Thursday, October 30, 2008

Stock of a nation

As a senior Indian official in France would put it that the perception about India in Western Europe can be distinctly Gurgaon(India)divided between the phase before 1998 and the one after that. Before 1998, for the first 50 years India was more of an economically poor but culturally rich nation of philosophers who distinctly had a paradigm impact on modern Europe. India in those days was synonymous with mysticism, being a country known more for black magic, snake charmers and tigers than for its soft power and software. Yet 1998 and the assertion India made with its testing of five thermonuclear devices changed it all. Here was a country which through those tests was asking for its legitimate rights and venting out its frustration against a world which never paid heed to its concerns of terrorism and threats from China. It wasn’t just the nuclear test but the economic embargo in its aftermath imposed by the Americans and its stooges that made all the difference and that exposed the fundamental strength of an otherwise shy and a reclusive India. One has to remember the sheer impact of economic sanctions when imposed by Uncle Sam, something that crippled Iraq for a decade due to the oil embargo. It caused the death of thousands of children owing to lack of basic medicines and Iraq was doomed for ever. Yet when those same sanctions were imposed on India, the loss to American companies in terms of cancellation of governmental contracts was more than what a resilient India suffered. By then, seven years of liberalised economy had already solved the problem of forex reserve and to mitigate any eventual problem of the future, the government of India issued Resurgent Indian Bonds to be subscribed by the Non-Resident Indians....Continue

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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Tuesday, October 21, 2008

The red letter day

Privatisation will benefit India Post and also uplift the rural economy

Change is the only thing constant in the world. Ironically though, we have a natural tendency to fear it. The same is true for India Post. Economic liberalisation and the resulting competition hasThe red letter day blessed many industries by pummelling the domestic players into shape. However, India Post remains a stark exception to this trend, and there is no doubt that this anomaly has to change very soon. It has become imperative for Indian Post to exploit fully within its limited resources. We proceed to analyse how reforms in Indian Post can bring a paradigm shift in India. Consider this: India’s largest commercial bank, the State Bank of India (SBI) achieved a total turnover of approximately Rs.9 trillion (over $200 billion) with only 10,000 branches and the largest private commercial bank ICICI, with a mere 1308 branches, exceeded the total turnover of Rs.12.10 billion in 2007, whereas Indian Post, with over 1,55,000 branches, remains one of the biggest loss makers among state run giants. Instead of being a pride for the nation, it remains more of a predicament for the country.....Continue

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

Read also :-

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Wrapped in plastic, it’s fantastic

Presenting the new male every Barbie doll will love!

Trimmer waistlines, wrinkle-free skin, more hair… that’s what men want these days. More and more men today are opting for cosmetic surgery to help them look younger and fitter. Like their female counterparts, they are recognizing the benefits (both personal and professional) of cosmetic surgery. Men are also increasingly choosing face, neck, and eye lifts, forehead and brow lifts; having lasers and peels to make their skin look younger; re-sculpting their noses; and undergoing tummy tucks to trim away excess amount of fat from the abdomen.

Cosmetic surgery was once primarily a female indulgence, but with the changing times, the looks of men have become increasingly important, and that has led to an increase in cosmetic surgery among men. And just in case you thought that this was an American fad, there are men in India heading to the surgeons in droves in order to enhance their appearance and be more appealing to the women.....Continue

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

Read also :-

Tuesday, October 07, 2008

Just 2.51%? This is on the t‘rocks’!

Daimler is the fourth foreigner to set foot in Indian truck domain. Will it help break the low foreign sales jinx?

Trucks are ‘huge’. That’s a no surprise. They mean ‘huge’ business. That’s a no surprise either! And the power punch becomes even more brutal when we talk about an economy like India, which is witnessing a radical improvement in its mass transportation system, with billions of rupees set aside for the same. As proof, industry sales released by SIAM show that in March 2008, 404,930 commercial heavy vehicles were sold in the domestic market – a dazzling 14.17% y-o-y growth rate. And where Volvo, Man and Tetra have already set their firm foot on the Indian soil, there is a fourth giant gearing up for the muscle magic – German truck-maker, Daimler.

The company entered into a 60:40 JV with India’s Hero Group, to manufacture commercial vehicles on April 21, 2008. The total capex will amount to $1.1 billion, with Daimler contributing close to $343 million. There has been an energetic scouting for a plant location in South India, with production forecasted to commence from 2010. Andreas Renschler, Head, Daimler Trucks comments on the occasion, “It is an important milestone for Daimler Trucks and our Asia strategy. In the Hero Group we have found an ideal partner, as the two perfectly complement one another in terms of the experience and expertise...” The duo are looking forward to mass manufacturing a new brand of LCVs, MCVs & HCVs; with close to 80% degree of localisation. Sounds encouraging till you hear this one – the Indian market has had a long lasting love-hate affair with Tata Motors. And this will prove a major hurdle for international players including Daimler.....continue

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

Read also :-

Friday, October 03, 2008

Steady the ship, mate!

L&T must adopt a more conservative approach to hedging
When you look at a company like L&T, talks of a decelerating Indian economy seem to be nothing but pure hogwash. The company continues to show strong operating performance, as order inflow growth is set to beat expectations of 30% in FY’ 08.On this backdrop, news that its 100% subsidiary, UAE-based L&T International FZE (LTFZE, which undertakes commodity derivative transactions with a view to hedge commodity exposure of the L&T group companies) may post losses of as much as Rs.2 billion came as a bit of a rude shock to investors. LTFZE bet heavily against a fall in prices of zinc and some other commodities, a move that backfired, with zinc declining up to 62% over the past one year.

What is the implication of this event at this point of time? Abhishek Gumashta, analyst, Sharekhan reverts, “Consequently, in view of this development we expect LTFZE to report a net loss of Rs.1.013 billion in FY2008 as against our previous estimate of a profit of Rs.980 million.” Counters Swapnil Pawar, Director, Park Financial Advisors, “If it is on account of a business linked hedging, we do not see anything wrong with the loss.”.....Continue

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

Read also :-