And now we are all going bananas!

If there were bugs in the soft ware, the odds are that they threw the election to the wrong candidate. An Orlando Sentinel examination of other votes cast by those who supposedly failed to cast a vote in the congressional race shows that they strongly favoured Democrats, and Buchanan won the official count by only 369 votes. The fact that Buchanan won a recount – that is, a recount of the votes the machines happened to record – means nothing.

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Source:- IIPM Editorial

An IIPM And Management Guru Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri’s Initiative

It’s all about money

Today elections are a game of money. The ones with the deepest of pockets survive. In fact, it’s become the norm in America since 1976, that the candidate who has raised the most money by the end of the year preceding the election, has become his party’s nominee for President. Bush and Kerry raised a total of nearly half a billion dollars each for the 2004 Presidential elections. The battle between the Republicans and Democrats is fought primarily on TV, thus making it a very expensive warfare. During the mid-term polls held this year, some $2 billion were spent on the United States election campaign ads.

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Source:- IIPM Editorial

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Letter from the Chairman

I really appreciate the recognition given to our efforts on innovation, I thank 4Ps B&M and Planman Media for bestowing This honour on me and Kingfisher.

Dr. Vijay Mallya, Chairman, UB Group

Retail development indicates economic development as well!

Refer your cover feature in Vol 1, Issue 18, ‘Indian Retail wars’. It was a good read about the various business houses foraying into the retail sector. But more surprising is the fact that the organized retail sector after all the talk that we have in various media accounts only to a meager 3% of total retail sector. Personally, I believe that the development in retail sector and all the hyper-marts et al are a positive and visible indicator towards infrastructural and economic development. However, the sad part of such development is that the businesses are concetrated on catering to the high-end consumer segment rather than the masses. Perhaps that’s the reason which will also hinder the growth of organized retail sector. Though I am not an expert, I would suggest that these retail giants must strategically focus and commit towards serving the masses of India for, it is a segment with great potential, which is all extracted by the unorganized retailers alone. Innovative strategies and solutions need to be designed to tap this particular segment as well, big time.

Aryan Paul, Lucknow

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Source:- IIPM Editorial

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TREAT INSTITUTIONAL VOIDS AS BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

Another way to build emerging giants is for private sector businesses to fill institutional voids. Only governments can set up certain institutions, but companies can own and profitably operate many kinds of intermediaries in product and factor markets. Many institutional intermediaries facilitate the flow of information in markets; these include newspaper publishers and database vendors. Some intermediaries enhance the credibility of the claims sellers make – for instance, accounting firms, quality-certification firms and accreditation agencies.

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... when many other regions have progressed on to get branded as ‘First World’!

And these developments, in part, are the result of a phenomenon that has been observed for some years by specialists and polling organizations in Latin America: As the elected governments became more formally democratic, citizens expressed an increasing disillusionment with the way democracy functions and “lack of faith” in the democratic institutions. They have sought to construct democratic systems based on popular participation rather than elite and foreign domination.

A persuasive explanation for the decline of faith in existing democratic institutions has been offered by Argentine political scientist Atilio Boron, who observed that the new wave of democratization in Latin America coincided with externally mandated economic “reforms” that undermine effective democracy.

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Source:- IIPM Editorial

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O2 or O250 ???

In the era of ‘clean fuels’ that have reportedly reduced pollution in cities around the world, the dangerous element of Suspended Particulate Matters (SPM) is causing tremendous health concerns. Having their origin in the automobile exhaust, construction sites and industrial units, these particulate matters are known to remain suspended in the air for a long duration and have an ability to be transported for thousands of miles. Suspended in air, these complex mixtures of inorganic and organic solid and liquid particles are known to include carcinogens like the sulfates, nitrates, acids and semi volatile compound. Varying in size from approximately 0.005 to 100 micrometers, these SPMs including their fine and ultra fine versions are known to penetrate deepest areas of the lungs causing severe health hazard.

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For this, you have not focused on the ‘sit & dine’ segment?

Our key focus is on the delivery segment because I believe where both in the couple are working, they won’t prefer to eat outside as it involves a lot of time & parking hassles. But we are also focusing on the ‘sit & dine’ segment and in fact, the 30 stores we opened in the last two years, all have a space to eat for 35 to 40 people. But yes, we don’t focus on the dine segment much so there’s not much cutlery in our shops and there’s self-service.

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Source:- IIPM Editorial

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“Plasma TV prices globally are going down”

LCDs are based on liquid crystal molecules that need a backlight to light up the crystals present in each pixel. They easily last for 60,000 viewing hours, though plagued by losing resolution as the size increases, technological improvements are happening. Comments Philips’ Kapoor, “The Plasma market, confined to 42” screen size and above, is facing immense pressure as LCDs are available in larger screen sizes unlike earlier.”

With competition, prices too are plummeting. Points ViewSonic’s Ghosh, “Plasma TV prices globally are going down,” but “if you are buying a new TV, it is recommended to pick an LCD. But not to hurry up the purchase, as prices next year are expected to drop by 50%!” LG & Sharp though project a price drop of only 20% to 30%.

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Source:- IIPM Editorial

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“Nowadays, it takes one night for consignments to reach Chennai.”

In addition, the National Highways Authority of India is in the process of constructing another 12,000 kilometres of highways that will link major manufacturing centres with metros, ports and export processing zones. Sure, there have been delays. Yet, just as it happened with IT and telecom, the highway infrastructure development is approaching a critical mass and will surely take off in the near future. Says Vivek Hinduja, CEO, Marketing of Bangalore-based Gokaldas Exports, “Nowadays, it takes one night for consignments to reach Chennai.”

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Sare jahan se (nahi) accha...

Vande Mataram, the Indian national song, which inspired many during the British reign to fight for their motherland, is finding itself being made into an object of petty politicking. The UPA government first made it mandatory for everyone to sing it on September 7 (on the 100th anniversary of it being sung in the Indian national assembly), then made it optional when a section of Muslim clerics objected to the diktat complaining that the song amounted to them “worshipping the motherland” (the literal translation of Vande Mataram) and Islam prohibits the apotheosis of any deity.

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Louis Vuitton Malletier

Louis Vuitton Malletier (LVM), the leading French designer brand of fashion and leather goods, is ready to treat the fashion conscious Indians now. The iconic fashion brand has received the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) nod to acquire a 51% equity stake in Mumbai-based LV Trading, which owns a retail store each in Mumbai and Delhi. LV Trading under a non-exclusive distribution agreement with LVM has already been selling Louis Vuitton brands in India.

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Certainly, unless the international community resolves to take concrete action

Israel claims its actions in Gaza and Lebanon are designed to safeguard its own security. However, indiscriminate use of force and continued occupation will never give Israel the lasting security. The response to Hezbollah’s initial aggression, as well as Israel’s military response in Gaza, is disproportionate. The devastation in Lebanon will take generations to repair, not only materially, but also psychologically. Hezbollah, which claims it is fighting for Lebanese independence and sovereignty, also bears responsibility for unacceptable aggression, placing the lives of innocent Israelis and Lebanese at stake.

We are convinced that the way these policies are currently being carried out will only serve to deepen mistrust, heighten polarisation and embed deeprooted hatred between neighbours who just have got to learn to live with each other. A military solution is not a viable option. War is only strengthening the hand of those who regard terror as the only eff ective weapon, thereby creating a breeding ground for even more violence, insecurity and extremism across the Middle East. With the moderates now being marginalized, the long-term effect will be to undermine all democratization efforts in the region.

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who were chatting in an “Arabian language”

But the scare stayed. For instance, South Africa began to review its air security. Their records showed a Zimbabwean student, Tinashe Rioga, as having been overpowered and arrested after an abortive hijacking attempt, in which, he brandished a hypodermic syringe while throttling an air stewardess. It was listed as an example of “air rage”. Swiftly, orders were placed for bullet-proof doors and CCTV cameras in aircraft . Strangely, the effect of such responses has been largely mechanical. As much as machines can help, they will. There’s no accounting for the human factor though. On August 20, 150 passengers on a flight from Manchester kicked up a fuss over two Asians, who were chatting in an “Arabian language”. They forced the two to get-off before the flight could carry on. Panic is OK in small doses, if followed by sense. Prolonged paranoia can only harm.

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i-fl ex’s acquisition fits in with its vision for risk & compliance services

i-fl ex has identi- fi ed operational risk and compliance as a high potential segment. States Makarand Padalkar, Chief of Staff & Investor Relations, i-fl ex Solutions, “Risk and compliance has been one of the key areas of growth for us over the last few years. Th e acquisition of Mantra will increase our footprint in this area.” Th e fact is that the acquisition of Mantas is a strategic decision by i-fl ex to become a leading player in the risk and compliance marketplace – an area that has already been mastered by Mantas, which has a premium clientele like ABN Amro, Barclays, Citigroup and Merrill Lynch.

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Indi Chat

IIPM Best B-School of India

IIPM Alliances IIPM Academics : Curriculum

Unhand that Wine!

The Indian Institute of Planning and Management

India’s trade portfolio

The findings are shocking

Microsoft : Nothing soft about this company’s new initiatives

Chilled out in the tropics! Service with a SMILE!

Toh Insan phone leta kyon hai?...:- A. Khan defends Indicom’s punchlines...

Being a part of the legendary Rs.76,929 crore Tata group comes with a great responsibility of living up to the reputation of the parent group. Four years in the fray and Tata Indicom seems to be taking the legacy forward with elan – in true Tata style. Incorporated in 1996, Tata Teleservices (TTSL) pioneered CDMA mobile services in India; and the true saga perhaps started in 2002, when the company acquired a majority stake in Hughes Telecom (India) and launched itself into top gear. Today, though it is still not number one overall, it is one of the leading players and has carefully cemented its place in the minds of the customers with an array of services. Spearheading the excitement behind the company’s marketing initiatives and on a mission to transform Tata Indicom into being the telecom leader is Abdul Khan, VP & Head-Marketing, TTSL. In a tête-à-tête with 4Ps B&M, Khan unveils the making of Brand Tata Indicom. Excerpts from the interview...

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ARE YOU LOADED?!

If over-indulged, it’s as good (or bad) as any of the seven vices from the Book. And like most sins, it’s sheer pleasure. Even stress busting, they say. In fact, it is probably one of the ideas of recreation in our lives chock-a-block with hair-raising schedules and challenging routines. And like all good things that come for a price, this one does too… literally! For sure, by now, you’ve guessed it and almost tempted to get on with it – shopping!!

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THE EXPORTS DILEMMA

Creditably, the Sugar Development Act 1982 has been amended to provide cheap loans for sugar development. But for a country which is to produce an estimated 22 million tonnes of sugar in SY-07, where total sugarcane production is valued at Rs.240 billion per year, the biggest problem Indian farmers & domestic processing companies were facing was that imported sugar was much cheaper than domestically produced sugar. EU is a case in point. EU is one of the largest exporters of sugar with a heft y 14% share in world sugar trade. In fact, one of India’s disagreements during the recent moribund WTO trade talks (refer Policy lead in this issue) was with EU’s continuing subsidies to its farmers that gave them undue advantage. But now, with an EU guarantee that its subsidies will be dropped by 36% over a period of four years, Indian farmers have a huge potential in the new level playing field.

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Source:- IIPM Editorial, 2006

Editor:- Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri

A chilled treat from Ben & Jerry’s

Ben & Jerry’s is all set to serve its British customers with 150 ml and 500 ml tubs of fair-trade ice cream (a certification that the farmers were paid the right price for their harvest). The ice cream will be stocked in co- operative stores and also in branches of Britain’s third largest super market, Sainsbury’s. The ice cream will also reach customers in Ireland, Belgium & Netherlands foraying into other countries later. The motive is to boost Britain’s fairtrade food market. In comparison to last year food articles carrying fair trade logo saw a 40% jump in sales to $366.23 million

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Source:- IIPM Editorial, 2006

Editor:- Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri

Contour technology jumps miles ahead of its contemporaries, and promises to change the face of animation

Next time you see the actual Michael Schumacher driving his Ferrari or Tiger Woods playing golf in a video game, don’t be flabbergasted – it is the magic of digital replicas that makes the virtual world look so real. And the fun is not limited to just video games, but is even changing the face of movies; quite literally!

This mind moving latest technology on the block is called “Contour,” which creates digital copies of various human actions and reactions. These digital reproductions help create highly realistic animated characters by controlling and reproducing innumerable facial expressions and body movements. But hey, so what? Hasn’t the motion picture industry doing similar stuff till now? Definitely not! Till date, film and video game developers have been using ‘motion-capture’ technology to add a realistic touch to digitally animated human characters. The technology uses sensors to monitor movements of the actors dressed in specially designed suits. But these sensors cannot gather enough data in the limited time to make images appear realistic enough. So, though digitally animated human characters have been created in movies like Matrix and Polar Express, the inefficiency of motion capture has stymied accurate portrayal of the infinite human expressions.

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Source:- IIPM Editorial, 2006

Editor:- Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri

Companies are scrapping pension plans; social security is in dire straits

For the auto giants, General Motors and Ford, it has been one of the worst nightmares; even some of the big airliners are not being spared. Well, companies are making sure that it doesn’t trouble them again, not even in their dreams. It’s now being observed that more and more companies are moving from the defined benefit to defined contributions; a development that might prove incapacitating, both for employees and the employers.

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Source:- IIPM Editorial, 2006

Editor:- Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri.

India could witness a mammoth surge of FDI - IIPM Publication

According to him, once the Special Economic Zones’ Act is notified by the government, India could witness a mammoth surge of FDI. However, before being swept away by the euphoria generated by the news about the “pending proposals”, one needs to assess the performance of Indian SEZs, as well as, the present investment environment in the country.

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Source:- IIPM Editorial, 2006

hey, where’d it go?

Without an iota of doubt, AOL’s Johnycome- late free strategy is as useless as it could ever be. Unless AOL re-focuses its market orientation towards maps, music downloads, and of course, advertisements, AOL is as good as... hey, where’d it go?

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Source:- IIPM Editorial, 2006

Editor:- Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri

Secrets of the World’s Healthiest and Oldest Living People

Now, if you came to believe that settling by the seaside is the next best thing after Viagra for life long (and longlife) vitality, then the Hunza Valley ensconced in the Karakoram mountain range at an altitude of 7000 feet above sea level tells another tale. Hunzakuts – self-proclaimed descendants of Alexander, The Great are a clan of strapping men and tough women who know of not many diseases, and are the subject of longevity deliberations in the west like in Hunza: Secrets of the World’s Healthiest and Oldest Living People by Jay Milton Hoff man. However, apart from the grounds of nutrition and geography to adjourn Judgement Day sine die, there is also no overlooking faith in this regard. Ask the Seventh-Day Adventists of Loma Linda, California, who literally lead their lives by the Book, and you’d blurt ‘Hallelujah!’ on the fancy of letting a 100 years or near-about-that go by your eyes on a planet that swears by evolution.

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Source:- IIPM Editorial, 2006

Editor:- Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri

Morda, it’s a rip off !

But here lies the other view. In lieu of reducing the original Arcelor shareholders’ stake by 32% (due to the issue of new shares to Mordashov), as compensation, the new Arcelor will actually pay back to shareholders €7.6 billion – a cash amount equivalent to a soul stupefying 1,316% more than the value of an old Arcelor share (as on January 26, 2006). This is unheard of in modern corporate history of shareholders’ wealth maximisation. If one were to go just by shareholders’ wealth as the factor (and this should be the standard for all modern business corporations), Guy Dolle of Arcelor couldn’t have hit upon a better Russian to rip off ! And seriously speaking, Guy Dolle needn’t even have paid so much to convince his shareholders. But for the sake of records, Guy Dolle will remain our hero, wisecracks notwithstanding!

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Source:- IIPM Editorial, 2006, Editor:- Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri


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‘Newly married’

As they bid goodbye and proceeded to the carriage adorned with flowers with a sign of ‘newly married’ attached to it, my heart sank with the thought that the ebullient goodbyes would change to a final goodbye, the flowers on the landau would be decorated atop a coffin with a card addressed to ‘mummy’ from her sons William and Harry and the tears of joy would be drowned by the anguished cries of despair with the Princess of Wales embarking on her final journey, leaving her family, her sons and the entire nation mourning behind her.

Strange are the ways of life, I thought, which slowly unfolds the secrets, eventually taking us to the path one is destined for. Good that the future is not revealed, for it enables one to at least cherish the evanescent moments of the present.

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Source:- IIPM Editorial, 2006 Editor:- Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri

Making sense of senses

The answer proposed is what has been declared as “Third Places.” What, you may ask, is this new-fangled nomenclature? Best personified as the happy union of art and science or cognition and schematics of a higher order, a whirlwind tour of myriad museums, scintillating shopping malls, coffee shops, haute hotels and just any other public place of interest ensues.

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Source:- IIPM Editorial, 2006

Priya Cinema in Vasant Vihar

The multiplex became a super-hit crowd puller and then Bijli revamped his flagship movie hall Priya Cinema in Vasant Vihar. “It remained a single screen because somehow Priya’s positioning has become like a big house. We started portraying it as a block-buster cinema hall,” offers Bijli. The rest is history. An exclusive investment funding with ICICI, and mushrooming malls continued to bolster Bijli’s expansion plans.

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Source:- IIPM Editorial, 2006

Air India has the competent skills (IIPM Publication)

In an attempt to give its sullied image a good scrub and break the shackles of being dubbed a public sector enterprise, August 2005 saw Air India roping in a public relations agency for its image makeover. Expected to face stiff competition from privately managed companies such as Jet Airways and Air Sahara, Air India has also awarded a $1 million outsourcing contract in August to Sparsh, a domestic call centre of Spanco Telesystems. Moreover, they are on a threshold of changing their long-standing logo. Can these endeavours really help Air India achieve its dream of being ‘a professionally managed company’?


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Bush stamp of policy - IIPM Publication

Yet another major sector that has seen the Bush stamp of policy is media and communications. Michael Powell, the son of former Secretary of State Colin Powell, is the chief of Federal Communications Commission and to the delight of conservatives, has considerably eased regulatory norms for big media. It will be easier now for large media and communications conglomerates to swallow the small, independent media companies.

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Source- IIPM Editorial, 2006

Policies have left hundreds of millions of people desperately poor and hungry - IIPM News

Instead, these policies have left hundreds of millions of people even more desperately poor and hungry, and even more vulnerable to drought, pests, and soil depletion. Millions die each year, either of outright starvation or from infectious diseases that their weakened bodies cannot withstand. And still, after twenty years of preaching that private markets would pick up the slack, these impoverished communities are further away than ever from using improved seeds, fertilizers, and small-scale water management technologies.

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Publication and Research, IIPM

China might have come a long way from the times of Mao’s “Cultural Revolution”, when the ‘Red Guards’ unleashed a reign of terror in the streets of Beijing between 1966 to 1976. But the present decision by Jintao government shows that suspicion still rules the roost inside the communist hinterland. If the Communist government fails to assess the direction of the wind, no magic bullet would be able to counter claims by commentators like Francis Fukuyama that during Cultural revolution “Engineers and scientists were forced to harvest crops…while positions requiring technical competence went to politically correct ideologues.”

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Source:- IIPM Editorial, 2006

Publication and Research, IIPM

The Tatas did it, so did the Ambanis, and now we have the Bhartis doing it further. No, we are not talking about telecom. It’s life insurance! On August 24, 2005, Sunil Bharti Mittal, Bharti group chairman, declared a tie up with AXA Asia Pacific in life insurance. But does this, and other diversification moves by Bharti signify that something’s not well in their telecom business?

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Source:- IIPM Editorial, 2006

Publication and Research, IIPM

Updown court

price: 3,77,08,16,000

INRA mind-blowing house fit for the King. The 58 acre ‘palace’ situated in Windlesham, England, has an awesome 103 rooms. Housing everything from a sauna, swimming pools, squash and tennis courts, private cinema hall and a helipad; the place is heaven redefined.

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Source:- IIPM Editorial, 2006

Publication and Research, IIPM

Granted, this was a rule which manifested itself more in the breach than the observance – whether due to private malfeasance or state malevolence – but this too was widely recognized as a fact of life and as such only tended to reinforce the primacy of the metals in exchange.

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Source:- IIPM Editorial, 2006

A dissent to your dissent, Mr. Landis (IIPM Publication)

Our old friend, Bob Landis, has just posted1 (www.goldensextant.com) a treatment of gold as an asset, which might provide a measure of economic security in these troubled times. Overall, the essay – which draws heavily upon Roy W. Jastram’s Meisterwerk, ‘The Golden Constant’ (John Wiley and Sons, 1977) – is as thoughtful as any we have come to expect from the pen of the author.

Source:- IIPM Editorial, 2006

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Copyright: IIPM-2006