessary requirements at the quay itself. The Marina House, a part of the project, has 24 deluxe rooms including four suites, a recreation centre, a cafeteria and a health club besides a golf course. It will be run by Tourists Resorts Kerala Limited, a subsidiary of KTDC.

The requirement of a marina in Kochi was felt by all when the famous Volvo Ocean Race to India had a stopover in Kochi last year. That time it was realised that Kochi does not even have minimal facilities to host any big event. So the project, that was frozen for sometime, was completed on a war footing within two years. Now KTDC expects huge profits from this new installation. Fifty per cent of the proceeds are expected to go to the kitty of KTDC.

The tourism department of government of Kerala and Kerala Tourism Development Corporation expect handsome revenues from the functioning of marina. In the light of the tremendous business potential of Kochi, this expectation is a realistic calculation. The revenue will definitely help the tourism department and Kerala Tourism Development Corporation to plan many such revenue generating schemes.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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Relief for school children

2010-06-15T16:22:00.000+05:30

State govt bans students’ participation in VIP rallies

Schools have been asked not to rope in students for ceremonies and rallies to welcome VIPs in Orissa. Passing a resolution, the School and Mass Education department of the government of Orissa says: “School children will not be made to wait for hours to receive a celebrity during function. VIP duties for school children are over.”

Issuing a missive to all the schools on April 24, 2010, the state government asked them to implement the orders as soon as possible. From now onwards student need not entertain VIPs visiting their areas.

Of late, it had become a common practice to use school children to welcome guests in both public and private functions. Several child organisations raised the issue and mounted pressure on the government to take action against it. Sources say after being inundated with complaints, Minister of State for School and Mass Education Pratap Jena banned the use of school children for such functions. The minister’s office instructed all the district collectors, district inspectors of schools and circle inspectors to end the misuse of school children.

Joint secretary to School and Mass Education department, Government of Orissa, Iswar Ch. Barada told TSI: “We received several complaints from different organisations and parent bodies. They complained that children were suffering because they were forced to participate in events to honour VIPs. We understand that many a time they have to wait for long hours even under the sun. There have been some cases in which students fainted due to unbearable heat. Therefore we have decided to ban such a practice.”

However, many educationists are unhappy with the government’s decision. Dr. Ganeswar Mishra, an educationist and a retired professor of Utkal University, is one of them. He argues that there is nothing wrong in making students participate in such events. “Receiving a VIP is not a bad idea. It cannot be called violation of child’s right. Such ceremonies give children an opportunity to interact with eminent personalities,” says Dr. Mishra.

But he agrees with the critics of the practice that students should not be made to stand for hours to welcome a VIP.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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WAR ON TALIBAN

2010-06-09T12:49:00.000+05:30

Problems still fester in Pakistan but thanks to an emergent and emboldened civil society, it is anything but a failed state

Dr Faiza Rasheed belies any notions that Pakistan might generally evoke. She is a dyed-in-the-wool Leftist. With her typical Soviet-era hairdo, she does not look anything like a Member of Provincial Assembly from the conservative North West Frontier Province. But that is what she is. The lady breaks several stereotypes about Pakistan in one go.

But it is quite possible that she might not be aware about what we regard as her unique status. For her, it is an everyday thing. She is more focused on implementing development projects and investment proposals in her constituency. She is thus also the face of an emergent and emboldened civil society in Pakistan.

Through my entire stay in Pakistan, where I met hundreds of people from varied backgrounds, one phenomenon emerged solidly: Pakistan, like India, is not a monolith. In fact, it can be safely said that if people of these two nations only start treating each other as a heterogeneous group of ideas and ideologies, a substantial portion of the trust deficit can easily be covered.

For example, take Kashmir. It is as much an Islamabad discourse in Pakistan as it is the New Delhi discourse here. The farther one moves from these cities, Kashmir’s imprint on the psyche loosens considerably. While Pakistan still considers it a core issue, it has started to focus on other problems and their possible solution. Civil society now refuses to be swayed by emotional issues. They mean business now. And the greatest tool they have is a confident media.

Among the elite and the intelligentsia, General Pervez Musharraf still enjoys a considerable, albeit concealed, fan following. And one reason for this liking that all of them give without failing is his contribution in bringing the independent media to the fore. It cost him dearly personally, but it became an epic event for the nation. It was thus heart-warming to see journalists take on establishment there. Journalism here has more zeal because journalists have seen bleak times. Their everyday work is a crusade in itself. It is difficult to understand this here in Delhi, as a substantial chunk of journalists here have not seen tough times. Emergency has faded from memory. The new breed, having enjoyed decades of stability, has inadvertently or voluntarily been co-opted by the state. But it’s a different story in Pakistan. Almost everyday, without fail, we came across news about journalists being manhandled, threatened or “advised” by different individuals or institutions. But it only emboldened the journalists to put up a more scathing attack the next day.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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Half a nation's half a war

2010-06-08T17:27:00.000+05:30

Even Rip Van Winkle would have felt embarrassed by India’s oddity

It is said that if something looks like a duck, flies and quacks like a duck, then it has to be a duck. But India is an exception. So, when 18 brave heart policemen were killed in Mumbai during 26/11, the whole nation galvanised into one and there was an evident cry of a battle to take revenge. Yet the issue was somehow marginalised to how the police and CRPF intelligence was to be blamed, if not Chidambaram. While that may be true, what has to be realised is that in all our confabulations, we should not forget that those are the Maoists primarily who are responsible for the killings. This may sound simplistic and naive; Home Ministry reports clearly state that in the last few years more uniformed personnel have been killed by the Maoists than by any terror group in J&K or Northeast. It is known that the Maoists have far greater firepower than any other banned terror organisation in India. They have mastered the use of IEDs and pressure bombs to the extent that the Indian security forces are still clueless about how to deal with them even as the mine protection vehicles are proving to be redundant. It is also known that Maoists are far more ruthless than any other subversive organisation and consider killing their adversaries with the worst kind of ferocity and ruthlessness to set examples for the rest. Their objective is not to develop the underdeveloped regions of India but keep them out of bound from prosperous India. Had their intention been to improve the state of people, they would have ideally given books instead of AK-47s in the hands of teenagers and not use them as fodder even while the progeny of the elite Maoist leaders continue to live in opulence. It’s no secret that their real objective is to replace India’s democracy with a ruthless communist regime. It is also known that in the Maoist strongholds, nothing can move without paying extortion money, the extent of which is around Rs.1500 crore a year. Yet when these reports come out, Indian intelligentsia easily scoff them off as government's propaganda and that Maoists are nothing better than poor peasants in destitute.

So what happens to India? Well the fight against Maoists is a litmus test of the very idea of India and would help in drawing the boundaries of liberty and laissez fairer that our democracy has been reduced to. Would someone ask the intellectuals as to who, whether the Maoists or the CRPF would come to India’s rescue if there’s another 26/11 type attack in India? Unfortunately, for Indian intellectuals, whose bravery is never put to test in front of a barrage of AK-47 bullets, its romantic reverie of an ideal revolution will not be broken unless the Maoist attacks, like the Jihadi attacks, would hit the heart of urban India hard. Then helicopters would be used with impunity as was used in 26/11. But till that time babus and netas sitting in Delhi would pretend that there’s no war going on and so Army’s involvement is not needed. Till that time, India would continue to have half a war in which it would fight and yet not fight to finish while the Army would continue to buy weapons for a conventional war, which perhaps would never happen in reality. If the Maoists are so right in their attitude that even the government is confused, then let’s not have any war at all and let them have their leeway if it helps India. But why reduce it to CRPF’s and Chidambaram’s war instead of the nation’s war? Yet, can you expect something better than half a war from half a nation? Not really because for a nation which behaves more often than not like 28 independent states, one can only expect half a war. And the poor CRPF jawan without any idea as to why his government has left him alone to die, would continue to pay with his half or full life while numerous talk shows on television would have burning issues to discuss and ponder for months to come. We call this democracy.

For Complete I I P M Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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IIPM: An intriguing story of growth and envy

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Rising above odds

2010-06-07T12:54:00.000+05:30

Now that the most awaited film of the year, "Kites", is up for release, Hrithik Roshan has been trying to befriend the media and has been opening his heart out to them. The actor admitted that he went through a phase of depression during which he also contemplated quitting acting and becoming a singer or director when his knee injury refused to heal. But the script of "Kites" came along as a touch of healing medicine and his injury started to show positive signs on the very first day of the shoot! Looks like the universe conspired to fulfill Hrithik's desperate desire to be a part of the film. Releasing in two versions, English and Hindi, let's hope this action thriller wins the heart of the audiences just like the actor has!

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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In search for new home

2010-06-04T13:46:00.000+05:30

More than 130 lions reside outside the Gir sanctuary

The Gujarat government is upbeat after reports surfaced that the population of the Asiatic lion in the state has increased from 359 to 411. But the euphoria was short-lived as more than 130 lions reside outside the 141 square kilometre reserved forest of Gir.

Concerned about their safety, the Central government wants them to be shifted to Kanha sanctuary of Madhya Pradesh. This is not a one-off thing. Earlier too, about 33 per cent lions of Gir have been settled outside the sanctuary. Two years ago, the state was rocked after three incidents of poaching had been reported in Gir sanctuary.

But this time, the authorities insist that they are working overtime for the safety of these lions and there is no need to worry. For the last two years, no poaching incidents have been recorded from the area. The safety of the lions that reside outside Gir has become a top priority for the government, authorities, environmentalists and the locals. According to the Asiatic lion census 2010, carried out in the sprawling expanse of the greater Gir, many lions have settled on areas about 100 kilometre away from the sanctuary. Official sources say lions that live outside the sanctuary prey on local animals. They kill two animals of herdsmen (Maldhari in Gujarati) everyday.

A member of legislative Assembly (MLA) from Junagadh Bhagwanbhai Barad says: “Earlier the government implemented an eco-development scheme for the Maldharis of Gir. The purpose was to settle these shepherds outside the sanctuary so that lions don’t get distracted. But when the shepherds moved out of the forest, the lions also followed them in search of new habitat.”

For Complete I I P M Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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IIPM: An intriguing story of growth and envy

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This Adonis is a Phoenix

2010-06-02T12:36:00.000+05:30

There’s a lot about Hrithik Roshan that hasn’t changed with the stardom he’s attained; his words are still truly heartfelt. even in a situation where he’s pressed for time, the actor makes sure that every thought of his is well explained. in a conversation with spriha srivastava, the green-eyed hunk talks about his journey from “finished” to “phenomenal”.

“Kites” is being hugely anticipated and expectations seem to be running sky high. Do such expectations make you nervous?

Yeah absolutely! But it’s exciting at the same time. Actually, this anxiety is very exciting.

Your life is perhaps the perfect example of ‘rising from the ashes’. During the time when your films were not faring well, what would you think was going wrong?

Nothing was going wrong. Every soul has its own journey and there’s no bad experience. Every experience is to help you find yourself more. As you go on experiencing, you go on shedding the layers around you. Every up and every down teaches you something and you start getting to know the real person inside you. That’s what I feel. And I believe that by breaking those layers one can eventually know who you are and live in peace with what you are.

And after that phase came your big-budget superhero films, the first of its kind in Bollywood. When the idea was discussed with you, what made you give a go-ahead for “Koi Mil Gaya” and “Krissh”?

It was because the idea sounded ridiculously challenging and was unheard of. It just looked like a leap in the right direction. You know, I just felt that if we conquer this, then it will be the most victorious thing ever done. It was an exhilarating feeling.

And it was not only victorious, but you and your dad Rakesh Roshan also raised the benchmark of Hindi cinema. How is the chemistry between you two?

Whatever I’ve learnt, I’ve learnt from my father; by being an assistant to him, watching him …He’s been the best example to help me find my drive and my passion. I’ve watched him through his ups and downs, I’ve watched him break down or get ecstatic… With him, I’ve experienced what life is like beyond the camera and the bright shining light (laughs).

Apart from your dad, you’ve worked with some of the best directors. How would you say is Anurag Basu different from other directors that you’ve worked with?

Anurag Basu is fantastic. I completely resonated with his vision. He has got a fantastic sense of screenplay. You know, he looks for those magical moments and doesn’t follow a rule book. He follows his heart. His attempt with “Kites” was to make an honest film. Just one example of that is that when my character had to sing for the girl, he wanted my voice. He did not go for a playback voice. That’s why it was a challenge and an opportunity to do a role like this. I feel all the work that I’ve done before “Kites” was to prepare me for a role like this. Working with actors like Kangana and Barbara Mori was also an opportunity because they come from the same school of thought as Anurag. I just had to watch and learn.

For Complete I I P M Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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IIPM: An intriguing story of growth and envy

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The movement has altered long-held views of Thai politics

2010-06-01T15:35:00.000+05:30

Under the circumstances, all eyes are fixed on the Palace that still holds enormous and overpowering sway over every institution. Just to put it on record, in the bloody unrest of 1992, it was the timely intervention by King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who had rebuked both the military and the uprising leaders, which brought the hostility to an end. Under such circumstances, the silence of the Palace this time is quite baffling.

Also, the role of ousted Prime Minister Takshin Shinawatra is going to be very crucial. After all, his supporters constitute the majority of the Reds. Till now, the only sensible move he has made is of askining the international community to intervene. By doing so, he intends to send out a loud message that he is politically alive and can call shots as per his whim. “The villages and the subalterns are all for Shinawatra. His universal healthcare scheme and waiver of agro-debt did magic for him. He was considered by the destitute and poor as their man—hundreds of corruption charges notwithstanding,” says Andrew Walker, a South-east Asia expert based in Canberra, while talking to TSI.

However, the same cannot be said about the Reds. Its ranks and files are deeply fragmented. While the core of the movement is in close coordination with Shinawatra, a relatively small but exponentially more zealous section has different ideas about the outlook for Thai politics. And this section is all willing to look through Shinawatra. Also, on scratching the surface a bit, one can tell that this is as much a class conflict as it is a diazotisation movement. The regime, the army, the burgeoning trading community, the bureaucrats and the judiciary are all drawn from Thailand’s elite. For several decades, they have evoked extra-constitutional methods to subvert democracy. They have shot down pro-democracy demonstrators in 1973, 1976, 1992 and 2009 prior to this. The regime dismisses the Reds as rural bumpkins. But it appears, this time around, they have bitten more than they can chew.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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‘Erase the line that divides us’

2010-05-03T16:14:00.000+05:30

On a trip to karachi, jaswant singh advocates the formation of a south asian union in order to keep the threat of colonialism at bay. A report by Shahid husain

The people of the subcontinent are likely to face the scourge of colonial rule again if they do not unite and form a South Asian union, former Indian foreign minister and author of "Jinnah: India-Partition-Independence", Jaswant Singh, said on April 13 during a press conference at the historic Mohatta Palace in Karachi.

"I wish I could tell you in terms of time when this union will be established, but the people of Pakistan and India definitely have to share their sorrow and happiness together," he said. "I fear that the failure to form a South Asian union may result in a new form of colonial rule in this part of the world. The United States is today's colonial power and we should understand it. We should be aware of its selfish tactics."

He feared that the new powers would rob the people of the subcontinent of their independence. "I often tell my American friends that they live at a distance of 8,500 miles from Afghanistan, while we live only eight and a half minutes away. I ask them if it was possible that the water of Atlantic Ocean could come to the Himalayas," he said, adding that while the US was talking about nuclear security, one must remember that the nuclear bomb was used twice and it was the US that used it both the times.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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A Lucknow schoolgirl invokes RTI to rid the street outside her school of a garbage dump

2010-04-28T15:33:00.000+05:30

“My friends would not believe me at first. Even now there is this boy who says I get my relatives to take my pictures and the press cuttings I show around are actually my father’s doing on a computer. Some friends now ask me to suggest topics on which they too can file RTIs,” she laughs. But some children in her immediate circle have seen how potent a tool RTI can be and that if somebody like Aishwarya could use it and become famous for it, why cannot they do it too?

One among them is Priyanshi Yadav, a 13-year-old whose family is friends with the Sharmas. Priyanshi, who is still mulling whether she would like to be a model, an engineer or delve into multimedia as a grown-up, has dashed off a letter to the city’s Municipal Commissioner asking for the 20 by 120 feet lane in front of her home to be turned into a concrete road as soon as possible. “I got courage from Aishwarya’s feat but have experienced myself the difficulties of walking on the uneven surface. So many children have skinned their knees or fallen off their bicycles in this lane. If we have a RCC road, even my home will look pretty”, she says.

Priyanshi's letter, written on a page torn out of an exercise book, is dated April 5 and does not forget to mention that a BSP legislator lives along the lane as well.

Also counted among UP's growing list of children who are wielding the RTI tool is Tanya Thakur (15) daughter of Amitabh Thakur an IPS officer who first used the RTI in 2007 to get his Annual Confidential Reports that were being denied to him and Nutan Thakur who is an RTI activist and the editor of a newsletter. Tanya's application though is a little different and flows out of a national forum that was convened at a recent RTI seminar in Lucknow. “The forum”, explains Nutan, “allows people anonymity while asking for information as it offers an individual the option of not seeking potentially sensitive information in his own name. That information might be asked for by a forum member living in a different state. This is especially useful for villages where asking questions invariably leads to physical confrontations.”

Thus Tanya’s application has been made to the Maharashtra telecom office asking for information on the payments that ahve been released to various civil contractors against dead agreements by an executive engineer in Solapur. Her 12-year-old brother, Aditya, penned a poem, for the RTI seminar, that had the following to say of the government: “the solid machine has turned to glass, now that we have the power.”

As for Aishwarya, there is already another RTI idea that is swimming in her head. “I want to know why the sale of cut fruits and fruit juices in the open does not end. It is a potential health hazard,” she says. Why an obsession with health-related queries you might wonder. Well that is explained by the fact that Aishwarya’s ambition is to become a doctor when she grows up.

For Complete I I P M Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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IIPM: An intriguing story of growth and envy

THE NEED OF A RIGHT TO FOOD BILL - Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri of IIPM

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Will he or will he not?

2010-04-23T12:45:00.000+05:30

With numbers on his side, will President Rajapaksa be able to deliver what he had promised to the people?

In 1980s, when the indigenous edition of Marxism was a fad in Sri Lanka, leftistJanatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) had a feeling that the time for revolution has arrived. It was already a force to reckon with in rural south, and was trying desperately to expand its base in urban Sri Lanka outside their university bastions. Suddenly, they realised that they need a rhetoric to match their vision! It was coined. “Kolombata kiri, Gamata kekiri”, ‘Milk for Colombo and melon for the village’ became a war cry.

Cut to April 2010. As Mahinda Rajapaksa led alliance swept the parliamentary polls, JVP, even with Sarath Fonseka as its allied face, barely managed to hold on to five parliamentary seats (down from 41 last time). As far as villages were concerned, it has been unbelievably routed. It seems Rajapaksa has not only sipped the milk, but has stolen the melon too — right under JVP’s nose. Clearly, he seems to be enjoying his stupendous meal.

The United National Party's (UNP) Captain Ranil Wickremesinghe is a seasoned politician. You can also call him an “Old war horse” depending on your mood; and his. After all, he is a veteran; the veteran of electoral debacles. So even after his party was trounced without trace, he insisted that the majority of the electorate did not exercise their franchise as they have divested their faith in the present system and the holding of a free and fair election. “The main function of the opposition is to ensure democracy and the campaign won’t be restricted to Parliament,” he noted on the electoral debacle. His urban vote bank has been ruthlessly decimated. Rajapaksa’s milk came from here.

“Rajapaksa is increasingly being perceived as a leader who keeps his promises. He had promised the end of LTTE and he delivered. Now the people are looking forward to his promises regarding developmental work,” said political expert Jehan Perera, an otherwise fierce critic of the President, while talking to TSI.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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Fashion files: A-listers show the way!

2010-04-13T15:54:00.000+05:30

Actors and style icons, film stars are influencing fashion on the ramp and the city streets

“An off-shoulder, dark blue flowing satin gown, layered with black net to give it a rich feel, with pleating from the empire line and a plunging back line’ is how Natasha wanted her dress to be for her 22nd birthday bash, the theme of which she had set as Red Carpet. She went and sought the help of her neighbourhood tailor with this concept in her mind and the required fabrics in her bag, and in less than a week her own red-carpet creation was ready, for just Rs.5500! “I wanted to wear something like what Aishwarya Rai had worn at an international film festival and that is why I chose this theme for my birthday! The same dress would have costed Rs.55,000 or even more had I bought it from a designer and maybe I wouldn’t have worn it a second time, because I don’t like to repeat my dresses, and so it could have been a huge waste of money!”

Well, Natasha is not the only one bitten by the latest fashion trends. In fact, these days, fashion trends and fashion weeks are being inspired by movies and even film stars walking the red carpet. Jean Paul Gaultier was so inspired by the recent blockbuster Avatar that he decided to incorporate the untouched beauty of Pandora and its blue-skinned tribes in his couture collection. Leading fashion magazine Vogue too recently decided to dedicate nothing less than 10 pages to the Na’vis!

Back in India, actress Mumtaz had set a trend in draping saris in the late ’60s with her film Brahamchari. This figure-hugging style came to be known as Mumtaz Saris and is still a favourite with many. More recently, saris made a huge comeback post the film Main Hoon Na when Sushmita Sen looked glamorous in her chiffon saris with sexy low-cut blouses and noodle straps. The year that followed, Bunty aur Babli created a rage among people who would line-up outside their tailors just to get a kurta stitched like that of Rani Mukherjee’s in the movie. “It is interesting to note how films set the trends for masses and in certain cases evolved films tend to inspire designers providing not only the mood board but also a story supporting the theme of the collection, which influences the design elements. Madhuri Dixit’s outfit in Dil To Pagal Hai was mass copied by the trade (the fashion industry), Kareena’s harem pants in Jab We Met became an iconic street fashion statement. The red carpet occasions are highly looked upon for driving aspirations of millions across the world. Awestruck customers do want a piece of the same, of course styled to suit the individual’s needs. There’s been a huge fashion evolution in India where Indian film stars have benefitted because they have had the privilege of being dressed and styled by talented Indian designers,” says noted fashion designer Lina Tipnis, who has showcased her creations at various fashion weeks in India.

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Losers blog...

2010-04-12T12:17:00.000+05:30

Losers use the net more, and blog

From illegal downloads of movies and music, to free access to pornographic and tendentious material (even information on how to build bombs), technology advancement – while creating new age entrepreneurs – has also done to death many innovative ideas apart from criminally promoting anti-social concepts, products and behaviour. Illegal downloads are one part of it (the movie Avatar being the latest victim, like innumerable others), what cuts the waste deeper is anonymous/falsified blogging, tweeting and social profile usage on sites like MySpace, Facebook, Orkut and others.

While on one hand, these and many other social profiling sites have generated mass hype (viral marketing, if you may) as being the next ‘big thing’ on the Internet, on the other hand, not only have these sites promoted slanderous and defamatory posting of content by anonymous users, they have also gone ahead to claim that they cannot be taken to task over such content being posted by anonymous users as they (the sites) support freedom of speech! But things are changing. Countries like China, Iran and others have in one shot brought erstwhile know-all search engines like Google to their knees. India even arrested and jailed the CEO of an auction portal (owned by e-Bay.com), which hosted pornographic content under similar irreverent premises of non-responsibility. A National Institute of Mental Health supported research proved that increased use of the net was associated “with decreased family communication and reduced size of local social circle,” apart from loneliness and increased depression. Consequences? In UK, in March 2010, a 33 year old was jailed after admitting to kidnapping, raping and murdering the teenager he met on Facebook using a fake Facebook profile. Take that for the hackneyed freedom of speech Mr. Zuckerberg.

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Buddha's domain - UTTAR PRADESH

2010-04-08T15:45:00.001+05:30

Buddha's domain
The buddhist circuit exudes religious fervour and architectural beauty in equal measure, attracting tourists and pilgrims from all over the world

Emperor Askoka erected many pillars across the land to spread Gautam Buddha's message of peace, truth and non-violence. The spread of Buddhism began before the first millennia when it travelled to China, Japan and other nations. In Uttar Pradesh, the Buddhist circuit emcompasses places where Buddha either set foot or delivered a sermon: Sarnath, Kushinagar, Piparahwa, Sankisa, Sravasti and Kaushambi. These sacred places of Buddhism have stupas and viharas that reflect Mauryan culture and architecture.

To preserve the relics of Buddhism, the Archaeological Survey of India did several surveys and extensive excavations. The remains that were recovered were deposited and preserved in several monuments and memorials. In the initial five decades following Independence, not much preservation work was done. The priorities were different then and funds were scarce. It was in the 1990s that a clear blueprint for preservation and development of these places was drawn up. Restoration work was started immediately. Funds made available by the Japanese government was used to develop the Buddhist tourism circuit. However, places of Buddhist interest have yet not been fully linked to the rail and air netwrok.

Sarnath: This place is known for Buddha’s first sermon after he attained enlightenment. To commemorate the occasion, Emperor Ashoka built several monuments in third century BC. These places attract thousands of tourists every year. Chaukhandi Stupa was built in 1553 AD. This is the place where Buddha appointed five disciples to spread his message.

Dhamek Stupa: This Stupa is 34 meters tall and marks the spot where Buddha delivered his first sermon. It is cylindrical in shape and is constructed entirely with stones and a few bricks. The building is a classic example of the architecture of the Gupta period.

Mul Gandha & Kuti Vihar: This temple in Sarnath was built by Mahabodhi Society and a Japanese artist painted scenes from Buddhist mythology. A branch of the Bodhi tree has been planted here. The beautiful painting in the backdrop shows Buddha giving instructions to his five disciples.

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Mercury rising

2010-04-06T13:02:00.000+05:30

Temperatures soar in Bhubaneswar and other parts of Orissa as the civic authorities go on a tree-cutting spree to widen city roads, reports Dhrutikam Mohanty

Bhubaneswar, well-known for its ancient temples, may very soon be identified as one of the hottest capitals of the country. It became the hottest city of Orissa when the temperature touched 42 degrees on March 23. As per meteorological office records, this is the hottest-ever March in Bhubaneswar in the last five years.

In 2005, the highest temperature in March was 39.6 degrees. It climbed to 40.8 in 2006. But in 2007, 2008 and 2009 March was comparatively cool as the highest temperatures were 38.3, 38 and 39.4 degrees respectively. Though situated in the eastern coastal plains, Bhubaneswar, Orissa's capital, experiences unbearable heat when the mercury touches 45 degree Celsius during April-May every year!

Environmentalists believe that one of the major reasons behind this unprecedented rise in temperature is wanton cutting of trees. However, in Orissa, trees seem to have become the biggest enemies of both government agencies and the common folk. While there are several instances of government bodies cutting down trees in the name of development activities like widening of roads or construction of a bridge, the common man is destroying the city's green lings even for unnecessary purposes like road blockades and protests.

As per an estimate, the state witnessed more than 2,000 road blockades in different districts last year. And in a majority of these cases, trees were at the receiving end. This, however, did not include the communal riots in Kandhamal where thousands of trees were uprooted.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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Even Viagra may not work!

2010-04-05T13:07:00.000+05:30

Losses of patent rights in the pharmaceutical industry prove how the biggest of dreams can turn into the worst of nightmares. And there are no exceptions. by steven philip warner

It wasn’t just another day for Jeffrey Kindler at office. Kindler, for the past four years, had been serving as the General Counsel at Pfizer. It was precisely two days ago, when he had been hastily appointed as Pfizer’s CEO. He switched on his office desktop for the first time and typed-in an email to Pfizer employees, which read thus: “July 31, 2006: To meet our challenges in a rapidly changing industry, we will need your continued help. I would like to discuss our challenges openly...” The note was headlined: “We move forward from a position of strength.” This was to some surprise, as his firm had been clearly suffering a stagnated top-line and a falling stock (which, under his predecessor Henry McKinnell, had fallen by 43%). Today, a Ronald McDonald shoe and a rubber chicken (that he was gifted by his bosses at McDonald’s on his exit) are placed neatly in a shelf in his New York office, and it serves as a reminder of his being the first big pharma CEO who had had no previous pharma experience (before becoming the General Counsel). Under Kindler’s watch, in May 2008, Pfizer’s stock price nosedived to the sub-$18/share level only for the second time in over 12 long years. As of March 2010, the stock is gasping at $17.75. Pfizer’s revenues have continued being indifferent to Kindler’s presence (they’ve hovered between $47 to $49 billion!). But the biggest worries of Kindler go far beyond just the humdrum tales of a battered stock price & a browbeaten bottomline (its net profit for FY2009 represents just 43% of what it earned four years back!).

It’s amusing how one man’s meat can become another man’s poison, even in the world of pharma. For his predecessor Henry, the acquisitions of Warner-Lambert (in 2000 for $90 billion) and Pharmacia (in 2002 for $60 billion) proved to be glorious moments (as the first deal gave Pfizer a control over the world’s no.1 selling $11.4 billion-a-year drug Lipitor, while the latter helped it pocket its now third-bestseller Celebrex, which earns $2.5 billion-a-year); for Kindler, the very same deals are now giving nightmares of a dry drug pipeline! Today, Kindler is grudgingly shouldering the burden of launching blockbusters to make up for the loss of its patents over the next few years.

Of the biggest setbacks will be the losses of Lipitor’s patent (the largest-selling drug ever) in 2011, and that of its third-largest selling drug Celebrex in 2013; combine just these two, and you would have Pfizer’s revenues being reduced by an alarming $11.74 billion (as per research by Evaluate Pharma, the loss of revenues, post-patent expiry for a formulation, is estimated at 85%). Market reports suggest how by 2014, generic drug companies would be staging a grand stampede on 14 of Pfizer patents, representing 70% of its sales revenues; there is clear and present danger looming large over Pfizer.

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“It’s larger than the movie industry”

2010-04-01T17:22:00.000+05:30

Despite a Tiger Woods, there are more role models than fallen angels!

The challenges that face sports as a brand are very different from any other product. Suppose you bought a product and didn’t like the quality, you can get it fixed, or exchanged. Now if you bought a ticket to a sporting event and didn’t like the quality of sport being played, there is no refund that you will get. And if the result is not to your liking, than all you can do is suffer. There are no guarantees, no consumer courts, and at the end of it, nothing to show. And therefore marketing is a very difficult concept to grasp for sports.

Yet sport is a multibillion dollar industry. There are no authentic figures, but it is upwards of $200 billion globally. This makes it much larger than say movie industry or music industry, larger than possibly both combined. In developed markets sport contributes between 2-3% of GDP of the country. By implication than sport can only be next to tourism as an industry.

What makes this an extremely challenging service to market is people’s enthusiasm for sports. People follow sports as a religion, and the sport stars as gods. And despite a Tiger Woods or Ashley Cole, there are more role models than fallen angels. It has long been believed that generally men follow sports with much greater involvement than women. I am not sure if that is necessarily true. There are two kinds of sports followers, one who is rigorous team sports enthusiasts and who follow team sports. These are people who drive the following of cricket and football and hockey. Then there is the relaxed individual sports followers who love golf, and shooting and snooker and chess. In both the sport there is no reason for women to not get involved. It’s less of a sport and more of a cultural thing. As the culture evolves, women power will grow in sport fandom.

Sport has existed in culture for generations. From eons back rulers used sport both as a tool to test human endurance and to create a feeling of superiority between kingdoms. Somewhere along the way sport started to merge with entertainment. This too is a fairly old trend. Now in modern age, its entertainment that has become the prime driver behind sport. And with people having a far greater involvement with sport, brands have leveraged them to create engagement with their consumers. This merger of human endeavour, with need for entertainment has made sports sponsorship a very sophisticated service. And with media getting fragmented, possibly the best bet for a marketer is to aggregate eyeballs. Period!

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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Just go for it Jen

2010-03-31T12:22:00.000+05:30

Even after heartbreaks, failure doesn’t bother Jennifer Aniston much. And the same is also true for her professional life. While critics trashed “Bounty Hunter”, her last outing at the box office, it doesn’t seem to have affected Jennifer one bit and the actress is up again for a rom-com with Adam Sandler titled “Just go for it”. With the same attitude as the title of the movie, hope the 41-year-old finds success with this one.

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Another Ghising in the making?

2010-03-30T16:02:00.000+05:30

Snehangshu Adhikari says the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha is diluting its ‘statehood for Gorkhaland’ demand for a few sops, like the Gorkhaland National Liberation Front did in 1988

The fact that Darjeeling with its panoramic view of the Kanchenjungha is very close to West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s heart is no secret. During a recent two-day trip to Siliguri, he reaffirmed his fascination while saying, “When I visit Darjeeling, I hope to catch a glimpse of Kanchenjungha at any cost. However, all wishes cannot be fulfilled all the time. Whenever I get a chance, I will surely visit Darjeeling.” The man with a positive attitude further added, “Though we are far from reaching a concrete solution to the administrative problems in the Darjeeling Hills, the proposals of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) and of the Centre are with us. Discussions are on. We expect a major positive development at the sixth round of tripartite talks scheduled for the middle of May. The issue might not be resolved at that meeting but there would be fruitful progress towards a solution. And as of now, the situation in the Hills is peaceful.”

But Subrata Tamang, 56, a local garments shop-owner on the Darjeeling mall, finds little reason of optimism. For almost the past 20 years, Subrata is witnessing the same unstable situation. March 18 was anticipated to be the brightest day of the year, as people of the Hills were expecting some solution arising out of the fifth round of tripartite talks between the Centre, the state government and GJM. But GJM’s demand for a separate state has not evoked any positive response from either the Centre or the West Bengal government. Gorkhaland at present seems to be just a day dream. Possibly even GJM is resigned to accept this reality as GJM chief Bimal Gurung has presented an interim administrative set-up for the region with an executive committee and a 55-member body with power to legislate. GJM general secretary Roshan Giri submitted the blue print for the “interim authority” at the meeting attended by Union minister of state for home Ajay Maken, Trinamool Congress leader Dinesh Trivedi, West Bengal minister for municipal affairs Ashok Bhattacharya, West Bengal health minister Surya Kanta Mishra and state home secretary Ardhendu Sen. After the meeting, there was the proverbial ‘feel good’ photo session but the grapes remain sour for the Gorkhas.

“As the ‘secret proposal’ was sent earlier only to Union home minister P. Chidambaram on February 18, the state government pretended that they were totally unaware of the proposal. But this is not true as the GJM proposal has been circulated throughout the nationwide media,” Amar Rai, spokesperson for the eight-member GJM delegation, commented. GJM is now accusing the state government for delaying the political discussions and the whole process of bringing peace back to the Hills.

Now, what exactly is GJM demanding from the Centre in their proposal? According to Roshan Giri, “The proposed council ‘Gorkhaland Regional Authority’ or ‘Darjeeling and Dooars Regional Authority,’ will be an interim set up till December 31, 2011. The Gorkhaland Regional Authority seeks to have legislative powers on matters such as town and country planning, culture and mining of certain minerals.” Beside these, their demands include: ST status for all Gorkhas, constitutional sanctions, freedom from West Bengal laws, a separate high court, complete fiscal powers, Panchayat and civic body control, oOwn police force, separate public service commission, members of Gorkhaland Police (set up by GJM) be absorbed in the forces, waiver of all taxes between January 2007 and December 2011, withdrawal of cases against GJM activists.

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Will the new bankers please stand up?

2010-03-26T15:35:00.000+05:30

After many years of waiting, Pranab Mukherjee says RBI will issue licences to new banks. Is the RBI on the same ground as Pranab Mukherjee? Evidently not! By Gyanendra Kumar Kashyap

Think of financial ‘inclusion’ in India, and you will invariably discover that financial ‘exclusion’ is far too conspicuous. Digest these for some evidence: out of the 600,000 odd villages in the country, only 5.3 per cent have a commercial bank branch, which translates to one branch catering to 26,000 individuals in rural areas. Even if we take the entire country’s population into consideration, only 40 per cent possess a bank account in India, as compared to 95 per cent in the US! The proportion of people possessing any form of life insurance cover is as low as 10 per cent, while those with a non-life insurance is an abysmally low 0.6 per cent. Only 13 per cent Indians possess a debit card, while the credit card cover is as low as 2 per cent. The most recent National Sample Survey Organisation, 2008, study reveals that out of the 89.3 million farming households in the country, 51 per cent did not receive credit from either institutional or non-institutional sources of any kind. Even where 33 million ‘no-frills’ bank accounts are claimed to have been opened, 89 per cent of these accounts are dormant today, as per KC Chakrabarty, Deputy Governor, RBI.

These statistics are perhaps sufficient to prove the extent of financial exclusion in the country. At the same time, there can be no second thoughts on remedial actions that need to be taken in order to unleash the power of fortune at the bottom of the pyramid. Perhaps, it was an admixture of these very glaring statistics, added to the recommendation of the S.S. Tarapore & Raghuram Rajan committee report that played the motivation pill for the Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who promised to take a step towards altering this gloomy state of affairs. In his Union Budget 2010-11 statement, he said, “We need to ensure that the [Indian] banking system grows in size and sophistication to meet the needs of a modern economy. Besides, there is a need to extend the geographic coverage of banks and improve access to banking services.

RBI is considering to give some additional banking licenses to private sector players. Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) could also be considered...” Strong reason to smile for many, but the celebrations are still miles away, thanks to the dictionary which defines a ‘promise’ and a ‘policy’ very differently!

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Socialism is misconstrued

2010-03-25T13:58:00.000+05:30

We still underutilise the allocation made for flagship programmes

The first Prime Minister, more known as the architect of modern India, Jawaharlal Nehru once said, “Socialism is... not only a way of life, but a certain scientific approach to social and economic problems.” How far the country justified imbibing socialism remains questionable but public expenditure became very popular with time, but without many successes though. India had poverty eradication, providing clean and safe drinking water and affordable housing facility as priorities in its first Five Year Plan, it is still fighting to achieve the same in its 13th Five Year Plan. Why so?

Well, the fact is that India has initiated innumerable flagship programmes. In fact, we have one of world’s biggest public expenditure programmes. The Central plan outlay for the year 2010-2011 is around Rs.415691 crore, good enough to face the current malaise for one year. But the problem is that a major portion of the allocations is underutilised. Data reveals a shocking reality. A total of Rs.12887 crore was allocated for the year 2009-10 for the most visionary Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission while a mere Rs.3848 crore was actually spent which is merely 29.9 per cent of the total allocation when the country is still having urban housing shortage of over 25 million. Another Rs.8000 crore was allocated for the drinking water scheme, only Rs.3362 crore is spent, only 42 per cent of the allocated amount. Similarly, even in the case of one of the most imperative programmes, irrigation benefit programme, Rs.9700 crore was allocated but only Rs.3689 crore was actually invested, again 68 per cent of the fund remained underutilised. Even the Gramin VidyutiKaran Yojana is grossly underutilised by 42.8 per cent. More interestingly, the most hyped and popular programme, UPA led NREGA program which was intended to sort out the major problem of unemployment in rural India is 43 per cent underutilised. Surprisingly, a total of Rs.39100 crore was allocated for this scheme during the fiscal year 2009-10 where only Rs.22295 crore is actually spent. There is only one project where actual spending has crossed the allocation. The PM Gram Sadak Yojana, while Rs.12000 crore had been allocated for this, around Rs.13045 crore is spent, making 108.7 per cent of the allocation. About 40 per cent of funds allocated for flagship programmes, remain unused every year, which if used properly can bring a major infrastructural and social shift.

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"Civilians versus military is a superficial contest"

2010-03-23T11:28:00.000+05:30

Dr Ayesha Siddiqa-Agha is an independent security analyst and author of 'Pakistan's Arms Procurement and Military Buildup, 1979-99 In Search of a Policy" (Palgrave Press, 2001). She did her doctorate from King's College, London in 1996 and has worked on issues varying from military technology, defence decision-making, nuclear deterrence, arms procurement, arms production to civil-military relations in South Asia. She is also a Ford Fellow. She was asked to work as the Director of Naval Research with Pakistan Navy, making her the first civilian and woman to work at that position in Pakistan's defence establishment. Dr Siddiqa-Agha has written for various international journals like the journal for Defence and Peace Economics, Jane's Defence Weekly and the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists. She has also written commissioned papers on small arms and light weapons proliferation and problems of governance. Siddiqa’s new book Military Inc.: Inside Pakistan’s Military Economy caused waves in Pakistan and abroad.

After remaining under colonial rule for centuries followed by total dependence on the West, do you agree that the people of Pakistan are suffering something similar from what has been dubbed as post-traumatic slave syndrome?
Ours is something else. We are a rentier state.

What is a rentier state?
We take money for providing services to others. The country's ruling elite is a rentier.

Mercenary?
Yes. Rentier as in rent.

You are referring to ‘war on terror'?
Even before.

After joining military pacts such as SEATO and CENTO?
Yes.

And how the policies pursued by the ruling elite have impacted Pakistan?
They have served foreign interests since the country's independence.

And how this policy has impacted the masses?
The ruling elite do not make the country productive because they get money from outside. No one gets money for the people. They would be deprived anyway.

Do you see any chance that the people will get rid of subservience?
Sporadic struggles but disconnected.

So Pakistan is headed towards anarchy?
It is already there.

What will be the outcome of anarchy?
There doesn’t necessarily have to be a predictable outcome. Look at Sudan, Sierrre Leone, Rawanda and Ethiopia.

You mean perpetual anarchy?
Yes. Where is the evidence of a change? Once you loose your way, sometimes it’s hard to find the way out of the maze.

Can it lead to disintegration of Pakistan?
Not necessarily.

So the common man will continue to suffer?
Yes. I believe that we have confusion at several levels.

Do you see any difference between a democratic and military government or are both happy to act as a rentier?
No difference. In fact, they are linked to each other.

Can you please elaborate about the link?
The civilians do not replace the military and military does not replace them. It’s a superficial contest.

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Club Mahindra

2010-03-19T16:23:00.000+05:30

Though several critics hold to account the high expectations from the company as one of the major reasons for the loss in shareholder value, one could understand that those were these very bullish expectations that empowered the stock to outperform the BSE Auto Index over the past year – since January 2009, Mahindra’s share price has risen by 279%, much higher than the 187% rise in the BSE Auto Index. And keeping in mind the growth fuelled by the strategic diversifications over the past years (see timeline), the group – and Anand Mahindra especially – has gathered some scrupulous and strong supporters too in their wake (S. P. Shah, President, Federation of Automobile Dealers Association is one of them, refusing to buy a contrarian argument; he tells B&E, “Anand Mahindra is one of the finest strategists in the country. In fact, his clear understanding of the market and his focus on the bottom of the pyramid has made the Mahindra Group one of the strongest business conglomerates.”)

Giving credit where it’s due, when we compare the Mahindra Group with other diversified firms in the country today, it becomes all the more clearer that Anand Mahindra has fared much better at risk-taking. Be it Mukesh Ambani’s retail venture, Ratan Tata’s expensive JLR deal, Sunil Mittal’s cautious process of making inroads into sectors like retail & realty, K.M. Birla’s unsuccessful retail venture and his ill-fated acquisition of Spice Mobile or many such enthusiasts; all of the aforementioned business honchos have run into the rapids quite unexpectedly, while trying to make their mark in newer territories, organically or inorganically. Take the classic case of the JLR acquisition by Tata Motors for that matter. Tata bought Jaguar & Land Rover (the two most popular brands from Ford’s stable) for a whopping $2.3 billion in March 2008. To imagine that just nine months later, the market value of GM lay battered at under $1 billion on the NYSE is proof enough of the ill-timing of the purchase; Tata could have instead purchased a decent stake in GM itself! he’s leaving little to chance..

Here is another instance. As soon as K. M. Birla’s June 2008 acquisition of Spice Telecom was announced, several industry watchers expressed their discomfort with the deal. And their reactions were understandable, for Birla’s Idea Cellular had paid a huge Rs.27 billion for a 40.8% stake in a company that was operational in only two circles of Karnataka & Punjab, was experiencing a drop in subscriber base and had a much lower Average Revenue Per User (ARPUs) as compared to that of Idea. But the company went ahead with its decision and may still end up with a wise buy, albeit cutthroat competition, given India’s future telecom potential.

On the other end, we have Anand Mahindra, who has made clear in-roads into sectors like Travel & Tourism and IT, with his two cubs – Club Mahindra and Tech Mahindra. “We want that people should relate to holidays as Club Mahindra and thus, our focus is to grow in India,” points out Ramesh Ramanathan, MD, Mahindra Holidays & Resorts, to B&E. But all’s not well on this end too, and just like other diversified firms, Anand Mahindra seems to have his own share of troubles.

But there are cautious warning signs in some of Anand Mahindra’s SBUs. As far as his Tech Mahindra dream goes, experts still believe that he should become extra cautious about any further investment in this vehicle. According to a report by Prabhudas Liladhar, a leading brokerage house in the country: British Telecom’s trouble (BT Group owns 31% in Tech Mahindra and is also the largest customer, accounting for 46% of its revenue) and subdued IT spending in the telecom vertical could reduce earnings visibility in the near term, therefore giving Tech Mahindra’s stock a ‘reduce’ rating tag. The report further forecasts the company’s net profits during FY2010 to fall by 36.1% y-o-y, to touch Rs.6.9 billion. Even during Q3, 2010, the firm experienced a 22% drop in net profits due to interest costs on borrowings that it used to fund its acquisition of Satyam. After shelling out a precious $4.50 billion, the company still has a considerable amount of unpaid debt, which at the moment stands at Rs.17.44 billion as on January 1, 2010.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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Law on the run

2010-03-18T13:57:00.000+05:30

Fear has driven as many as 40 men of a special anti-Maoist police outfit to desert their posts in Orissa’s red corridor, reports Subrat Dash

Not one, not two, not three, but as many as 40 members of the Orissa Special Striking Force (OSSF) are on the run from Maoists.

These ‘brave’ men have been underground since last year after a blast masterminded by Maoist extremists. Along with the absconding policemen, a Micro UGI 9mm rifle has gone missing. The rifle, made in Israel, can fire 1400 rounds in a minute and costs Rs 5 lakh. It is the most sophisticated weapon in the armoury of Orissa police.

To save face, the state police honchos have done their best to keep the embarrassing information under wraps. But TSI has managed to ferret out the truth from sources in the know. This disconcerting story goes back to June 17, 2009, when armed Maoists captured the block headquarters of Narayana Patana in Koraput district. They obstructed all traffic leading to the place by cutting down big trees and dumping large stones on the road. Normal life was paralysed due to shortage of essential commodities. The task of freeing the place from the Maoists was assigned to the newly formed OSSF, a battalion of retired army jawans.

Narayana Patana is nearly 30 km from the district headquarters. Within an hour, the battalion reached the town’s entrance point to remove the road blocks. The combing operation started at 10 am, but was short-lived. Nine jawans of OSSF escorting an armed vehicle were killed in a powerful landmine explosion. In panic, 40 men of the special anti-Naxal outfit fled from the spot.

Fear psychosis is on the rise among policemen stationed in Maoist-infested areas. As many 22 of the 30 districts of Orissa are affected by the ‘menace’ of Maoism and policemen in these parts of the state are running scared. The challenge before the Orissa government is to re-examine the mental preparedness of its paramilitary forces as well as police personnel pressed into anti-Maoist operations. In the last two years, over 100 specially trained Orissa policemen have lost their lives in the ongoing war on Maoist extremists.

Government figures reveal that in 2008 alone more than 56 Naxal-related incidents occurred in which 74 jawans and 22 civilians were killed. Though government records are not available for the year, in 2009 more than 50 police personnel and an identical number of civilians were killed in Maoist attacks.

A retired police officer says: “Since the February 2007 Nayagarh attack, in which 15 policemen were killed by Maoists at gun-point, the morale of the Orissa police has been on the downswing. In the last two years, more than 200 police and paramilitary personnel have been killed by Naxals. In contrast, only 30 Naxals have lost their lives in the corresponding period. So the current fear psychosis isn’t an unusual phenomenon."

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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Jab We Met…!

2010-03-17T13:54:00.000+05:30

Shahid Kapoor and Bebo seem to have patched up after the infamous cold war. They no longer avoid each other and have been seen comfortable in each other’s company. In a recent celebration for “My Name is Khan”, both of them were seen together and this time they didn’t just brush by each other but were also joined in by Saif Ali Khan. Kareena’s spokesperson even commented that “Kareena has no problem with anybody, including Shahid.” Guess the credit goes to Karan Johar and the legendary Bollywood parties which are known for patch-ups!

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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Naxalism - Force is not the answer

2010-03-13T15:42:00.000+05:30

We as a people need to look for political solutions instead of treating Naxalism as a menace

N. Manu Chakravarthy

Writer and rationalist thinker, Bengaluru

When we discuss Naxalism, one question instantly springs to mind. Should it be considered a social problem or a problem of law and order? To this my answer is very clear. Until we are unambiguous about the terms ‘law and order’, we cannot come to a proper and sensible conclusion. If we use the term ‘law and order’ it certainly carries a kind of self-definition. These words expose the location and position of the people who use the words ‘law and order’. So we may ask very fundamental questions, who is talking of law and order? This is actually the language of the court, the police, administrators, and to a certain extent, the middle class. In our society, more often, these terms are propelled by certain privileged group of people to safeguard their interests. When you keep raising such fundamental questions, you come to realise that terms like ‘law and order’ indicate a certain kind of hierarchy. Do we really exist in a situation where we can hope to convert the term ‘law and order’ into ‘justice and equality’? The moment we failed to translate the meaning of ‘law and order’ into ‘social equality and justice’ we also lost the moral right to pass the diktat, saying Naxalism is mere a problem of law and order.

To my knowledge, Naxalism is the colossal failure of constitutional execution, our political system and, more importantly, of the judiciary and the middle class. The rise of Naxalism should be seen as result of the of ineptitude of our system and its inability to fulfil the constitutional needs of our common, downtrodden people. Naxalism is often wrongly described as a ‘menace’. But I would like to characterise it as an anguished expression of people who have been completely betrayed by the common law of the land. They bank upon armed struggle more out of desperation and frustration. In other words, they are forcibly made to resort to violence by constant refutation of the basic rights which are supposed to be given by our Constitution. But I never believe or argue that Naxalism is inevitable to fight out the inequalities brewing in our society. What I am trying to say is that as a system we are creating social conditions in which such forms of extremism become unavoidable for certain groups of our society. We are literally compelling our own people to take to guns to express their dissent.

What else do we need to illustrate the failure of the conscience of our society and country? When a citizen is compelled to take up arms in order to express his disenchantment with the system, isn’t it the indifference of middle class that should be held responsible, at least partially, for such a turn of events? As this innate apathy continues, we will only end up prolonging the crisis.

Then, another question arises. Can anyone derive any real benefit from such acts of anger? Will this serve the purpose of those people who contemplate a state of ‘Utopian’ social equality? My answer is, again, NEVER. You can’t construct the society, no matter what Utopia that would be, on the premises of blood and death. Such extreme steps may only help to build up one more bloody state. The history of the human civilisation has already proved that one cycle of violence leads to another cycle of violence. Though we can’t deny the fact that Naxalism is created and reinforced by the inhumanness of the ruling state, we must also accept that we can’t expect anything productive out of it. The coldhearted and callous regime succeeds only in creating one more blood-mongering autocracy. What kinds of states have all the revolutions of the world delivered?

So unless we can eliminate the violence of the state, Naxalism will continue to exist and unleash other kinds of tyranny. And if you think responding to a ‘ruthless’ regime with its own coin can do anything worthy for the people or society, then you will end up nowhere for sure. The middle class appears to be cut off from the bitter reality. They are busy decrying Naxalism instead of trying to understand what really causes people to declare war on their own nation. Have these desperate men and women ever been given a chance to speak their minds? Or as a society, have we ever attempted to understand their plight? Are we really serious about political alternatives? Instead of seeking genuine solutions, we are lost in an ‘us versus them’ battle that has no end. Needless to say, the middle class is in complete consonance with the ruling class which protects the former’s interests to serve its own ends. Instead of pursuing political alternatives that could give the ‘forsaken’ sections of our country reason to trek back into the mainstream, we are stuck in useless polemics. You can dismiss the Naxalism as a cancer or a scourge. But how can you neglect the infected social conditions which create such festering tumours?

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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Second green revolution?

2010-03-12T13:39:00.000+05:30

Community seed banks to take on modified crops

Is there any solution to the ongoing BT brinjal controversy? Do we really need BT modified crops? These and other questions are being debated by farmers, food experts, politicians and multinationals. The proponents of BT brinjal say that it will herald a second green revolution. But the opponents argue that India can manage without modified crops because some farmers in Karnataka villages already practice community seed banks.

They cite example of farmers, like Papamma, who have already started a second green revolution. Her house is full of vegetation. Not an inch of waste land around Papamma’s house or farm can be spotted. “Do you see the black sprinkles on the leaves and the beans? That is cow dung water I sprinkled to avoid pests,” says the 60-year-old Papamma who lives in D. Kurubarahalli, a remote village in Kolar, nearly 90 KM from Bangalore.

Keeping farm green isn’t an easy task in hot weather. But Papamma has been managing it for almost 20 years now. She produces crops through organic way. Besides, the family is content with the yield they get from two acres and one acre of paddy field. In two acres, she grows almost 20 varieties of crops. “If we have sufficient water we can grow more than 50 varieties of crops in the farm,” says Papamma.

Kolar district which is better known for its extreme weather depends on rain for the crops. Moreover, the district doesn’t have any rivers. “We dug a well in our farm and we use this for the paddy field because it needs much water compared to other crops. So, even if it does not rain in the season we normally do not worry,” adds Papamma.

The family, which is known across the state as ‘seed bank Papamma,’ has more than 50 varieties of pure indigenous seeds. Displaying her rare collections, she says: “See this is the paddy that I stored four years back. Still it is good; you can either use it for sowing or husk rice out of it. Did you see the leaves on the paddy? They are custard apple’s leaves. They keep the seeds afresh.”

Adds Papamma: “These are brinjal seeds.” When asked why she has saved brinjal seeds in four different jars, she says: “In my farm I only have four varieties of brinjals…” What about the BT brinjal? Papamma’s answer was spontaneous: “No… see in my farm, I grow four or five types of brinjals, and in our village you can easily find around 45 varieties of brinjals, so just imagine how many more varieties India can have. People say it is a ‘technical’ brinjal. When we have enough variety of brinjals then why import BT brinjal and spoil soil and health? I do not think, we will need a brinjal 'which has been operated and injected to perform well.' It is not good for health. What we have is more than enough and I do not see any reason to welcome it.

“As I am following organic farming method, I may get a bit less crop compared to the farms which are using chemicals. But as far as my family is concerned, health is more important than profit. My farming is not a commercial venture."

“For almost a decade, we never purchased food items from the market, but fetch it afresh from our farm. I preserve the seed in the seed bank for the next crop. If the seeds are more, then we sell it in the market. Why should we say yes for genetically modified crops?”

Papamma and her husband Papanna do sand mulching also. She was taught organic farming by her villagers twenty years ago. But after some time, the villagers started using chemicals to increase their production.

Papamma, who did not believe in commercial cropping, just went on with her organic farming and stuck to the techniques taught to her during the training. Today, she is the main person in her village who leads the community in seed banking campaign under which the farmers are encouraged to store the seeds and avoid fertilisers.

Also, Papamma convinces rural women to adopt organic farming. Her work has been recognised by the state government. In 2007, the officials of the agriculture department honoured her with the Karnataka Rajyothsava Prashasthi for her contribution to seed bank farming in the state.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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Double whammy

2010-03-11T15:38:00.000+05:30

Political uncertainty and drug market are ripping the country apart

The indifference that met the assassination of President João Bernardo "Nino" Vieira of Guinea-Bissau in his own house – as well as the bomb attack that killed his key adversary João Baptista Tagme Na Waie, the Army Chief a day before – signifies just how far down this drug-infested nation has sunk. Ever since winning a brutal struggle for freedom from Portugal in 1974, this country of 1.5 million has been sadly trailing behind more and more – cursed by coup d'état, aborted coups and war.

The assassinations of the President and the nation's military chief of staff threaten more volatility in the distressed West African nation. This week, the United States and Portugal – its erstwhile colonial master – joined the EU in reproaching the killings and calling for a Constitutional course to be charted. President Vieira was murdered due to the long-standing hostility between the late President and a few sections of Guinea-Bissau's armed forces. Therefore, it was only heartening to hear a senior military leader, Naval Commander Jose Zamora Induta, say that the assault on the President was a one-off event, and it did not measure up to a coup d'état, and the military will respect democratic values, even as the nation's statesmen work through the emergency.

Richard Moncrieff, noted West Africa expert at the International Crisis Group said, “My understanding of the situation is that there will be a Constitutional changeover. The issue is to what degree the armed forces will meddle. The President’s assassination substantiates the forces’ say in power. That is unacceptable and needs to be curbed.” Another troubling point for the international community is the involvement of the nation in international drug trade. Under the circumstances, volatility is the last thing one would want.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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A moroccan memoir

2010-03-10T14:49:00.000+05:30

A land where from the first light of the morning, hope wakes up and spreads its charm all over. A melting pot of history, tradition, culture and harmony, Morocco treats visitors by way of scenic beauty, exquisite cuisines, holy places, historical monuments and tranquilising beaches. Morocco is perhaps one of the best places from where one can experience the magic of the Sahara desert in all its glory. Morocco’s beautiful city Casablanca plays host to attractions like the Chellah Gardens, Hassan II Mosque, Medina and Beth-El synagogue and United Nations Square. Rabat, the capital of Morocco, has the principal royal residence, and beautiful gardens and beaches which are known for their breathtaking view. Known for its history, spanning more than a century, the former capital of Meknes is considered to be best preserved in terms of culture and craftsmanship. Just in its vicinity one could visit the ruins of Volubilis, considered to be a popular Roman settlement and the whitewashed town of Moulay Idriss. For those in search of peace and spirituality, Fez is the city which is known as a religious and intellectual hub. A tour of the medieval medina which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site is a must. The medina is eminent for its meandering lanes and artistic workshops. One can also pay a visit to the Royal Palace of Fez and Mellah, which is the largest Jewish Quarter in Morocco. The old mosques and the open air tanneries of Morocco make for a great visit too. Fine handicrafts and traditional items made from ceramic, copper and leather cater to shopping junkies.

In Morocco, a vacation would hold a whole new meaning for a tourist because it won’t begin and end at a beach, a hill resort or a desert alone. Morocco is where all these natural habitats meet, and yet there is more... Greet the snow-capped peaks of the Middle Atlas Mountains which present a wonderful view of the pine and cedar forests, Berber villages and terraced farms all the way. Unless one stays at the glamorous pink city of Marrakech, their trip to Morocco is incomplete. Here, visit the fabulous local souks, royal palaces, scenic gardens and the historic monuments. Marrakech comes alive after sunset with exciting performances by snake charmers, magicians and storytellers at the public square Djemaa El-Fna. Indeed, Morocco sells dreams, and promises sweet memories for a lifetime.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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Crying Wolf?

2010-03-06T14:20:00.000+05:30

Having made to beat a hasty retreat on its stand on ‘retreating glaciers’, the IPCC might have lost more than just credibility!

‘Repeat a lie a thousand times and it becomes truth’ seems to have been the motto of the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change or the IPCC and its Chairman R K Pachauri who is finding himself on a sticky wicket in the wake of the ‘Glaciergate’ scandal. But come as they may, the lies have become far too many to be kept under wraps… the can of worms is open and the count of worms hasn’t stopped... not just yet.

There seems to be no end in sight to IPCC and its Chairman, R K Pachauri’s woes. First, it was a series of leaked e-mails that set-off a wave of doubt about the extent and the rate of global warming, then it was the outlandish claim (based on mere speculation) that Himalayan glaciers would melt by 2035; and now there’s yet another damning case built by Britain’s daily, Telegraph against the Nobel award-winning body that seems to have shot itself in the foot yet again by claiming that ice from world’s mountain tops was disappearing due to global warming, a claim based on a university student’s thesis and an article published in a popular magazine for climbers...

With the IPCC adding one goof-up after another to its cap, the UN body would need something of a miracle to salvage its credibility, what with another of its claims about the effects of climate change on the Amazon having come from a lifted report appearing in the WWF – an advocacy group. “As if this were not bad enough, the IPCC has now had to admit to yet another serious error. For years it has been trying to maintain that if the world warms again (and it has not done so for 15 years) hurricanes, floods and droughts would become more frequent. Now, it has admitted that this is not the case, and it proposes to “re-evaluate the evidence,” says Lord Christopher Monkton, a staunch critic of the IPCC and the theory of man-induced global warming.

The IPCC has come under flak on three counts, the first of which is that due diligence was not followed and the claims were not peer-reviewed. Secondly, for the misleading authoritative tone in its predictions of the future, and lastly, for merely being the words of authors who are no experts… and this after Mr. Pachauri claimed that “IPCC procedures were robust and the world should have no doubt about the reality of climate change,” just a few days before leaving for Copenhagen. “The UN’s climate panel, the IPCC, is now doomed. Not a word it or its Chairman says can any longer be taken seriously. The news that it is at last abandoning its entirely false claim that the glaciers of the Himalayas will disappear entirely by 2035 is one of the last nails in the coffin of this unlamented corpse,” cries Monkton.

While it might be too early to deny the reality of climate change and global warming, the recent spate of errors does not augur well for environmentalists battling to save an already over-burdened Earth. Besides, with a skeleton falling out of the IPCC closet every few days, one only wonders how many more are to follow. With climate change sceptics scoring points over ‘believers’ with such inconvenient frequency, the IPCC has some serious questions to answer, something it has so far failed to do convincingly...

Agreed, action has to come thick and fast if the humans are causing or accelerating climate change, but passing off unverified reports as gospel truth is an unpardonable act especially given the vast economic disparity faced by the world. Clearly, catastrophic predictions and prophesies emanating from half-baked truths can have far greater repercussions…

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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Are the greenshoots for real?

2010-03-05T13:54:00.000+05:30

Gyanendra Kumar Kashyap explains why rural India will be the next battleground for the insurance players and why will the growth come from there…

Year 2009 saw the Indian insurance industry face an extraordinary confluence of testing macroeconomic trends along with unique challenges & opportunities. As revenue growth went downhill, margins came under pressure and capital requirements surged, and with it increased the urgency for the insurers to reduce their costs, strengthen their risk management and stabilise capital positions. And if one goes by a latest report from Swiss Re (the second largest reinsurer globally), one sees that, “reduced demand, low interest rates and the need for many companies to recapitalise are some of the challenges that the industry will face in 2010.” Notwithstanding the challenges, the untapped potential of life insurance in India (whose penetration level still stands at a miniscule 4%) is certainly that one thing which can alone make the insurance industry prosper in the near future. Learning bitter lessons during the slowdown, players are now increasingly focusing on operating efficiencies and are looking at right sizing their frontline sales force and making them more efficient. As per the latest available numbers, while the annualised premium earnings (APE) for the private life insurance players has increased by a healthy 29.6%, the same was pegged at a whopping 45% for the state-owned LIC. The general insurance segment too witnessed a 16% (y-o-y) growth of the gross premium underwritten.

These numbers bear testimony to the fact that insurers are now evaluating economic returns before making any new investment. Aware of the shifting landscape, the insurance regulator IRDA too is in the process of framing guidelines for M&As in the sector. Not only this, the regulator also plans to come out with IPO guidelines for insurance companies by February-end which will allow them to raise funds from the capital markets (Reliance Life could be the first life insurance company in the country to come out with an IPO). These guidelines will further protect the policyholders’ interests and also ensure transparency and corporate governance.

Considering all this, one can say that the insurance industry in India is certainly ready for a fresh start. In fact, industry leaders like Deepak Sood, CEO of Future Generali India Life Insurance Co, believe that with rising optimism in the Indian stock markets, it’s time that customers reap the benefits of a market that has shown stability and resilience and is poised for a long-term positive run. Further, as private players take on public sector behemoths by having strategic tie ups with regional rural banks, rural India will be the much wanted battleground. Harpal Karlcut, CEO, Canara HSBC Oriental Bank of Commerce Life Insurance Co agrees with the recent development as he tells B&E, “Given that the market is inadequately insured, rural areas offer great potential. We are aided by our strong distribution model that will enable us to take life insurance to large sections of the society and help meet every Indian’s need for insurance.” With India’s poorest sections living in rural areas, it’ll be interesting to see how the insurance giants finally end up making money.

UP AND COMINING

Since the stock market lows last March, the life insurance stocks have recovered dramatically. In 2010, capital concerns will be largely behind the industry and investors will return their focus on the underlying business fundamentals of the sector. Though the fundamentals of the industry are expected to improve in 2010, the sector will still face some headwinds. In addition, while one can anticipate investment income to increase over the 2009 levels as insurers put more money to work in the debt markets, most insurers will continue to maintain defensive liquidity positions, which will act as a drag on earnings growth. It is also expected that the overall sales volumes, especially those of higher premium products, will remain depressed versus the levels seen in most of this decade. Although merger and acquisitions were virtually non-existent in 2009, the situation is all set to change in 2010.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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Deconstructing Green Hunt

2010-03-04T15:31:00.000+05:30

The State does not seem to be on the winning side as the Maoists are keen to negotiate from a point of view of strength, Consulting Editor Tathagata Bhattacharya says

Green Hunt has not had the desired effect in all the states in which operations were launched to curb the growing clout of the Maoists. The Maoist offer of a 72-day ceasefire can’t be taken as a mark of weakness if one sees their quick spread in West Bengal and Bihar. In Chattisgarh, Maoists have suffered some reverses though but the forces' success is nothing to write home about.

Twelve encounters in three months and 60 Maoists dead. The anti-Naxalite combat force, Cobra, comprising at least 2000 policemen, are searching the jungles of Rajnandgaon and Bastar in Chattisgarh amid human rights groups and sympathisers of the Naxalite movement strongly protesting the ongoing offensive.

According to a certain estimate, there are about 10,000 Maoist rebels active throughout the state and Bastar is their centre. Bastar is surrounded by dense jungles on all sides and has borders with Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa. This has hindered police operations before. Porous borders with other states helped Maoists to escape from one state to another. But, now police is adopting a new strategy to plug this gap. If one battalion of police force is conducting operations in Dantewada, another is making its base in Rajanandgaon. This can be a long-drawn battle, DGP Vishwaranjan has said. Along with the Central forces, the state governments of Chattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh are also joining hands to ring the Maoists. One company of force, five helicopters and Rs 100 crore have been requested from the Centre to fight the Maoists.

At least 14 districts of the state have been identified as naxalite strongholds, plans are on to surround them. While talking to TSI, Mukesh Gupta, IG, Durga Range, said that the operation was underway and it was not possible to divulge details. Green Hunt has, of late, started showing positive results. Two weeks back the state police destroyed two Maoist camps. At least 800 local policemen attacked the Naxalite-affected area in Burqlanka. The operation continued for three days and more than seven Maoists were killed. A weapons factory was destroyed. Six policemen also lost their lives during the operation. But despite the set back, Chattisgarh home minister Nankiram Kanwar said that November onwards, the attack on Maoists will be more aggressive and by the end of the year, the Naxalite problem will be wiped off Dantewada district. Kanwar has reportedly announced that if the state is not free of Maoists in one year, he would tender his resignation.

However, going by the pace of the operation, i.e 60 Maoists in three months, it seems his resignation might be the more likely scenario than weeding out 10,000 armed men in one year. Since the Nitish Kumar government came to power four years back, Bihar has not seen Maoist activities on the scale it was used to. But things might be changing fast. After the Central government unleashed Green Hunt, Maoists from Chattisgarh and Orissa are escaping to Bihar. Out of the 44 districts in Bihar, 33 has been declared Naxalite-affected. Earlier, only central Bihar was considered as Maoist stronghold. The Maoists have used this opportunity to expand their territories to districts close to Nepal. Besides, they have strengthened themselves in West Champaran, Muzaffarpur, Sitamarhi, Darbhanga, Madhubani, Bhagalpur, Banka, Jamui and Lakhisarai.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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