Showing posts with label IIPM Admission Detail. Show all posts
Showing posts with label IIPM Admission Detail. Show all posts

Saturday, October 06, 2012

The Storm is over

The Small Wonder has been Struggling to Match The Demands of its Target Group after The Settlement of the Initial Hype. The Storm is over. B&E gives a Detailed Analysis of The Past Issues and The Future that Lies Ahead for The Nano

And then came a clinching shocker when I picked up the newspapers in the early hours of December 2, 2010. Each month, the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) publishes the latest sales figures of all auto brands in India. In November 2010, the SIAM report said that 509 units of the Nano were sold. This, when auto sales actually grew by more than 40%. And believe it or not, Nano sales were lower than that of Mercedes Benz which managed 518 units in November. Look at it this way: the cheapest car in the world sold 509 units in a month when close to 200,000 cars were lapped up by the Indian consumer.

Quite clearly, Ratan Tata seems to be pre-occupied with other unsavoury things even as his Nano dreams seems to be on the verge of unraveling. At the moment, he is angry (let me add justifiably) with the Radia tape leaks and has even taken the matter to the Supreme Court. But sooner or later (if he is not already doing so already), Ratan Tata must summon his top lieutenants and strategists to revive the flagging fortunes of the Nano. At Business & Economy, we refused to be swayed by the early hype about the Nano becoming the best selling car of history. And now, we don’t think it is time to pronounce that the Nano is a colossal bomb. But surely the time has come to ask that simple and straightforward question: Can Ratan Tata Salvage His Nano Dream?

Our colleagues and reporters in Business & Economy and The Sunday Indian spoke to dozens of dealers and people associated with the auto industry in Guawahati, Bhubaneswar, Ahmedabad, Kochi, Delhi, Chandigarh and many other places. The first impressions that we gathered was that Tata dealers were stubbornly optimistic about the future prospects of the Nano – now based more on hope rather than hype. Most of the Tata dealers blamed the many incidents of new Nanos catching fire and the negative publicity surrounding it as a dampener on sales and new bookings. Says Dinesh Shukla of Ahmedabad based Swati Autolink, “Few instances of firing in the engine are also a matter of concern. Though you can’t state it as a manufacturing defect, but it has created some impact on potential consumers.”

Talk to auto industry analysts and you get a similar sense of hope being the overriding factor when it comes to the future prospects of the Nano. Says Vaishali Jajoo of Angel Broking, “It will not be right for now to say that the Nano has failed in the Indian market. The unit sales fell in the month of November. It was mainly because of the operational shift at the back-end wherein the company is trying to shift the entire production from its Uttarakhand plant to the Sanand plant apart from many other reasons”


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
 
IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face


Posted by at
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Saturday, September 08, 2012

G’Five is the... G’Five who?!

It took time to come to India. But now that it’s here, the firm is giving nightmares to leading brands in the Indian handset market. What has made G’Five click? Critically, will it become the #2 soon?

Seven years back, you could have betted on a roulette about how the utterly unknown Chinese handset manufacturer G’Five would never see the better part of positive growth, leave alone leave the Chinese shores – and you could have won a King’s ransom for each bet that you made. Most didn’t even know that G’Five existed. Many still don’t. In short, when it started selling handsets, few gave G’Five a chance to even survive. For the world, Nokia was then the head of the handset tribe, controlling a 42.2% pie of the worldwide sales to end users. Nokia was the metaphorical emblem for Western dominance, and overtaking the giant for a lesser known Chinese handset maker, whose product quality was criticised from the very beginning, seemed an illogically distant dream – if at all even a dream. Today, forget the roulette, the situation is fantastically different. It is a completely different tale than the one that was expected, and especially so in India, where the majority of the 1.3 billion-strong population are turning their attention to low-priced handsets. First there was Micromax which destroyed the previously held concepts of handset marketing, and now G’Five seems to have caught on faster than Micromax. As per the most recent Q2, 2010 report by IDC, G’Five is the third-largest handset seller in the Indian market today, with a 7.3% share, and is just an arm’s length away from becoming #2. In reality, displacing the once dominant Nokia, which had a market share of 78.8% when 2006 started (a figure which has dropped to 36.3% today), which just about appeared an eccentric objective, seems to be more plausible now.

But then, one great quarter does not a market leader make – and G’Five knows that pretty well. Almost amazingly, G’Five has attempted to market itself right at the base ground level, rather than just depending upon word-of-mouth or corporate sales. A quick visit to the largest mobile-handset market in Asia, situated in Karol Bagh (close to central New Delhi) is enough to provide evidence of G’Five’s growing ground level might. There are over 20,000 sellers in this market and the place is flooded with Chinese handsets and look-alikes – and G’Five is one of the few ‘branded’ products you could find in every handset shop. The mass market buyers apparently love it; as for the sellers, they have their reservations and preferences! But even here, G’Five has scored a tactical victory over both the premium brands and the low-priced competitors. “The G’Five handsets offer a very handsome margin, and therefore, we try and push this brand to the low-price loving customers,” says Siddharth Tiwari, a trader who has been in the business (and the market) for over a decade. And to imagine G’Five offers no warranty, no high-quality or service and yet walks away handsomely with the green bills!


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.
For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
 
IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face
Posted by at
Labels: , , , , , , , , , ,

Monday, September 03, 2012

SRI LANKA: PRESIDENTIAL POLITICS

Rajapakse is turning the Lankan constitution into a useless shred of paper

By destroying the self-governing nature of key institutions and reducing them to puppets, Rajapakse is obviously not going up in global popularity ratings. To further cement his hold over the government, Rajapakse is also employing dynasty politics. Now, he is also in charge of various ministries – defence, finance and ports and aviation – and has appointed his brother (who is not an elected member of parliament) as defence secretary, in charge of all three divisions of armed forces. Two other brothers have portfolios and his son is also an MP; this is apart from many cousins getting plum bureaucratic postings.

Not only can Rajapakse now easily manipulate the state machinery to keep himself in power, he has also managed to leave little of what the contemporary world knows as democratic governance. Yes, elections are still held – the last opponent (Fonseka) has been jailed and a court martial is in progress. Long live Sri Lanka; long gone democracy!


Posted by at
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Fatwa’ed!

The times they are a-changin’ and established norms and beliefs are now being challenged...

When people strongly believe in something, then sometimes, their minds become less receptive to factors that threaten to alter what they hold close to their hearts. This subconscious mind-play subjects people, and religious heads especially, to contend with the difficult tight-rope walk between religious diktats and changing mind-sets. Battling a similar situation, the Darululoom Deoband group, was recently in the news, allegedly for issuing a fatwa against women working alongside men without veiling themselves. The Darululoom Deoband is an Islamic school located in a town called Deoband in Uttar Pradesh. Founded in 1886 by renowned Muslim scholars, this school propagates Sunni Islam in the Indian sub-continent.

This injunction was vehemently condemned by liberal Muslim women around the country. The Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Darululoom Deoband, Maulana Abdul Khaliq Madrasi, however clarified, “We did issue a fatwa, which was based on the religious ruling, but it was an opinion meant to be personal and not to be issued for public interest. This fatwa was not for all women. It was for one person only.” The meaning of fatwa is also misunderstood by many. It’s said to be a legal pronouncement in Islam issued by religious specialists, but it is to be noted that the opinion of the religious specialist may or may not be followed by the advice seeker. Talking about the fatwa, Maulana Abdul further elaborated, “We keep getting a lot of letters where several problems of people have to be addressed. The fatwa department sends back the instruction issued by the clerics in a sealed envelope. Similarly, we had received a letter where a woman needed advice on what she should do to support her family. So, we issued a fatwa to her advising her to work in a place where there are women only and if not, then definitely do purdah (wear a burka).”


Posted by at
Labels: , , , , , , , , , ,

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

POWER: TRANSMISSION LOSS

T&D losses and power theft have to be addressed in a flagrantly strict manner – arrest the power stealers and publicise their conviction

They not only trouble consumers but also lead to huge financial losses. Assocham estimates that 1/3rd of the investments in the 11th five year plan is wasted because of T&D losses.

Regulation over return has hurt private interests in T&D which needs to change. Privatization of the distribution process has helped states like Delhi and parts of Maharashtra, but the model has not been successful in Orissa. The reason is that state electricity boards play a role in regulating tariffs and political interests come into play, which discourages private companies from investing. States like Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh, which are considering giving their power grid to private hands, must keep this in mind.

But there’s a shortcut to all this. Start arresting power stealers and publicise this in a big way to reduce power theft. It worked for reducing drunk-driving, it’ll work for this too.


Posted by at
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Monday, August 20, 2012

GODREJ: RETAIL

Godrej Industries has suddenly become more enthusiastic about its retail plans, especially in new concepts of retailing (like gourmet food). Is there any radical plan we’re missing or is this it? by Angshuman Paul

Critically speaking, for years, there has been a critical ever present wedge within the Godrej group – and that almost always has been the lack of post haste speed to change within the organisation. Not that simply ‘changing’ is enough to give one market leadership (well, there’s only a thin line between dynamism and childish over-eagerness), but the fact remains that Godrej has suffered due to some of their static strategic models. The white goods segment is a classic example of how this message was evident to the collective psyche of the 23,000 strong Godrej family. Many years back, the Godrej name was enough to sell any item relevant to a family household, with products from Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd. (the appliances division of Godrej), ruling a psychological monopoly in the minds of the Indian consumer. And then dynamics changed. The biggest hits came from LG and Samsung, who sneaked into the show using a combination of pure marketing and advertising blitz and an exhaustive retail penetration that had the Indian consumer believing in Korean brands. Apparently, the possessing of a cost efficient manufacturing base (by Godrej) was not enough when confronted with such aggressive rivals who were dependent, perhaps rightly, more on marketing warfare than on ensuring backward integration.

The melee became more competitive during the last three years when arch-rival Videocon fiercely entered the retail arena. Still, Godrej – believing in their brand pedigree – were non-committal in recognising the tremendous business potential retailing offered. And although Godrej took the lead amongst Indian companies in forging strategic alliances with multinationals and brands like Sara Lee, Hershey, P&G and even the iconic GE, it still was not too eager to ramp up their feet-on-street plans. Senior Godrej officials accept that Godrej didn’t have any intentions to foray into retail then. But now, with changing times, the newer expansion model – of increasing retail presence – has gained better acceptance within the Godrej circles; one reason why there’s a reinvigorated enthusiasm to expand their retail ventures – Lifespace and Nature’s Basket.

Clearly, Godrej today has to reassess its response quotient to change. The brand is perhaps as respectable as it has been for many years. But the Indian consumer is not what he used to be years ago. Today, there are factors that are more critical to the typical Indian buyer – pricing, loan schemes, discount offers, service, product brand varieties, qualities and so on so forth – than a simple brand name. It’s not too late yet to change... but it soon will be...




Posted by at
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Monday, August 13, 2012

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

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.

Fashion trends set by the film fraternity clearly influence people in a big way. They even steer fashion designers to toe their line and adopt the theme of their movies as the theme of their collections. Though it is still only occasionally when the tables are turned such; alert fashionistas have realised that it is not just the fashion gurus who dictate the terms of the trade and the style and look of the season. For they need to also watch closely the fashion statements being set by movies and by stars on the red carpet... so that at the next bash too, they’re just as stylish as ever!


Posted by at
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Saturday, August 11, 2012

How this budget perpetuates feudalism and celebrates mediocrity

How is it that we almost always lose sight of the big picture? How is it that we use the word ‘vision’ as often as a bully uses threats and then singularly fail to walk the talk? How is it that we get away year after year by hoodwinking people? I don’t think the ruling class in India indulges in such philosophical concerns and doubts. No wonder, the Union Budget for 2010-11 is at best an exercise at maintaining mediocrity in vision and the big picture. At work, it tries very hard to perpetuate the feudal system of the country where those residing in ‘India’ are subjected to momentary bouts of titillation while those residing in ‘Bharat’ are condemned to an eternity of dependence and doles. If Pranabda were a bestselling author, the Budget can actually be seen as a set of two books. The first would be titled ‘How to Say No Even if You Can Say Yes’ and the other book (meant for poor Indians) would be titled ‘The Art of Living on Doles’

I am quite astonished at how so many pundits seem to be in a state of self inflicted denial when it comes to talking straight on the Budget and the repercussions it will have. So many of them seem unhappy and yet say in the same breath that the Finance Minister has done a great job of a difficult balancing act. Of course, the fearless and peerless captains of India Inc. as usual bow, scrape and crawl when they don’t even need to bend when it comes to evaluating the Budget proposals. Worse, the media seems full of accolades, once again confirming a known fact that the Indian media cares primarily for middle class, upper middle class and rich Indians while it cares two hoots for the 700 odd million citizens who dance on the peripheries of poverty. Just ask yourself this question: how would have TV channels, newspapers and magazines reacted if the Finance Minister announced that no Indian living in a ‘pucca’ house will get an LPG cylinder at Rs 300 and instead pay the actual cost which is in excess of Rs 450? And imagine how all hell would have broken loose if income tax exemption limits were not raised? Do remember, just about 2% to 3% of Indians pay income tax.
I won’t bore you with the nitty gritty and the gory details of this number crunching exercise. Let’s just look at the vision the Finance Minister unfolded and the set of 3 challenges he identified for the medium term. The first was to restore GDP growth rate to 9% a year and take it up to double digits. The second was to ensure that this double digit growth is more ‘inclusive’. And the third was to eliminate bottlenecks (leakages, corruption, loot – call it whatever you like) in delivery of goods and services by improving the quality of governance.

For almost a week, I have scratched my head to find out a single substantive measure or policy initiative in the Budget that could actually help India confront and surmount even one of the three challenges listed by the Finance Minister. I have failed.

Let’s look at double digit growth rates of GDP. In the first place, virtually every economist who is honest to her profession and answerable to her conscience knows that the 9% plus rates of GDP growth rates achieved during 2005-08 were not because of wonderful policies launched by the government, but despite India being one of the most difficult places in the world to start and run a business. Part of the amazing growth story was the amazing ability of Indian entrepreneurs – both big and small – to seek opportunities and exploit them ruthlessly; part of it was the simple fact that the pace of technological change simply outpaced the ability of Indian bureaucracy to throttle opportunities (IT, ITES and telecom are the best examples of this); and part of this amazing growth story was a spillover effect of the bubble that was rampaging across the global economy till 2008. Do remember this when you talk the next time about India being insulated from the global economy – the annual GDP growth rate dropped a massive 3% in the immediate aftermath of the meltdown and is still 2% below the peak rate of 9.3% despite the ‘recovery’. Worse, the track record of the government in building physical infrastructure – so critical to reach the double digit growth rate in GDP – has been simply abysmal in the last 5 years or so. The worst performance is in the power sector, ports highway construction and mining.


Posted by at
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)