IIPM - ARTICLE AND PUBLICATION

Global AD spend 2011

2011-12-26T16:56:00.001+05:30

After a superb start, global ad market is now witnessing a modest slowdown as lower than expected economic recovery in the developed markets, coupled with rising fears of double-dip recession, has forced several advertisers to trim budget increases planned for the end of 2011. Growth forecast for the year has been cut to 3.6% from 4.1% given in July. However, the silver lining is the fact that still there are no sharp budget cuts as were seen in 2008.

Focus on developing markets

In the post-recession era developing markets, in general, continue to expand much faster than developed markets in terms of ad spend. While analysts expect developed regions like North America and Western Europe to grow at 3.3% and 2.8% respectively between 2010 and 2013, Latin America is expected to grow at 7.1%, Asia-Pacific at 10.1% and Central & Eastern Europe at 10.4%. However, for the Western Europe market analysts are of the opinion that the continuing debt crisis in the peripheral Eurozone has damaged advertisers’ confidence in Western Europe’s long-term growth prospects.

TV is still the most popular

Television is clearly the most sort after medium for advertisers, and it’s share in global ad spend is rising steadily. As per reports, while it commanded a market share of 37% in 2005, it moved up to 39.8% in 2010 and is expected to be at 40.5% by 2013. However, the Internet remained the fastest growing platform with an average of 14.6% a year between 2010 and 2013, while display remained the fastest-growing segment. Internet was backed up by streaming video ads, thanks to the emergence of do-it-yourself tools that have allowed local advertisers to enter the market.

The rise of Asia

Over the past two years advertising market seems to have grown in all corners of the world (except for Middle East & North Africa in 2011). But a regional break up of global ad market reveals some interesting trends. While North America, backed by US, is still on top, Asia (26%), as an ad market, has grown bigger than Western Europe (23%). In value terms, North America witnessed a cumulative ad spend (across major media) of $165.7 billion in 2011. While political turmoil in MENA witnessed the ad market to go down by 14.2% this year, the scenario is expected to revive soon and the market is expected to grow by 2% in 2012.

Us on top; China’s growing fast

While there are two ‘developing’ markets in the world’s top ten ad markets at present, a ZenithOptimedia forecast suggests that there will be three in 2013. China is now the third-largest ad market in the world, and is catching up quickly with second-placed Japan. In 2005, China was 23% of the size of Japan, in 2010 it was 57% and by as per expectations, by 2013 it will be 82%. Brazil, at sixth place, is even closer to the UK (81% of the size of the UK in 2010). Russia, which was in 13th place in 2010, will be in 10th in 2013.

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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This ‘Hero’ needs a Makeover

2011-10-10T17:40:00.002+05:30

When it comes to Branding, Hero really needs to follow The Footsteps of its Arch Rival Bajaj Auto if it wants to go a long way without Honda

It was all about scooters in the Indian market in the early ‘80s when Hero Honda decided to take that bold step. While the waiting period for the scooters coming out of Bajaj Auto’s stable was running into several years, Hero in JV with Japanese Honda launched India’s first 100cc four-stroke motorcycle (CD100) in 1985. Starting with its popular campaign, ‘Fill it, Shut it, Forget it’, and following up with launches like Sleek, Splendor, and Street, the brand took little time in taking the competition by surprise and making its presence felt in the scooter-dominated two-wheeler market... so much so that it even achieved the position of the largest two-wheeler maker in India, which it retains till date.

Certainly, the company has played the right set of cards for the price sensitive Indian consumers by banking on its core competence of fuel efficiency. But, what has been more critical for the brand is the buzz that it creates in the market with its campaigns. Be it the “Fill it, Shut it, Forget it” campaign for CD100 in 1985 or the star studded “Dhak Dhak Go” campaign, the company has always powered its brand activation on all fronts. Even its association with many popular shows like the MTV Roadies and Sa Re Ga Ma Pa has helped it stay alive in the minds of the country’s millions of consumers.

However, the question now is: Will the company continue to spell the same magic considering it has already announced to go to the market alone after a 26-year partnership with Japanese Honda (in December 2010) that, till now, has been the single provider of all its technological needs. Well, to time this effort to perfection, the group has just roped in the London based consultancy firm Wolff Olins (a part of the Omnicom Group) to create a new brand identity of its own. For the less informed, Wolff Olins has recently worked on the rebranding campaigns for names like Airtel & Tata Docomo and is undoubtedly a veteran is this area. But then, considering that the domestic consumer still associates the Hero brand with bicycles against Honda that has always been seen as a trusted name behind motor vehicles, this exercise perhaps might prove to be a little tougher for Wolff Olins as compared to its previous clients. “It’s a known fact that brand India is getting stronger by each day. And so does Hero Honda, especially as we pass through this exciting phase in the life of our company – changing for the future while anchoring ourselves to our core values and fundamental principles that have guided us in the past. The new buzzwords at Hero Honda are creation, renewal and re-energising,” however counters Pawan Munjal, MD & CEO, Hero Honda Motors.

Nokia to take on Apple with Ovi

2011-07-18T17:35:00.001+05:30

After LG’s head on collision with Apple, comes Nokia which is finally shutting its music service ‘Comes with Music’ to launch a new service along with Ovi Entertainment Service, titled Ovi Music Unlimited. Nokia’s previous music service had not been quite that successful, especially as the subscription model (users could download music in their Nokia multimedia handsets by getting the subscription) didn’t quite get that much of a following, more as it did not get launched in the largest music market, US. With Ovi Music Unlimited, Nokia hopes to improve upon the past and give users access to literally millions of songs. Numbers with respect to song availability and ease will clearly will be a determining factor – although Apple’s loyalty with customers runs much deeper.

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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Planman Consulting

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G. RAJENDRAN, MANAGING DIRECTOR, CRI PUMPS EXPLAINS THE ART OF IMPLEMENTING THE STRATEGIC BUSINESS STRATEGIES

2011-03-21T15:46:00.000+05:30

Any first mover advantages over the years?
We have been unique in our approach and due to our group efforts and high level of teamwork; one reason why we haven’t face many insurmountable hurdles. The company was one of the first ones in India to come up with 100% stainless steel pumps. We compete with ourselves every time and try to learn newer techniques and implement them in our company. We are currently in a similar stage, where we are learning new methods to attain high level of efficiency.

What is that unique differentiating factor that makes CRI pumps stand out from the crowd?
We understand the needs of the farmers and hence have designed our product range accordingly. Our company has developed a high level of expertise in the business, which has helped us to overtake small problems easily. The use of these processes eventually results in providing the best product to the customer. We have our mark in the market and the customer is confident that the product will have a long life.

How do you plan to cope up with the competition that prevails in your industry?
We manufacture a wide range of pumps and we have 1000 variants of pumps in our portfolio. Moreover, from the agricultural sector we are moving towards urban areas. In the meantime, we have also introduced pumps which can be used in apartments and multi-storied buildings. We supply pumps for various states like Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, to name a few. We work on a primary motive to fulfill the needs of the customers. We were certified with our first ISI certificate 30 years back; now, we have ISI certification even for international standards. Our aim doesn’t lie in the profits for the company alone; we equally focus on delivering best quality. Currently, we are producing 339 star rated pumps and hence, hold the position of market leaders in the segment. We are now shifting our administration from a family-backed to structured professional company and wish to function under the new talents as it is time for the next generation to take over.

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.

IIPM B-School Detail
IIPM makes business education truly global
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Rajita Chaudhuri
Planman Consulting

IIPM in the league of best management institutes of India.....

HE IS ON A MISSION TO ERADICATE DIABETES WITH FENUGREEK AND MAKE FENFURO A GLOBAL BRAND. MEET PAWAN GOEL, CEO, FENFURO. BY AMIR MOIN

2011-03-18T17:43:00.001+05:30

What would you like to say about you as a leader?
Human Resource is the most crucial asset that a company can have and I believe the same for my people. We are growing based on this principle.

How do you deal with various challenges that you face in a competitive environment?
We are in a business where we can not mess with quality. So for us the mantra is to keep a tab on quality and try to become cost effective.

What do you think is the most desired thing to create a great brand?
Consumer confidence in the product is the only way a company can create a great brand.

What do you think is the best way you could market your brand?
Use of the right kind of media vehicle, which would take our product to the right set of consumers, is the best way to market your product.

How do you manage your personal and family priorities?
I have good people taking care of my bread and butter. It is because of my people that I manage both my priorities so effortlessly.

Would you like to give some advice to the new generation?
Work Hard, be honest & have faith. If one can do this much, success will come searching for the person.

Do you believe in goals? Have you set any such goal for your business?
Yes, certainly. In short term, we are targeting a sizeable market share by 2015. And in long term I would love to establish the Fenfuro brand at an international level.

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.

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

IIPM B-School
Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri
Planman Consulting

IIPM in the league of best management institutes of India.....

EYANTRA INDUSTRIES IN CONVERSATION WITH 4PS B&M

2011-03-16T17:43:00.001+05:30

What makes you a strong contender?
A committed team of top notch professionals, a strong supply chain and the ‘Solution Architect’ philosophy we work on is gaining strong momentum. And we believe that the inflection point for our growth is not far away.

What challenges did you face as a brand leader?
As a brand leader, it has always been a constant journey of evolution. The path from the top is unknown and every customer of ours expects us to deliver the best every time; but the ecosystem around this industry still needs to be fully developed. There are challenges around logistics too.

What do you think this era is meant for – out of the box ideas or simplicity and direct messages?
Both. You need out of the box ideas to break the clutter and you also need simple and direct messages as we are living in an extremely over communicated society. eYantra does not make a distinction or sees them as opposite sides of the spectrum. For instance, we offer a water clock as an out of the box gifting idea and yet it is simple and direct. Our endeavour is to work closely with clients and design and develop customised solutions that meet their marketing or organisation needs. We give more weightage to the thought as thoughts shape opinions and lead to decisions.

What are the lessons a young leader like you should take from the past generation of CEOs?
Stick to the basics i.e. treat your employees well, offer value to your customers, respect your vendors and be a good corporate citizen. Success will automatically follow.

What does the Gen Y teach you?
Think innovation. Think energy. Think customisation. Think technology. Think Design.

What has been more challenging of all the jobs you do as a leader?
As a manager, the principal challenge was to influence and shape the thinking of the vendors as they were not used to any benchmarks or standards and quality. Delivery commitment was also not seen by most of them as an important requisite. As a leader, the principal challenge was to create an ecosystem of creativity and innovation in the workplace.

Where do you see eYantra five years from now?
We will be a 1,000 employee strong company and would still be maintaining the leadership position in the industry. We also aim at becoming a pan Asia player in the next five years with strategic partnerships in several Asian countries besides having strong sourcing offices in China and the Far East.

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.

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

IIPM B-School
Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri
Planman Consulting

IIPM in the league of best management institutes of India.....

KEITH RIBEIRO, MANAGING DIRECTOR, SONY PICTURES HOME ENTERTAINMENT (SPHE)

2011-01-11T14:57:00.002+05:30

Does HD even have a future in the Indian market?
High definition is on track to reach mainstream status in India, and we are very pleased with the Blu-ray format’s overall performance & growth, both from a software and a hardware perspective. Sony Electronics recently launched a Blu-ray player for Rs.9,990 and there was a nearly 200% growth in Blu-ray software sales during the first quarter of 2010 over the same period last year. We’re continuing to see the percentage of a title’s overall sales increase on Blu-ray, with some key titles spiking at 35% or higher. There’s a hunger in this market for HD content, particularly with the increasing HDTV penetration amongst Indian households, and Blu-ray provides the absolute best in high-definition for the home. We aim to be the first studio in India to reach 500 titles on Blu-ray and acquisition of Indian content is a critical part of our HD strategy.

But isn’t film distribution turning out to be a risky business?
Not really. By utilising both physical media and digital distribution, we’re able to offer a choice to the consumer. This choice allows them to enjoy their movie in pristine high-definition in the home, in standard-definition for those who have yet to upgrade to high-def, or as a download for on-the-go viewing via their PC or favourite portable device. We also offer the option to purchase or rent in a variety of formats, rounding out the wide array of options we can provide today’s consumers. In the past, we were more focused on the breakdown of how many DVD units were needed for sell-through & rental. But now, as the home entertainment spectrum has rapidly expanded, we’re looking at all methods of distribution. In order for the home entertainment industry to grow, we must be smart and adapt to ever-changing consumer behaviour and the evolving landscape of physical and digital media.

How do you handle piracy issues?
Our Anti piracy efforts are handled very effectively by the Motion Picture Association of America (India office), which engages in enforcement, lobbying and litigation. Going forward, studios need to combine forces and resources more effectively to take on our single largest common competitor. Also, as piracy moves online, digital pirates are becoming increasingly adept at generating awareness via online marketing and dominating search engine results. These are areas where we can and must take them on by addressing the issue of quality as this has been proven to be the leading reason for consumers to stay away from pirated products on the web..

Neha Saraiya & Sanchit Verma

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

IIPM ranked No 1 B-School in India
domain-b.com : IIPM ranked ahead of IIMs
IIPM: Management Education India
Prof. Rajita Chaudhuri's Website

IIPM B-School
Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri
Planman Consulting

ADVILLE STARS OR JUST GLAM TRIVIA?

2010-12-21T17:20:00.000+05:30

Reet Ahluwalia, Head of Arms Communications, brings his own spirited take to the talk. He believes that after the filmstars and cricketers, it is the turn of the ad guys to become the next demigods. “It’s a part of our popular culture. That’s the way we are as people, enjoying high comfort in their presence,” says Ahluwalia. [Note: He recently lost a big account because the clients were promised Piyush Pandey’s personal supervision.]

Arvind Sharma, Chairman, Leo Burnett, India, is up next. He insists that the personality cult thing has always been around in Adville and while it is an alluring assumption to believe that a hotshot adman or charismatic creative whiz will wave a magic wand and part the waters, unfortunately that is not how things work. A large agency has at least 30-50 brands to work on and it’s not possible for one individual to cast his spell on all of them. Sharma believes that it is less an individual and more of internal culture that defines effective work. “Our NCD Pops Sridhar is no less a star than any of the ones mentioned, but he chooses to downplay his persona or promote himself, and instead remains organisation / team centric,” says Sharma. Everest Industries’ Amit Oberoi begs to differ. He insists that the stars are stars because of some unique and special qualities they bring to the table. “They fascinate, turn-on and delight their constituency with their amazing talent and charisma, which others can’t. That’s what constitutes the difference between a Shah Rukh Khan and Irfan Khan. One is a worshipped megastar: the other an admired actor. I rest my case.” Titus Upputuru agrees. Saatchi and Saatchi’s NCD believes that iconic faces in your team bring colour, flair, chutzpah and imagination to their calling, “They have the unique ability to transform the ordinary to the extraordinary with their magnetic personalities, the way look and present things and drawing power. They inspire awe; no wonder, clients want a photograph or two with Piyush, Prasoon and Balki. Of course, Prasoon and Balki’s Bollywood connect cannot be overlooked, nor Piyush’s dosti with most of the movers ‘n’ shapers of the entertainment and cricket frat. But that’s value addition! As for some of the overshadowed guys complaining, more, believe me, are happy basking in reflected glory. Being in a star-driven agency is like being in a SRK or a Big-B project.”

WHAT GOT YOU HERE WILL TAKE YOU THERE

2010-12-03T16:43:00.003+05:30

So, while IDBI Bank holds the top position when it comes to TV ads, it’s SBI that has been ruling the print the world over the last year (CY2009). Since November 2008 (remember the rumour fiasco?), ICICI Bank too has hit the accelerators in terms of its advertising campaigns. In fact, data available with AdEx shows that the duration for which ICICI Bank’s TV ads met the audiences’ eyes in 2009 was 64% higher than it was for the year-ago period. “No doubt, under Chanda Kochhar the bank is trying to regain lost grounds through ads,” agrees Unni Krishnan, MD, Brand Finance India. Even Axis Bank, over the past few years, has done a commendable job in transforming itself into a strong private bank with a growing market share in corporate and retail banking. It’s that one bank that has worked really hard to improve its image, to the extent that it even went on re-brand itself (it was July 2007 when UTI Bank rebranded itself as Axis Bank). Similar is the case with HDFC Bank when it comes to enjoying credibility among consumers. In fact, it’s because of its impressive marketing efforts that the bank has once again been featured (for the fourth year in row) in the prestigious ‘Forbes Asia’s Fabulous 50’ list (2009). Even the public sector banking behemoth SBI has been fast enough in transforming its image from that of just another sarkari bank to a modern day convenience bank. While former Chairman, A. K. Purwar focused more on overseas acquisitions, current SBI Head O. P. Bhatt has gotten back the focus on Indian market, with the ‘Surprisingly SBI’ campaign. No doubt, as of now, the two private sector banks – HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank – are leading this success run, but then, as Marshall Goldsmith’s punchline goes, they need something else to stay there in their leadership positions. And what are those? Well, good luck to them, I have my own ghosts and my own ‘what got me here won’t get you there’ problems to worry about now – Goldsmith be damned!

Manish K Pandey

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

IIPM ranked No 1 B-School in India
domain-b.com : IIPM ranked ahead of IIMs
IIPM: Management Education India
Prof. Rajita Chaudhuri's Website

Diversification an issue? Not for them!

2010-11-15T17:58:00.001+05:30

If diversification is the strategy, then why the new concept of Brand SRS? What’s your marketing strategy and logic for Brand SRS?
Brand SRS now has a life of its own and its customers are the ones who breathe life into this giant that is today worth Rs.2,000 crore a year. We intend to strengthen our brand equity further by reaching out to newer locations with our various offerings and maintaining our commitment to unparalleled service and quality.

But now one hears that one of your future plans is even to setup a full fledged sports university?
This educational initiative is still in the planning stage and any formal announcement will only be made when the plans have taken a concrete shape; but yes, SRS Group will definitely venture into the education sector in the future.

Your future expansion plans?
We are currently in an expansion mode for all our business operations. We will launch many new SRS Cinemas multiplexes, SRS Value Bazaar retail stores and SRS 7Dayz food courts in new cities and towns during the course of the year. We intend to bring out an IPO this year to partly fund our expansion plans particularly for our retail & entertainment divisions. SRS Value Bazaar is a chain of retail stores with 34 outlets spread across many cities in north India. The number of outlets is expected to touch 100 by CY 2011. We are also expanding our multiplex chain, SRS Cinemas and will invest close to Rs.50 crore to add 24 more screens to our current portfolio of 21 screens by the year end and reach out to new cities in North India including Varanasi, Bijnor, Agra, Ludhiana and Patiala. We are expecting several of our real estate projects to be made operational within this year. Our focus is on creating affordable real estate properties which are high in terms of quality in different formats including flats, independent floors, farmhouses, commercial office space etc. We are gearing up to meet the demand and plan to launch new projects this year to cater to several segments.

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

IIPM ranked No 1 B-School in India
domain-b.com : IIPM ranked ahead of IIMs
IIPM: Management Education India
Prof. Rajita Chaudhuri's Website

IS OUR IT BRIGADE READY FOR A CHANGE?

2010-10-18T17:57:00.001+05:30

While in the past, cost may have been the most important consideration, these days competing in the IT industry locally and globally is becoming more complex

Indian IT companies have done exceedingly well, despite the global recession. They have been a part of aggressive expansion across global markets, where they have significantly increased their investments and operations as part of M&A deals and setting up of service delivery centers. Notwithstanding this strong performance, the economic downturn has placed an even greater premium for more effective cost-cutting practices. This has driven IT companies to render critical attention to their costs and pricing as a response to the demand of buyers for cheaper and often times, smaller and more manageable IT deals.

Cost advantages in India have somewhat been diffused due to the increased number of domestic competitors as well as the multinational firms that have been gaining traction through expanded operations in low cost locations such as India. In an expansive IT market such that of India’s, pricing can be lowered but only to a point that the market’s saturation can handle – companies will eventually settle on almost equal pricing, leaving each with the challenge of offering more than just cheap costs to differentiate themselves from their competitors. The current industry landscape therefore is one wherein cost arbitrage is not anymore the most convincing brand or product/service differentiator.

An increasingly relevant strategy and trend being adopted by IT companies is forging better business relationships with their clients. The global recession has indiscriminately affected all sectors, albeit some industries suffering more devastation than others. In this business climate, buyers have become even more meticulous in selecting their IT partners. This elevates the competition between IT companies from which firm offers the cheapest deal to which actually guarantees the best demand-fit package. IT companies must be able to deliver their products and services regardless of the client’s preference for multi-sourcing or bundled services. In the Services space for example, openness for renegotiation of multi-year contracts have become the norm in recent years. This has been brought about, not only by the current global economic scenario, but also by the increased competitiveness in the provider landscape.

IIPM New Delhi Live - Guest Lecture by Mr. Dhiraj K Sinha on "The market potential of Microinsurance in India" - IIPM Delhi

2010-08-28T10:19:00.001+05:30

Mr. Dhiraj K Sinha, Senior Project Manager, Larive India, visited IIPM Delhi campus to deliver a lecture on “Microinsurance”. He explained the basic concept of Microinsurance and its potential in the low income group segment. He explained the various products that are covered in micro insurance. The biggest challenge according to him, is the delivery of microinsurance to the clients. Mr. Dhiraj focused on the four basic models that are followed for the delivery purpose and also explained the students about the advantages and disadvantages attached to each model. As the session ended each student had a better understanding of the subject and recognized the importance of microinsurance as a useful tool in economic development.

The IIPM Mega Event - IIPM & Hairloom present the Home Page Design Competition

2010-08-27T10:15:00.001+05:30

Prizes - The lucky winner receives a stay for 2 people at Jim Corbett Riverside Resort for 2 nights and 2 days. Worth Rs 10,000/-

IIPM and Hairloom in association with G40 club at IIPM present - create your own homepage! - A one of its kind event. The event aims at identifying all the whiz kids who would add sparkle to their homepage emphasizing its uniqueness. So let those creative juices flow!

Rules and Regulations

1. The event is open for students pursuing graduation and post graduation in any stream

2. Participants would have to furnish their Name and College Name along with their entries

Step 1

Participants are required to create a homepage (in photoshop/ corel draw/ indesign) and submit their entries in the form of a jpeg image through an email to shagun.gupta@iipm.edu by 13th August 2010. Please ensure that the size of the file is not bigger than 5MB and is of dimension 800 X 600 pixels.

Step 2

The selected entries will then be posted on IIPM’s Facebook Page (http://www.facebook.com/iipmbschool) in an album named Website Design Contest - Shortlisted Entries http://bit.ly/ShortlistedEntries

Step 3

The design that receives the maximum number of likes by facebook users will be declared as the winner! The event closes on 17th August 2010.

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

2010-08-26T10:50:00.000+05:30

Jnaneshwar Sen

VP – Marketing, Honda SIEL

Honda’s products are known for their quality and impeccable performance worldwide and the case in India is no different. Be it the City, Jazz or Civic, its products always have been received with open arms by the Indian consumers. But then, for a price sensitive country like India, it’s the automaker’s marketing strategy, which has played a critical role in its success. Moreover, this success has now laid the foundation for Honda’s aggressive plans for the country. Now the company expects its new small car to be launched in 2012 and priced below Jazz, to boost volumes of the automaker in the country.

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

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

2010-08-25T11:04:00.001+05:30

Vijay Narayan

VP, Marketing & Communications, Havells India

I think the most memorable marketing moment for Havells India was the decision to increase our span in the marketing and advertising world in 2007. That year, we increased our marketing budget by 200%, which was quite a leap forward, as till then, we were not a big name as far as the list of media advertisers went. We chose the game of cricket as our main proposition and started advertising heavily via that mode. Havells had suddenly become a big name in the world of media buying, and this marketing initiative helped us greatly.

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

2010-08-24T17:07:00.001+05:30

Manish Sharma

Head – Marketing (Consumer Electronics & Home Appliances), Panasonic India

Manish joined Panasonic India in March 2008, a turning point in his career. Today, he heads the marketing act for Panasonic consumer durables division. He has been instrumental in devising and implementing Panasonic’s marketing strategies for building brand values, channel penetration and sales growth. He has worked towards introducing India specific products. Also, he has been instrumental in celebrity and sports endorsements for Panasonic. After Ranbir Kapoor’s successful stint as the Viera brand ambassador, he managed to rope in Katrina Kaif as the face of Panasonic’s Home Appliances range. The latest feather in his cap has been Panasonic’s foray into sports, with Panasonic becoming the Official Electronics Partner for the Delhi Daredevils Team and also for the Indian National football team. He believes that the most defining marketing moment in his career came during first quarter of 2009, when he took over as Head of Marketing of Panasonic.

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

2010-08-23T13:54:00.000+05:30

Ankush Arora

VP-Marketing, General Motors India

It was at a time when out parent company in the U.S. filed for bankruptcy and we in India started a campaign featuring our MD Karl Slym. However, we also carried out an after-sales service programme on a large scale in major cities. The camp wasn’t only focusing on giving the best service to the consumers but also on giving an overall pleasant experience to the user. In fact, the particular camp helped us retain our part of sales as it helped in generating a lot of good word-of-mouth advertising. I was very much astonished by the kind of response it got from the consumers.

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

“WE WILL HAVE MORE TIE-UPS IN 2010...”

2010-08-20T16:20:00.001+05:30

Dr. Nalin Shinghal believes there is a need for more public-private partnerships in the industry

What are your plans for 2010?
This year definitely is an important one as on one hand, we have a religious festival like Kumbh Mela and on the other hand, we do have two important sports events happening in India; and then with the recession being finally over, more and more tourist are expected to come in and we do have big plans with this year. We are targeting all the segments from luxury to middle class customers and then from foreigners to Indians. We would also be rolling out several brands this year, with each of these brands targeted to different groups of audiences. Like we have the Bharat Darshan train, which focuses on pilgrimage; then we have value added trains; trains highlighting specific regions like Kerala, et al.

Last year, you tied up with Cox & Kings; how is that venture doing? Are you open to more such tie ups?
That venture is still on and this March, we would be rolling out a luxury train with Cox & Kings. We are open to more such tie ups as we believe that private and government tie ups are increasingly required in this industry. For instance, there are many places where the railway is present but to develop a good resort, we can tie up with some private players. In 2010, you would see more such tie ups.

What are the potential bottlenecks for Indian travel and tourism industry?
Infrastructure definitely remains the biggest challenge but I think the government is really taking care of it. I would rather say the challenge always remains in making tourism more affordable.

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’S BUZZING THE BUZZ?!

2010-08-19T14:45:00.002+05:30

Be it handycams, mobile phones, laptops or the latest hot wheels, all of them created enough waves in the Indian market in the last fortnight.

Acer Liquid

Singing the right tune?:Acer has introduced one of the world’s first Qualcomm Snapdragon processor based and world’s first Android 1.6 high definition Smartphone which comes with the latest technology to give you a all new-mobile experience. This curvy stylish phone is available in three colours red, white and black. The phone offers a 3.5” WVGA LCD display, 5 MP camera, GPS, WiFi, and Bluetooth connectivity.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS:

Android OS
768 Mhz Qualcomm Processor
GPS
Weighs 135gm
Price: Rs.24,900

VOLVO S80

DRIVE YOUR STATUS: Volvo has launched a new diesel engine luxury car S80 in the Indian auto market. It has a twin-turbo 2.4 litre diesel engine, which gives 205 horsepower and also fulfills the Euro V norms. The exteriors and the interiors are impressive, which give an elegant and distinctive look to the car.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS:

205 Bhp Engine
420 nm Torque
Euro 5
Price: Rs.37 Lakhs (Ex. showroom Delhi)

Manish Wadhwani

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

CAN YOU HEAR ME?

2010-08-18T14:32:00.001+05:30

As many as 16 players vying for the attention of consumers in a market, how can anyone get noticed? Ask Indian telecom service providers and they will tell you how…

Though there is a cost involved in this branding exercise, telecom players in the country are not leaving any stones unturned to ensure the maximum mileage for their respective brands! In fact, telecom service operators are taking up 60% of the prime time advertising spots (not to mention that each campaign that is rolled out by a service operator on an average requires Rs.20 crore) exactly the way the FMCG brands do or have done in the past. So, does that mean that there are lessons that the FMCG brands need to learn from their telecom counterparts or vice versa? Well according to Ashwin Varke, CD of Lowe, “for once FMCG players need to spend more to match the telecom counterparts”.

The same attitude has been reflected in the way these telcos are going for brand endorsers scouting and the price seems to be no barrier. While Airtel has always had more than one face to talk about its brand (Shah Rukh Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Shreyas Talpade, Vidya Ballan, Madhavan, Phew! The list goes on), Aircel has roped in ace cricketer M. S. Dhoni to communicate its message. “Aircel as a brand stands for values and simplicity and we find the same values are displayed by our ambassador as well,” says Gurdeep Singh, COO, Aircel. Even Virgin Mobile has got Ranbir Kapoor and Genelia D’Souza on board as its brand ambassadors. In fact, the latest buzz in the town is that Aamir Khan has been roped in as brand ambassador by Etisalat (a UAE based service provider that has just launched its services in India) for a whopping Rs.35 crore.

However, D. Ramakrishan, Head of Cartwheel (the agency that churns out creative for RCOM) differs in his approach as he says that, “Quite honestly, there is still a lot that telcos can learn from FMCG brands, given that they have been around for much longer and have been less flirty with communication and therefore are more focussed. What FMCG players can perhaps learn from telcos is probably how to inject more excitement and energy into their brands through innovation.”

Further, as this sector still continues to be in its infancy, with most operators harping about the hygiene factor like voice, it’s not difficult to talk about the benefits. “These challenges are very different from the ones that the FMCG sector would for instance face. Take for example washing powders. They earlier were talking about cleanliness, then they touched upon the fact that the clothes would not just be clean but also retain the colour and now they are talking about the anti-stain stuff in the form of Daag Acche hai,” adds Sagar. It’s probably this insight that was used by Aircel when they became a national brand from being a regional player. “There was a clear diktat from the company that we would not talk about voice at all and touch upon other things that mobile telephony has to offer and hence we started with talking about our pocket internet card,” says Gullu Sen, Vice Chairman, Dentsu India. Another important factor that telcos have now started to touch upon is the quality of service. As Manjit Singh, ED, MTNL puts it, “Brand is not created overnight. It’s the quality that makes the difference. Quality of service which you provide to the customer actually makes your a brand”.

Be that as it may be, but as far as differentiation is concerned, Indian telcos have certainly done a pretty good job with almost all brands having made a specific positioning in the mind of the end user. In fact today, one can certainly hear them all, loud and clear!

Surbhi Chawla

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

IT’S GOING TO BE A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2010-08-17T17:05:00.003+05:30

‘When times are good, you should advertise. When times are bad, you must advertise.’ Though some marketers were not swayed by the logic then, they have now realised that the fastest way to set things right is with a powerful dose of a great advertisement

An interesting billboard went up in Manhattan in New York a few days back. The advertisement showed Oracle President Charles Phillips posing with a lady named YaVaughnie Wilkins with a quote below the picture that read, “You are my soul mate forever.” The only problem was, Charles was the only person who knew not that he would be featuring in this ad; for it was Ms. Wilkins – with whom he had had an eight-year long affair – who had decided to make things public after he dumped her! She even put a website address on the billboard: charlesphillipsandyavaughniewilkins.com where, if you wanted, you could check out the couple’s snaps, letters and cards sent to each other! Be it an interesting advertisement, adultery or advertisement of adultery, if done well, they never ever fail to capture the attention of the world. Last year, a lot of companies lost faith in the power of a good advertisement; and due to very bad times, a lot were forced to cut down their advertising budgets. But the fact remains, even though advertising is the tip of the whole marketing iceberg, it’s a very important tip nevertheless. And everywhere, companies are once again putting back their faith in this medium of marketing. For like Ms. Wilkins, they realise – the fastest way to set things right is with a powerful dose of a great advertisement.

ADVERTISING – A MARKETER’S BEST FRIEND

Recession or no recession, all gurus preach that marketing budgets should not be cut. They could be channelised from one stream to the other. Sure, tough times demand decrease in advertisement frequency and increase in use of other marketing efforts like direct marketing, which give more immediate sales impact.

However, nothing builds brands stronger and faster than ‘correctly themed’ advertisements; and this year, a lot of companies are doing just that. Not surprising then, that most researches this year are suggesting an increase in the advertising expenditure by 15-20% in India.

One of the first to join the bandwagon is Naukri.com. Remember its Hari Sadu advertisement. He is back and Naukri says it’s OK to call your irritating bosses names, for jobs are back and you can now switch once again. So fear not and express yourself! The underlying message being bidding goodbye to recession. The ‘bad boss’ brings ‘good news’ this time. ‘Hope’ is the new mantra for attracting consumers this year. Federal Express has launched a new ad campaign this year for India, Brazil, Mexico, Japan and UK, showing the world the power of hope. Its new tagline for ads this year is ‘FedEx delivers to a changing world’. It shows how the economy is witnessing an upturn and FedEx, as always, is one they can depend on to stay in business and survive.

The world is a different place today. A whole lot has changed. New rules have been written, old ones rewritten, and to survive you need to change. After 125 years, Oscar Mayer (a division of Kraft Foods) has decided to come out with a new ad campaign, even if it meant pushing aside its most famous and till date highly popular ad jingles. It knows that what worked till last year probably won’t this year. The campaign this year has a new tagline, ‘It doesn’t get better than this’. The ads show cheerful scenes from suburban life… very warm, very comforting, suggesting that good times are just around the corner. This time around, the world needs a heavy dose of ‘hope’ and advertisers are working overtime to infuse some through their ‘happy, homely ads’.

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

THE GRAND PROMISE – SIX BRANDS IN 90 DAYS!

2010-08-16T15:35:00.001+05:30

Budgets, sponsors, spending, marketing plans and all that the CWG 2010 calls for appears to be in safe hands... But still we ask – will brand India shine?

What is the total marketing budget that has been earmarked for CWG and what exactly are your plans for the same?
We will cumulatively proceed with the process. Budgeting is of course the first step. I am not quantifying the budget only internally as then there are the special Rs.60 crores which have been allocated for overseas promotion by the Ministry of Tourism. We think that the Incredible India branding along with the CWG is a tough approach but will be more effective. Secondly, from the marketing perspective of the CWG 2010, especially with the inflow of more than a lakh and a half tourists, we look at synergising the foreign exchange inflow with the other events of CII & FICCI alongwith the delegations by the respective Ministers of Trade & Commerce – India and the Minister of Foreign Affairs. So along with the association with industries, we are using this platform to market the CWG 2010.

But what is the overall opportunity available for associations of brands during the games?
There are a lot of opportunities especially in terms of construction, materials, hospitality, and equipment et al. The budget allocated for marketing is around Rs.700-800 crore, so the opportunity is big enough. Like one of the interesting sector with a huge opportunity is the temporary outfits sector, like tents, which is more than a Rs.100 crore opportunity.

How many brands have come on board till now to associate with CWG? Could you name them?
What has happened is that more tenders have been loaded on the sites and some of the major opportunities, the charge, the offerings are in the automated sectors – automobile, fuels, tyres. In terms of telecom, we still have the landline association (although MTNL is the cellphone partner!). Then for banking area, we have Central Bank of India on board, but still we are in dialogue with top four public sector insurance companies and some of the private sector companies as well.

We have seen your presence in Facebook, Twitter and on an outdoor medium. So, what are the other platforms which are you using for the promotion of the games?
We have our affiliation with FICCI, CII and Assocham alongwith a CWG club. So alongwith these trade associations, we are taking delegations to different countries. Along the Queens Baton relay, we talked to various associations over a period of 240 days associations. We are setting up trade shows and have already identified key areas and key cities where we would like to conduct road shows. We have also a local CWG association and we are also participating in the Ministry of Tourism’s Incredible India brand exercise, like the one which we used in South Africa recently. There is a tremendous history behind our relationship and we want to make it official in terms of leveraging it as an economic relationship.

Apart from hearing about Hero Honda’s association with CWG; we haven’t heard much about the association of MNCs (like Coke and Pepsi) with the games. What are the reasons for it?
A lot of international companies and brands have shown interest in associating with us. From Adidas to Reebok, we have all the biggies’ offers and some of them are now coming to close the offer in terms of partnerships and co-partnerships et al. I cannot mention their names as we are covered under the code of conduct in terms of secrecy, but, we have some top international brands vying for it. But one thing which has really overwhelmed us is the response that we have received through the Commonwealth Club of India. A lot of companies from UK, South Africa, Canada and Australia are coming to India under the umbrella of CWG, and are trying to partner with the Games through sponsorships programs which include both the cash elements as well as the other elements. So it’s always a good sponsorship package which we are trying to get. Over the next 90 days, you will see at least six international brands on board with us...

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

“The equivalent of two Valdez spills is gushing into the Gulf, per week!”

2010-08-14T14:25:00.001+05:30

John Hocevar, Oceans Campaign Director, Greenpeace USA, talks to B&E’s steven philip warner about the damage done and the consequences thereof of the most recent BP Oil spill holocaust

B&E: There has been a lot of talk, especially with Obama promising a lot with green technologies. But nothing has happened that can be called a sweeping influence to the fuel consuming masses. Are we there yet?
JH: President Obama has said that we need to end our addiction to oil, and to develop renewable energy sources like wind and solar. While this is a laudable goal, it is meaningless without action to back it up. Decisions are being made now which will have lasting impacts. But there are matters much more serious and threatening to consider using the thinking cap. For example, plans are still moving ahead to allow drilling in the Arctic in 2011. If we cannot even handle a spill in the Gulf of Mexico, where we are probably better prepared than anywhere else on earth, how can we deal with a spill in the remote, pristine waters of the Arctic, where the Coast Guard acknowledges they have no capacity to respond? Policies only make sense on ground. And if they are kept limited to just the coffee table, there is little that can help avert a second BP-like crisis or crises.

B&E: So what immediate step do you recommend to save the ecology?
JH: We need an immediate ban on offshore drilling, and we must improve the safety of and ultimately begin phasing out existing wells.

B&E: But do you think this will go well with the oil companies?
JH: Which right policy does? There will surely be objections.

B&E: You are quite known as a lover of ocean life. You must be keeping track of what the recent BP disaster has caused. How about an experience that you’d want to share?
JH : I was at Grand Isle, Louisiana, one of the growing number of places unlucky enough to win a “heavily oiled” classification on the government maps tracking the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. Despite BP’s efforts to keep it under wraps, we’re went there to document the impacts of the spill. Walking through Grand Isle State Park, we came across a tidal flat that was littered with tens of thousands of dead hermit crabs. It was a depressing scene, and took me all the way back to my first visit to the beach, over 35 years ago, when discovering hermit crabs at Rocky Neck State Park in Connecticut helped inspire a life-long love of the ocean. Now, I realise it can seem a little odd to wax poetically about hermit crabs when we’re talking about the biggest environmental disaster in North American history. Today, entire communities along the Gulf Coast are reeling, and many species – sea birds, turtles, and even a population of sperm whales – are being pushed to the brink of extinction. The problem is that it’s all connected. Hermit crabs are a bellwether for the health of the Gulf of Mexico. When the sediment fills up with oil, so do the shells of the hermit crabs, and they suffocate. So if all the hermit crabs on a beach die, it’s pretty safe to say that the entire top layer of sand is full of oil – and no longer able to sustain life other than bacteria. The true cost of oil really doesn’t end at the gaspump! We have to realise that.

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

Hayward’s wayward BP ways?

2010-08-13T15:24:00.001+05:30

B&E’s Steven Philip Warner talks to various global oil & climate experts from the likes of Goldman Sachs, Credit Suisse, Standard & Poor’s, Argus Research, JBC Energy & Varda Group to find out what awaits BP’s fate? Will BP, which as recently as two months back was the second most valued oil major in the world, disappear?

He still does. And the main one comes in the name of the bill on the clean-up and litigation, which bears the potential to dent huge holes in BP’s pocket. After setting-up a relief fund of $20 billion, in cooperation with the Fed, many experts are forecasting future outflows that could create suicidal pressures on BP’s bottomlines. London-based Kim Fustier, Global Oil & Gas Analyst, Credit Suisse tells B&E, “These total to $28 billion, $35 billion and $49 billion post-tax respectively. We have cut the FY2010-11 EPS outlook for BP by 13% on average to reflect higher clean-up costs and a higher cost of debt. We have cut two quarters of dividends in the second and the third quarter.” BP also has total committed acquisitions amounting to $8.9 billion (as of mid-April 2010), which will further reduce heavily its surplus cash balances, which stood at $5.3 billion, as at the end of March 2010. There is some relief in the form of committed undrawn credit lines amounting to $5.25 billion, however, most of this will fructify only in late 2011 and 2013.

Till date, BP has spent $1.70 billion in the clean-up act; the liabilities are scheduled to touch $6.44 billion for 2010 and $7.08 billion for 2011 (estimates by Credit Suisse). At current oil price levels and debt-equity ratio of the company ($77 per barrel and 30.8% respectively, as on June 22, 2010), the company can afford to pay up anywhere between $6–$7 billion, without disturbing its balance sheet. In defense of BP’s financial competence, Michele della Vigna, Energy Analyst of Goldman Sachs tells B&E, “BP’s cash balances, operating cash flow generation, and bank lines should collectively be sufficient to meet liquidity needs. BP’s near-term financing needs are covered by committed bank lines of more than $10 billion, which would likely obviate the need for BP to turn to the capital markets at a time of stress.” Sounds like the BP ship is prepared for the next iceberg.

But clear and present hope for Hayward’s big oil ship is like spotting a Rolls Royce in Charlotte’s poor suburbs in Northern Carolina. If oil prices fall even slightly below the $70 billion mark, and if BP maintains its current debt-equity ratio, then it can pay up nothing more than $5 billion per year, without raising more capital. In that case, it will either have to opt for higher debt or equity dilution, and in the worst case – sale of assets.

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

Obama does a Putin with BP!

2010-08-12T15:37:00.001+05:30

...and arm-twists BP with open threats – is this ethical, if not illegal?

In a sequence of events reminding one more of the mafiosi-like Putin administration, Obama and his White House staff – with Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel leading from the front – first hounded BP officials (read a detailed story on BP in our strategy section in this issue), then threatened them, and finally arm-twisted them to set up an escrow account of $20 billion for providing relief to the claims arising out of the BP oil spill.

There are many reasons why this particular case of money jostled out by Obama from BP is unethical and even illegal – despite the general public viewpoint – and one believes done purely for playing to the galleries for benefit at the hustings. Firstly, in the capitalist setup that the United States operates in, it is the insurance company (Jupiter Insurance Inc. in this case) that covers the spill that needs to be steamrolled by Obama and not BP. It doesn’t matter that Jupiter Insurance is more or less owned by BP; equity ownership always comes with zero additional liability – that is, BP cannot be legally asked to pay a penny more than its investment in Jupiter Insurance.

Secondly, if 11 people died in the BP spill, the 440,000 who die every year in the US due to tobacco use and the $200 billion this industry costs US every year are bigger reasons why Obama and Emanuel should be threatening the powerful cigarette manufacturers to pay much more than the total of $206 billion they have to pay over 25 years under the Master Settlement Agreement they brilliantly signed with 46 US states in 1998, when the Democrats were in power.

Is Obama doing that? Not at all. While the BP CEO Tony Hayward was chastised openly by Rahm Emanuel for attending a yacht race and publicly humiliated by Obama (who said his meetings with affected parties have educated him on “whose ass to kick”; and that he would have kicked out Hayward), Obama himself was playing golf at Andrews Air Base. And Putin? He was watching with amusement the Moscow court proceedings against oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky.

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

Are you satisfied with the performance of your Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh? How would you rate his performance?

2010-08-11T12:49:00.000+05:30

The economist seems to be going from strength to strength. The soft-spoken, mild-mannered Sikh gentleman has a picture-perfect clean image. Though perceived to be pro-reforms, he has maintained a balance between sweeping economic reforms and populist, pro-poor measures. Not the proverbial Indian politician, Dr. Singh keeps away from party matters as far as possible and concentrates on running the government. Having faced a lot of flak for his non-interference in the manner in which the Union agriculture ministry has handled the price rise issue, his government has been crucially undecisive about ways to tackle the growing Maoist influence. However, a weak Opposition has been God-sent for this man of few words.

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

Cooking-up new rules for the game!

2010-08-10T12:53:00.001+05:30

The introduction of the word ‘career’ in the lives of women is swiftly redefining the virtues of a good relationship for today’s new-age couples…

“Shalabh was asked by his mom if the girl he had chosen for marriage would let go of her pursuit of happiness through lifework (read career) whenever needed, and he immediately replied in the affirmative to avoid further discussion,” recollects 30-year-old Priya Madaan when talking about the over-rated virtue or vice (depending on which school of thought one subscribes to) of women’s decisions regarding their work-life that gives them a high in life. Today’s women are caught between the traditional people, who are utterly disdainful of women who choose their careers over becoming the 24/7 homemaker and support system for the family even when there are no financial constraints, and the other more modern people, who are instead frowning upon the ladies giving up their work-life for the simple pleasures of life such as one’s marriage, motherhood or for simply managing the household.

25-year-old Shruti Bhatia, a recipient of the excellent performer award, quit her job at the mere confirmation of her eight-months-later wedding date. Unusual in the professionals’ world, the simple reasons, tells Shruti “of wishing to make a home, socialise more with old and new families and figure out a comfortable way of pursuing a career” invited surprise and criticism from those who for a decade or two have only epitomised the ‘perfectly juggling’ avatar of women.

But what Shruti did is somewhat closer to what 41-year-old Jennifer Wilkov and 42-year-old Kimberly Mylls, authors of a recent book, Boys Before Business: The Single Girl’s Guide to Having It All, suggest. Advising the wives (as well as the husbands) to ‘put themselves first, their relationship second, and their career last’ for having a lasting relationship, the authors feel that this way the women would actually perform better because of the love and comfort back home. So, according to the authors, staying late at work and cancelling a scheduled date with the spouse to stay behind the desk for longer are actions that must be avoided! Also, the advice usually given to men apply equally to career women – do not bring workplace problems back home with you!

While one may crib about the title of the book that anticipates how most often women are required to put the men first and not vice versa, there are a lot of privileges that women enjoy and men don’t complain about. For instance, several organisations in our country allow women comfortable work hours. “Lesser number of working hours for women is not a part of our mainstream Human Resource policies, but my team manager with the help of HR has revised my working hours to suit my responsibilities and priorities at home. This hasn’t affected my performance at all. In fact, I am more focused and grateful to my organisation because of this concession at work,” says 33-year-old Shweta Pandey (name changed) working in the sales division of a Telecom company.

Albeit all contentions and advises lead to ‘considering’ the relationship a top priority, what probably is worth introspecting is that nothing can slip off one’s priority list unless you actually don’t hold it there anymore!

Swati Hora

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

Water Woes Intensify

2010-08-09T16:23:00.001+05:30

When it was predicted about a decade back that the next World War would be fought for control of water, sceptics dismissed it as a mere hyperbole. Now, with killings over water being reported from across the country, the spectre of the past is becoming a scary reality. The team of anil sharma, raju kumar and nishant bhadreshwar take stock of the situation

This year the first incident of killing over water was reported from the Bakshibagh locality of Indore on March 31. A 16 year old girl, Poonam Yadav, was stabbed to death by one of her neighbours. On April 7, Ramchandra of Alot was shot dead by his neighbour. On May 9, a few people killed 60 year old Madholal of Dhakora village in Rajgarh district following a squabble at the village well. A similar incident was reported from the Naryavali village in Sagar district a day earlier where a few people attacked with an axe and injured one Pushpabai at a well. This is besides the daily squabbles over water in the state capital Bhopal where water is being supplied only once in 48 hours. People have to unfailingly wake up very early in the morning to fill their tanks. Others choose to keep a vigil whole night lest they miss the chance.

Water is hard to find even at 600 feet at some places in MP. Scores of rivers and water bodies have dried up. Gauri Shankar Bisen, a minister in the MP government, accepts that the crisis in the state is real. “There is acute water crisis in the state. We have allocated sufficient funds for the supply of drinking water to all the districts. We are paying special attention to the districts where the situation is more serious such as in Shyopur and Neemach,” he informs B&E.

In Maharashtra, farmers are the worst hit because of the water scarcity. “I had 3,200 trees of pomegranate on my farm. Of them, just 600 are left now. I had to cut down most of them due to lack of water,” says Ranjeet Patil who owns 30 acres of land at Chakur town, 13 kms. off Latur. It’s not that Patil did not try to get water. There are as many as 17 bore wells on his farm but there is no water. The first bore well was 300 feet deep and the 17th one was dug at 625 feet.

Presently, about 36,65,000 hectare of land is under irrigation in Maharashtra. The figure was12,20,000 hectare in 1960. With no considerable change in the rainfall pattern during the last 50 years, farmers had to rely on the underground water to meet the increasing need. But that too is now out of sight. Ecological Expert Atul Deolgaokar says, “According to a report by ‘International Water Management Institute’, if the use of water for drinking and farming continues in same way, then 70% of the groundwater would be used up by 2020.”

In a survey done in March by the ‘Maharashtra State Groundwater Survey and Development Department’, it was found that out of 47 towns in Konkan division, groundwater level in 11 towns has gone down by one metre. In Aurangabad division it has dipped by one to three metres at different places. And this is what has affected farmers like Patil.

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

The page 3 of the BPO industry’s here

2010-08-07T14:45:00.001+05:30

One could clearly see a sudden increase in the number of M&As in the Indian BPO industry over the last year. What is it that is actually prompting players to go for a kill? by Ashutosh Harbola

But then there are contrarians who feel that these M&As have nothing to add on to the growth story of Indian BPOs. As per them, it’s actually a fight for survival. Though, at present there are over 110 BPO captives operating out of India, the number is expected to reduce to just half in the next five years. “M&As in the BPO industry, particularly in the voice vertical, are an outcome of the US sub-prime mortgage crisis. It’s the crisis that has made the survival of small players really hard. These players are now allowing bigger players to acquire them as they can no more take the pressure on their balance sheets,” says Anuj Gupta, Angel Trade.

Further, there are many who feel that with time India has lost its price competitiveness that tempted multinationals to offshore their business to India. While Indian BPOs could complete an assignment at one-tenth of the compensation a few years ago as compared to their US counterparts, the difference today is becoming marginal year by year. The major contributor to this rising cost has been the wage inflation, which was hovering over 8% in 2009 and is expected to touch 10.9% by the end of 2010. “With time, India’s price advantage has diminished; it now needs to find a niche and to reinvent the business models, services and enabling technologies,” says Vishal Deep Dhillon, Regional Director-Asia, CSC, to B&E.

That countries like China, Vietnam and Philippines too are emerging as a big threat to India’s dominance in global offshoring industry, is actually old news. But now, as Gartner analyst Diptarup Chakraborty tells B&E, “Destinations like Philippines, Israel are almost coming neck-to-neck with India as they are offering cheaper rates to the outsourcers.” Then there is the slated withdrawal of STPI scheme in FY2011. The sunset clause u/s 10A and 10B of the Income Tax Act gives a tax holiday to IT-BPO companies operating under an STPI, where the tax rate works out to be 20% for a BPO at present. This is expected to go up to 33% if the scheme is withdrawn.

Considering the fact that there have been many domestic entrepreneurial ventures, not particularly backed by large scale IT organisations, that ventured into setting up BPO outfits in an attempt to become bigger simply on the basis of the boom that was, in case the government withdraws tax-holiday sops or increases the tax rates, that surely would put these newbie BPOs on the selloff block, if not immediately bankruptcy. Worse would be the case with Indian BPOs that, hoping for a sudden revival in the US economy (which accounts for clost to 60% of all global BPO projects), have attempted to invest in buying out American BPO units to leverage their physical US presence to get more BPO projects. Deeply submerged on loans and funding from financial institutions, such BPOs will have no option but to themselves be sold off to large scale buyers.

The lessons from all this is that it is inevitable that M&As in the Indian BPO sector would continue to rise; but what would also happen is that the likes of CSC, Infosys, Convergys, Accenture, Genpact, would only go on to become much larger entities than they are now.

Ashutosh Harbola

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

Indian cui‘sin’e

2010-08-06T11:55:00.001+05:30

Prosecution is a must for control

India has a very strong law on food safety that sets down food standards and dispenses heavy penalties on infringers. The Food Safety and Standards Act of 2006 includes specifications for ingredients, contaminants, pesticide residue, biological hazards, labels and others. In short, it takes all possible measures that are required to ensure safety of food in the market. Yet, it is common knowledge that people die consistently in India due to drinking adulterated milk, go blind or get paralyzed due to drinking adulterated alcohol and children are regularly taken ill with food poisoning after consuming mid-day meals at school, supplied by the government! Even temples are not safe (they are, after all, managed by humans), as devotees are taken ill or poisoned due to some adulterant.

Despite the fact that we have stringent laws to deal with it – hardly anybody is ever punished or prosecuted! The biggest culprits of these malpractices are food contractors and suppliers, to whom government agencies place their orders. These contracts are low on transparency and reek of the kind of corruption that has plagued almost every government department across the country. Even spurious drugs are rampant, especially in smaller towns and cities; where curbs are even more conspicuous by absence.

Adulteration is a menace that can only be clamped down by strict policy controls. India should learn from the Chinese example. The Chinese government executed a dairy farmer and a milk salesman in November last year for supplying tainted milk. These two men had tried to augment their profits by selling melamine-laced milk powder that led to the deaths of 6 children and affecting a whopping 300,000. Besides, the Chinese authorities have punished various people accused in several incidents involving food adulteration that included drug-tainted fish, industrial dye used to colour egg yolk red and pork tainted with banned feed additives in the last one year. In India, such cases are largely overlooked. The law is strong, but implementation has to be even stronger.

Sayan Ghosh

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

‘B’usiness ‘P’rocess ‘O’utdated!

2010-08-05T15:37:00.001+05:30

The prime driver for BPOs in India has always been cost effictiveness, but that differentiating factor is now fading away. Is Indian BPO industry finally headed towards the death bed? by Ashutosh Harbola

Survival of the fittest is a phrase that British polymath philosopher Herbert Spencer first used in 1864 after reading Charles Darwin’s work On the Origin of Species. Simply put, it meant ‘only the fittest organisms will prevail’; and the very definition of ‘fittest’ has also changed with time. Those who understood it did sustain and those who didn’t went into oblivion; be it in the living world or in the corporate terrain (time and again). In fact, if the latest signals are anything to go by, then the BPO industry could be one inevitable addition to the extinct list, as its cost advantage fritters away; which means it certainly doesn’t remain the fittest on that count.

A latest Nasscom report would indicate this very speculation as baseless. As per the report, the $50-billion IT-BPO industry is headed for a 13-15% growth in FY2010-11. But the recent survey by Pierre Audoin Consultants (PAC) seems to be a clarion call of sorts, since it is only the latest of a series of reports that indicate how India is moving away from being the epicentre of cheap outsourcing centres and nations like China, Vietnam, Philippines, et al, are becoming the most preferred spots to serve as offshoring centres. Only, the threat looks more real than it ever did in the past.

While Indian BPOs could complete an assignment at one-tenth of the compensation a few years ago as compared to their US counterparts, the difference today is marginal. The major contributor to this rising cost has been the wage inflation, which was hovering over 8% in 2009 and is expected to touch a steeper 10.9% by the end of 2010. “With time, India’s price advantage will continue to diminish; hence it needs to find a niche and continue to reinvent the business models, services and enabling technologies,” cautions Vishal Deep Dhillon, Regional Director – Asia, CSC.

Countries like China, Vietnam and Philippines are emerging as a big threat to India’s dominance in global offshoring industry. Thanks to the low cost advantage and heavy investments to promote English as a spoken language, China has witnessed a whopping 212% and 170.2% y-o-y increase in signed off shoring contracts (worth $12.69 billion) and executed contracts (worth $7.34 billion) respectively in 2009 when compared with 2008. Not only this, the dragon nation has also added an astonishing 3,287 enterprises and 5,85,000 employees to its outsourcing industry count in 2009. The Filipino BPO industry (with a growth rate of 19% in 2009) is also in a neck-to- neck competition with India. In fact, Philippines has emerged as one of the top destinations (with 15% market share) for outsourcing over the past few years; with revenues growing from $100 million in 2001 to $6.1 billion in 2008.

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

Scarlet on the red carpet

2010-08-04T12:46:00.000+05:30

Though she might look stunningly gorgeous when walking the red carpet, the truth is that Scarlett Johansson actually gets all nervous and sweaty when 101 cameras are flashing at her on the red carpet! Though she likes the hair and make-up part and also choosing from umpteen pretty dresses, she definitely doesn’t like walking the red carpet after that! We wonder if this little piece of information makes the millions of men who break into a sweat at her sight feel any better!

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

J. Patrick Doyle, Global President & CEO, Domino’s Pizza

2010-08-03T12:46:00.001+05:30

Global President and CEO, Domino’s Pizza,8 talks to b&e’s angshuman paul about the various peculiarities that personify the company’s India operations

B&E: Pizza Hut (from Yum! Brands) presumably has an edge over Domino’s with its sit & dine arrangements. During 2008, Domino’s also started paying heed to the sit & dine category. Was it the perceived threat from Pizza Hut that propelled Domino’s to enter this category after so many years?
Doyle: I can’t comment on any other players. I know our organization well and I can say that yes, in certain cities, we felt that we should have a sit & dine category; that was the reason we opened our restaurant. But we haven’t compromised and moved away from our home delivery competence and the 30 minutes delivery promise – and that’s the very reason you will see that our restaurants are not purely into sit & dine as these are all self service restaurants.

B&E: All your stores are franchised! Simply put, isn’t it difficult to manage so many franchised stores?
Doyle: No, not really. For half a century, we have been growing on the franchise model. The efforts of franchisees and team members have helped us to conquer very big markets. For, instance, consider our teams in India and Louisiana. These are two of the largest and best franchisee organizations in our system, and it’s appropriate that they are sharing in this distinction. Our franchisees will help us to achieve one goal and that is, we want to clip the ribbon on our 10,000th store within the first half of this decade.

B&E: The Indian QSR market has proved that economical pricing can do wonders for sales. McDonald’s has been thriving on this philosophy and has always resorted to ‘easy on the pocket pricing’. But in the case of Domino’s, we have seen that kind of philosophy only during the last two years. Haven’t you start too late?
Doyle: It was the popularity of the brand Domino’s that forced us to take the brand to a larger market [and therefore to economically price the products]. And then, even before we could come out with low priced pizzas, we had to do considerable changes to our supply chain and other such mechanisms so that we could give our consumers economical yet quality driven products. During the initial years, it was simply not possible for us to pursue such options.

B&E: United States is your biggest market. Which one is next? Can the Indian market ever become bigger than the United States market?
Doyle: After the United States market, United Kingdom should be our largest market and contributes close to 10% to our annual revenues. The UK and Mexico markets taken together have in total about 600 stores, while the next is Australia, which has 500. However, as I mentioned, India – and to a large extent Asia Pacific – is emerging as a big market for us now. In total, we have about 1,600 stores in A-Pac, which makes up 16% of our total stores. In some ways, Mexico is as price sensitive as India, and if we have been able to do well in Mexico, I am sure we can do the same in India too.

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

The gripes of rivalry!

2010-08-02T12:53:00.002+05:30

In short, can the Hero Honda-Bajaj Auto rivalry ever end up in a result where Bajaj becomes #1? Clearly, this story is as much about Bajaj as it is about Honda; for the historic gripes of rivalry, which had till now only included moves, counter moves, claims, counter claims, has now become a testy, take-no-prisoners war by Pawan Chabra

Bajaj’s efforts are going towards spreading its reach wide in the automotive segment, be it the deal with Nissan to jointly develop a small car, or the alliance with KTM, that will empower the company to enter new markets and access superior technology. Moreover, the deal with Kawasaki to bring its products to the Indian market is also expected to be a positive contributor to the company’s fortunes. Kawasaki’s second entry into the market is expected to generate a lot of excitement as the company has recently announced that it will open a plant in alliance with Bajaj and focus on its core strengths to gain more volumes in the Indian market. “Bajaj’s strategy appears to be targeting for leadership position in niche markets which enable it to earn decent margins and profits. It is also enjoying leadership position in some of the countries overseas. The international markets are helping the company to achieve growth and a competitive scale of production,” explained Avinash Gupta, auto analyst at Bonanza Online.

So while both companies agree largely that the motorcycle segment is the one that merits a majority share of their energies, even their views on which other growth opportunities they should now explore are radically different. On that subject, the fate of Bajaj’s proposed small car launch could provide some invaluable answers.

But Rajiv Bajaj has a few sticky issues to handle from within his family. And first in the list is his father’s opposition. The way young Rajiv Bajaj is taking the company forward has upset his father Rahul Bajaj at times. Their debate is mainly about the conventional argument between doing business with contemporary logic as opposed to doing business with emotions. The most famous issue that came to notice was when Rahul Bajaj had expressed dismay over his son’s move to exit the scooters market. “I don’t understand why Bajaj Auto can’t develop a scooter that will sell in good numbers,” he had said at that time. It is ironic that when Hero Honda entered with motorcycles, Bajaj was the market leader with scooters. Today, Bajaj has exited the scooters segment while Hero Honda is going strong in the scooters market (with Pleasure; a scooter for lady consumers).

After Rajiv recently decided to drop the parent brand name (Bajaj) altogether from many of their products with distinct positioning, Rahul Bajaj said that he was unhappy with this move as well, highlighting the fact that being the Chairman of the company, no such proposal has reached him. Under the announced plan, the company is planning to drop the brand name ‘Bajaj’ from its models of motorcycles and the rear engine auto-rickshaws to promote each of the aforementioned products as independent, stand-alone brands. Rajiv contends that the Bajaj brand is too diluted to be retained for these product categories.

While the logic behind that move may or may not stand, what is surely evident is the fact that the coming quarters will see the Indian two-wheeler market be witness to one of the most ruthless marketing warfare witnessed in Indian industries. In the past, while Hero Honda has steamrolled opposition to gain leadership, Bajaj Auto has not shied away from taking competitors to courts too! The gripes of this historic rivalry are well on its way to become one of the classic business school case studies...

Pawan Chabra

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

In Good Faith

2010-07-31T12:54:00.001+05:30

The Moi-e-Muqqadas is displayed on various occasions related with the life of the Prophet and his four holy companions. A glimpse of the Holy Relic, the major attraction of the holy place, leaves many devotees with moist eyes and the air reverberates with praises of the Prophet.

The brief disappearance of the holy relic from the shrine in December 1963 led to public upsurge in Kashmir, which continued for several weeks. The situation was so bad that it forced the then Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, to depute his trusted colleague, Lal Bahadur Shastri, to visit the Valley and supervise its retrieval.

In 1968, the Muslim Aauquaf Trust (now known as Jammu and Kashmir Waqf Board), which looks after Hazratbal and most of Valley's shrines, hospices and mosques, and was then headed by Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah, started the construction of the present marble structure. The work was completed in 1979.

The pristine white marble elegance of the shrine and the view of snow-clad picturesque mountains beyond are reflected in the waters of the lake. The view and the holiness of the shrine make it a major tourist attraction in Srinagar. The only domed shrine in Srinagar, it is known by many names including Hazratbal, Assar-e-Sharif, Madinat-Us-Sani and Dargah Sharief. The Friday prayers offered at Hazratbal attract thousands of resident Muslims.

The importance of Hazratbal can be gauged also by the fact that Kashmir’s politicians, particularly Sheikh Abdullah, chose to make important announcements and decisions known to the public from the pulpit of this shrine.

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

Hidehiko Tanaka

2010-07-30T11:44:00.000+05:30

The Managing Director of Nikon India reveals to neha saraiya how, after entering India just before the slowdown, they managed to rewrite the competition game

B&E: Nikon, started its domestic subsidiary in 2007, which also coincided with the creeping recession. How has the experience been & what have been the key learning?
HT: The camera market for India is very small as compared to the worldwide market and therefore, it has immense potential to grow. Nikon has had a great experience here since the set up of its 100% subsidiary. Over the past three years Nikon has reinstated its commitment to the Indian market and its interest to promote the photography culture in the country. We further plan to scale up our presence across India and reaching out to the consumers in a larger way. In this financial year we would set up more offices across India thus strengthening Nikon’s brand and organisation’s standing in the Indian market. Nikon further accentuates channel development; targeting more than 1,200 retail outlets for in-store branding and more than 200 in-shop promoters in order to facilitate better sales services for consumers. The service base will also be expanded to provide better services to users. Our aim is to be a solution provider and to provide photographers what they need in the most simple user friendly manner.

B&E: Currently Nikon garners around 45% of the domestic digital SLR camera market and 13% in the compact segment. How do you plan to increase market share?
HT: The Indian camera market has been growing and Nikon has been growing even more. Last year was an extremely rewarding year for Nikon; the compact camera market share increased from 6% to 13% and a robust 45% from 37% in the D-SLR segment. Our projections for this fiscal year are robust yet realistic; we aim to touch a 15% & 50% market share respectively in the two categories. Nikon also undertook an initiative of moving from a national distribution network to regional and channel specific distribution hubs ensuring its customers receive enhanced services. This means that Nikon has come closer to its end-users to facilitate the company gaining strength in each potential region. The will also further contribute to camera sales across the Photo, IT & Consumer electronic channel. In order to discourage grey marketing, Nikon along with its affordable range of compact cameras & competitive priced D-SLRs also provides two year warranty for its brands along with a range of promotional offers like free memory cards.

B&E: Any diversification plans on the anvil?
HT: As a leader in image technology world over, we would like to stick to what we are best in, as of now we do not have plans for diversifying. Also, for our two set of audience i.e. the professional photographers and photo enthusiasts in general, we do not want to prioritise the product segments and Nikon has witnessed exponential growth in both. The camera market for India is very small as compared to the worldwide market, but Nikon sees a huge growth potential in India in both segments, we’ll continue bringing imaging technology innovations in form of new cameras in both professional and compact category.

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

Abreast about the new cancer test?

2010-07-29T13:18:00.000+05:30

New technology for simpler and painless breast cancer detection will not just aid in diagnosis but in the prevention of this deadly disease too

In 2005, the Australian pop music diva, Kylie Minogue was diagnosed with breast cancer. But today, having survived the mosttraumatic period of her life, she is proudly educating the world through awareness campaigns on breast cancer.

Kylie was just one of the millions who have had to fight to save their curves. The ‘symbol of women’s sexuality’is being increasingly associated with the “risks of contracting cancerous growth due to the changing lifestyle and preferences of modern women,” says Dr. Harsh Dua, Senior Oncologist at ApolloHospital. According to World Health Organization (WHO), more than a million women worldwide are diagnosed with breast cancer annually, and it is the lack of early-detection programmes that is increasing its incidence rate, particularly in developing countries. While preventionthrough a healthy diet, physical activity, control over alcohol intake and one’s weight could reduce its incidence, the latest technology in breast cancer detection – a simple blood test called the BCtect – devised by a team of Norwegian scientists, is, according to Dr. Bhawna Sirohi, Chief Medical Oncology, Max Healthcare, “a huge step forward in the fight against breast cancer.”

At a time when the medical world has been divided over the risks and benefits of existing screening tests that expose one to harmful cancercausing radiations, Dr. Sirohi says, “Current gold standard for screening for breast cancer is mammography, which has quite a few drawbacks including exposure to radiation. It is also not recommended for women less than 40 years of age. We see a lot of young patients, as young as 23 years old, with breast cancer in India. Some tumour types are poorly detected by mammography and it’s also difficult to detect very small tumours through mammography alone. BCtect can detect lobular breast cancer, and will also be useful in young women, usually with high breast density, where mammography is less effective in detecting breast cancers.” With about a 75% accuracy rate, early detection – even when the cancer is the size of a seed – “improves overall survival for the patient and also increases options for treatment like breast conserving surgery. The test only requires a small blood sample from the patient. Due to breast cancer, certain characteristic changes take place in women to be screened. It will need validation among Indians and I’m in contact with my colleagues in London. We plan to start a large prospective randomised trial in India as a research study with MRC’s (Medical Research Council, UK) support.”

A change in lifestyle (delayed marriages, delayed childbirths et al) for women is unavoidable, and while we all live the way we do, and at times can’t help missing nature’s deadlines, this easy test will at least alert us as soon as nature decides to strike.

Swati Hora

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

Animal suicides: When pets call it quits

2010-07-26T15:22:00.000+05:30

Are you sure your dog is just acting weird when he refuses to play or be more lively? Maybe he is stressed and contemplating suicide?

I’m not one of those who dote on dogs or cats or any other animal for that matter. Yet, in the last 15 years I’ve had 10 dogs, 8 cows (maximum 3 at a time), 3 rabbits, 2 parrots (which for the record, I thought were cruel to cage and so released them), and cats and peacocks have always been frequent visitors to my place (I never domesticated them). Though I’m not particularly fond of animals, they were never ill-treated or neglected at my home. However, the pattern in which some of my dogs expired led to my colleagues speculating that they had all resorted to suicide! This proposition was absolutely shocking to me. Yes, one of my dogs did hit his head against a moving car and another accidentally jumped into a well as he went about chasing a rabbit. One of my dogs ran away never to return, while my last dog, who died a natural death, was considered by my boss to be more like a cow than a dog!

My family and I loved them unconditionally and it is impossible for me to think that dogs or even animals could commit suicide. But, Richard O’Barry, who used to capture and train dolphins for the well-known 60s TV show Flipper, would beg to differ. Life changed for him when he saw one of the dolphins, Cathy, commit suicide in front of his very eyes. In his interview to a New York magazine he said, “Dolphins are not automatic air breathers like we are. Every breath for them is a conscious effort. She (Cathy) looked me right in the eye, took a breath, and held it, and she didn’t take another one. She just sank to the bottom of the water. That had a profound effect on me.” The event turned him into an animal-rights activist for life.

“Whether or not one wishes to believe that animals are capable of committing suicide, one fact is clear, that animals are capable of suffering, feeling pain, and grieving. Animals, like us, are complex, thinking, feeling beings – not inanimate objects for humans to use however we like with little to no consideration for their needs. There are many reasons why animals become depressed and act out. For example, most zoo enclosures are frustratingly small, far smaller than the space any animal would enjoy in the wild. Animals’ normal behaviour is seldom considered and their natural needs are rarely met. Birds’ wings may be clipped so that they cannot fly, aquatic animals often go without adequate water, and many animals who naturally live in large herds or family groups are kept alone or, at most, in pairs. Animals are closely confined, lack privacy, and have little opportunity for mental stimulation or physical exercise. These conditions often result in abnormal and self-destructive behaviour, known as ‘zoochosis’, says Poorva Joshipura, Chief Functionary, PETA India.

Perhaps that is why People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India sent a letter to Jairam Ramesh, Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests, urging him to act immediately to stop plans to build a dolphinarium in New Delhi. Poorva continues, “In the wild, orcas and dolphins swim up to 100 miles per day. But captured, dolphins are confined to tanks, which for us would be like being confined to a bathtub for life. These animals navigate by echolocation – bouncing sonar waves off other objects to determine their shape, density, distance, and location – but in tanks, the reverberations from their own sonar bounce off the walls, driving some dolphins insane. Newly captured dolphins and orcas are forced to learn tricks. Former trainers say that withholding food and isolating animals who refuse to perform are two common training methods.”

While my pets enjoy a life of luxury and are certainly not suicidal, causing lifelong torture and inevitable premature death of the dolphins is where I, and hopefully our readers, will put their foot down.

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

Sound of music

2010-07-02T12:23:00.000+05:30

The multi-faceted and free-spirited Sophie Choudry returns with an album of original tracks, and a brand new channel on YouTube. Aakriti Bhardwaj in conversation with the remix queen of India

You have studied at the esteemed Sciences Po Paris and LSE. How did a career in veejaying and music happen?

I was a very good student, I got four A’s for my O level. At the same time I was determined to become an actor. Whilst I was studying, Biddu, who is my mentor and guide, launched me in a girl band Sansara and that’s when we first came to India for work and did the videos for Yeh dil sun raha hai. It became really popular but like most girl bands we couldn’t stand each other! Then I went back to complete my graduation.

With your latest album Sound of Sophie, are you sort of returning the favour to Biddu?

Not at all! Biddu is the man who launched me, I did my first two albums with him, he’s the reason I moved to India. It was Biddu who said, "Kid, you need to move to India for one year and see what happens if you are serious about this." In one year, I became a VJ; Babu chhail chhabila happened. He has done me a favour in Sound of Sophie as he’s completely retired from music and the last song he composed was If I can’t have you for my album.

Of your various pursuits – music, dancing, acting, modelling, anchoring – which one is closest to your heart?

It is really hard to say. Veejaying was wonderful; it made me a household name. Acting is exciting; you wake up being someone different all the time. Singing is really the extension of who I am. That is where I creatively express who I am. I think singing gives me a three dimensional way of enjoying it: one, for the music; two, my music videos are like mini movies and I get to fulfil my fantasies in there, and three, for my live performances where I instantly reach out to my audience.

Has there been a conscious effort to steer clear of remixes?

The reason I had to produce this album is because I did not want to do any remixes. When I did Ek Pardesi, it was so big that I don’t think I’ll be able to repeat that kind of success. I really think that phase is really done with. Today, film songs are becoming remixes. “Aa Dekhen Zara” did a remix. If the film people are doing remixes then I don’t think pop artists need to do it; pop artists need to create something original.

You are the first in India to be signed by YouTube to launch an official celebrity channel. How do you feel about it?

I am having a ball with the channel. I have got all these subscribers and I have got thousands and thousands of ‘views’! I have only been active on it for a month but my video uploads have already had 200,000 hits. I am considering breaking my second video on YouTube exclusively.

Tell us about your forthcoming film Alibaug.

I’m grateful to Sanjay Gupta for giving me such a beautiful role. I play a girl called Nisha, and everybody feels that her life will turn out to be perfect – she marries her college sweetheart – but ends up going through a divorce. She transforms into ‘real’ woman – strong and independent. She is a practicing psychiatrist whose own life is pretty complicated but she handles it with a lot of grace.

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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Killer roads take a toll

2010-06-30T11:03:00.000+05:30

Experts attribute road accidents to overspeeding

Some twenty-five passengers were injured when a bus collided with a truck on the NH 31 at Pathsala in Barpeta district on the night of May 16.

Nearly fifteen schoolchildren were injured when a school bus (AS 15-1616) fell into a ditch on May 22 at Burah in Darrang district.

Local dailies in Assam unfailingly reports about such road accidents. According to government statistics, during the past one decade road accident cases have doubled in the state. In 2000, some 2,429 road accident cases were reported. But the figure increased to 4,869 in 2009. Accidental deaths in 2009 were 1,991 as against 1,032 in 2000. In comparison to all India level, Assam shares 44 per cent of accidental deaths.

In Guwahati city, some 626 motor accident cases took place in 2007; 626 in 2007; 641 in 2008 and 508 in 2008. Among districts Sonitpur registered a maximum 363 accidental cases in 2009. Lower Assam’s Dhubri district and Barak valley’s Cachar district stood second and third with 346 and 306 accidental cases. Out of 4,686 accidents taking place in the state in 2008, as many as 2,683 accidents took place on national highways; 849 were on state highways and the remaining 1,151 on other roads of the state.

City Superintendent of Police (Traffic) Bibekananda Das told TSI that the traffic branch of city police is compiling last five years’ data of road accidents to study them. Only after completion of the process, decision could be taken to prevent accidents, the newly appointed SP (traffic) said. Traffic experts attribute road accidents to overspeeding and even increasing cars on the roads. “Untrained drivers, fake licence holders and absence of civic sense among people are also responsible for increasing number of accidents,” Violet Baruah, SP (CID) told TSI. The problem is further compounded when some drivers don’t obey traffic rules, she said.

According to the rule, mobile phones should not be used during driving and seat belts should be fastened, but only a few people obey them. Drunk driving is also responsible for several road accidents in the state.

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

Read these article :-

IIPM enters into media education

IIPM makes record 10,000 placements in five years

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Outlook Magazine money editor quits
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Extreme action zone ahead

2010-06-22T11:40:00.000+05:30

Chris ‘CP’ Pfeiffer is a gladiator on wheels. The World Champion (2003, 2007, 2008, 2009) Stunt Rider plays out on asphalt every leather-loving guy’s wildest bike fantasy. Recently back home in Germany, after an India tour, the ace biker reminisces about the experience, among other things to Indira Parthasarathy...

You had the Indian audience eating out of your hands – and not just when you did the no-hands wheelies... How do you sum up the experience?

The crowd response was amazing! I’ll never forget these shows!

Was that the BMW F800 R Chris Pfeiffer Special Edition bike you were performing on? Which is/are your favourite machine(s) to stunt-ride on?

Yes, it was. And it is also my favourite.

MotoGP legend Wayne Gardner had mentioned something like what you maintain: the “united with the bike” experience. Can you elaborate on the ‘one with the bike’ feeling?

If a bike really fits your riding style, you’ll do best to be united with the bike while riding it on the edge. Difficult to explain… all controls have to be in perfect position and work exactly like you want it. Then you are not just sitting/standing on a bike – you sit/stand on it and feel good because the bike is perfectly controllable.

On a normal traffic jaunt with the bike, how do you resist the temptation to break into stunts?

It is no problem. Riding is riding and stunting is stunting. All in its proper time…

What specialised modifications are required for freestyle biking?

A handbrake for the rear wheel, maybe some mods on the engine to make sure that it gets oil in long wheelies. The rest are details that every rider individually builds.

Which was your toughest Championship win?

The last (Indoor Streetbike Freestyle) World Championship in 2009. I had diarrhoea and felt weak. But somehow I made it.

You are real survivor material, as was evinced by the way you made your comeback after the horrible accident in the 90s during the Guinness Record shoot. How did you fight off the jitters to get back on asphalt after an incident like that?

I was very motivated to get back on the bike, also a bit scared that I’ll lose my trust in brakes because the cause for this accident was a brake problem. But I had no mental problem. I check the brakes very often now.

Bunny hops (long jumps) involve other people. How do you bring yourself around the idea of risking other lives, and how do you prepare for it?

Well, the jump does sound crazy but it (the record long jump without a ramp over 33 people lying next to each other) was safe after all the preparations for more than six months. But still I’d not do it again.

Which stunts are Chris Pfeiffer inventions?

Touch ground wheelie circles, Side stand off, The CP Jump, 360 Ground (360° turning during the ride).

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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Blood spills at Lampi

2010-06-19T11:22:00.000+05:30

Four Khasis perish in the violence that rocked the area

The border dispute between Assam and Meghalaya has been resolved. But before that the Lampi area of Boko town in Lower Assam was rocked with violence in which at least four Khasis lost their lives and more than twenty people, including four police officials, sustained injuries.

This was not a one-off incident. Border disputes exist in several places of Assam mainly at Merapani area of Golaghat district and some places of Sivsagar district in Upper Assam area. The locals in these areas don’t know when violence will erupt. However, the Lampi incident that took place on May 15 grabbed headlines. More than hundred Khasi people armed with sharp weapons attacked the local Nepalis of the Lampi area. Besides, they also attacked a battalion camped in the area. “When the Khasis didn’t surrender after several warnings, the Assam police opened fire to control the situation. The government has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident,’’ says revenue minister of Assam Dr. Bhumidhar Barman, who visited the violence-hit area with state health minister Himanta Biswa Sharma to convince the locals to end violence.

Also, the disputed area of Lampi was discussed with the deputy chief minister of Meghalaya and a few other representatives of the Meghalaya government. Though the hilly area comes under the Boko police station of Kamrup rural district, the Khasis of Meghalaya have been claiming Lampi as integral part of Meghalaya. The Khasis residing in 13 villages of Lampi area always identify themselves with Meghalaya. And they also force the local Nepalis to associate themselves with Meghalaya. Some locals said this creates rift between them.

Concerned with the development in Lampi, the Indian Government reviewed the situation and dispatched a senior officer of the Ministry of Home Affairs to the area to discuss the matter with both the Khasi and Nepali communities. Official sources say Union Home Minister P Chidambaram — scheduled to visit Assam shortly — is likely to discuss the Lampi issue with the government. Other officials who visited the locality included deputy secretary of Ministry of Home Affairs Ajay Kanojia and Deputy Commissioner and Superintendents of Police of both Kamrup rural and west Khasi Hills district. Kanojia said both the governments of Assam and Meghalaya are making efforts to resolve the boundary disputes. Besides, people of both the communities submitted a memorandum to the government. The Khasi people want the government to set up a police outpost of Meghalaya police for their security and safety.

Dr. Barman says: “The decision of the Supreme Court will be regarded as the final regarding the border dispute. Police presence in the area has been increased and two new police posts have been set up in the area to maintain law and order.”

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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: An intriguing story of growth and envy

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Here to stay

2010-06-17T12:22:00.000+05:30

After being in news with Hrithik Roshan, Barbara Mori is all set to conquer the Hindi film industry with the “Baadshah” of Bollywood, Shah Rukh Khan. She was introduced to Shah Rukh and Gauri Khan by the Roshans and was floored by their hospitality. In fact, she wishes to work with SRK as the lead actor in future. This Mexican beauty doesn’t consider herself much of a dancer. In fact, a Bollywood style dance sequence was shot with Barbara but was later deleted as it didn’t turn out well. And we thought all Latinos moved like a dream!

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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: An intriguing story of growth and envy

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CWG 2010 - Delhi is game for all

2010-06-16T12:15:00.000+05:30

Apart from planning education initiatives, the govt is issuing clear guidelines to tour operators

PK Tripathi

Principal Secretary, Tourism, Delhi Govt

India has been in the news of late because of the upcoming Commonwealth Games that are to be held in October this year. Most of this publicity stems from news reports highlighting the tardiness in the preparations for the Games. I would like to make it very clear that we are not late. We should understand that weather conditions don’t permit you to be ready in advance. Imagine how the stadiums would look if they were ready by now. We would have had to rework on everything. The actual targets were set with a pessimist view, keeping in mind the numerous roadblocks like getting clearances from a number of authorities.

India is a democratic state and provides freedom to its press, which is why the media has managed to create such a hue and cry over the delay in the preparations. China too faced similar issues in the months leading up to the Olympics Games but strict impositions on the media ensured nothing negative was highlighted. The government has to manage various departments and this can only be achieved when all the authorities work in synchronisation. The government’s plan to make Delhi an ideal tourism destination can be achieved by regulating various bodies and providing ample safety measures for tourists and the people of this city. In fact, the government, in tandem with the national tourism department, is planning to issue a list of dos and don’ts for tourists during the Commonwealth Games.

To tackle the issue of security and to provide convenience and instant information to tourists, the Delhi Tourism Board in association with MCD is planning to set up kiosks at stadiums, stations, airports, shopping malls and game sites. Tourists should be able to enjoy their stay in the city and other parts of the country peacefully and without the fear of being troubled or harassed. One must also realise that India is not the only country in the world where tourists are subjected to harassment. Tourists are soft targets everywhere. In fact, even Indians travelling abroad face the same problems. The intensity of the crime perhaps differs in different countries. On the other hand, one cannot deny that the problems tourist face have increased and become quite a menace in recent times. A common myth here is that a white-skinned person is rich and willing to pay any amount demanded of him for anything. In order to stop such incidents, the government is working toward norms that can be easily implemented and executed by everyone.

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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: An intriguing story of growth and envy

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‘Delays are part of huge deals’

2010-06-15T11:32:00.000+05:30

Air Chief Marshal (retd) Fali Homi Major talks to Mayank Singh

What do you have to say about the delay in acquisitions?

There is no other way and it is bound to happen. We need to understand that these are important transactions and huge money is involved. Plus, there is the issue of international politics and foreign relations. Extensive and rigorous trials are also required before India makes up her mind.

By when do you foresee the Air Force at its optimum level?

By 2022, we will be completing our modernisation process with all kind of acquisitions getting completed.

What is your analysis about the way the MMRCA deal is going?

See, the more the competition, the wider the choice we get. The role of the air force is to pick the best.

What is your analysis about the competition for MMRCA?

It’s going to be an extremely difficult call. Only after the rigorous trials are completed, we will get a clear picture. It is not wise to speculate before that.

Do you believe the time of fighter pilot is coming to an end?

I don’t see that in the next 60 years. Whether it’s a drone or any other kind of machine, they cannot take last-minute decision.

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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: An intriguing story of growth and envy

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Cardiff calling!

2010-06-14T11:47:00.000+05:30

After the success of “3 Idiots”, while Aamir Khan and director Rajkumar Hirani got a roaring applause from the Indian audience, actress Kareena Kapoor’s rising popularity with the film has even landed her an invitation from the UK. So these days, Bebo isn’t spending time reading scripts, but is working on her script for the students of Cardiff University where she would give a talk about showbiz. The size zero actress’ life has been rocking since “Jab we Met” and well, it sure looks like Saif’s her lucky charm!

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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: An intriguing story of growth and envy

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Super-specialty medical facility for the poor

2010-06-11T12:30:00.000+05:30

Later the hospital shifted to the office premises of the NISCO (National Iron & Steel Company) union, where it started as a daily outdoor medical centre along with a minor operations unit. However, the clinic soon had to shift out of the CITU-affiliated NISCO union office.

In 1994, the hospital shifted to a dilapidated building of Grand Smithy, a subsidiary of Indo Japan. The workers converted the structure into a four-bedded hospital (two each for male and female patients) with due consent of the owner of the land and the district medical officer.

“Our initial capital was only Rs 40,000. So we purchased one tonne iron scrap and used it to manufacture beds, trolleys, operation tables and even a specialised orthopedic surgery table. The specialised table was manufactured in a record time of eight hours”, said Debasish Bhattacharjee, a former medical representative who is a Samiti volunteer.

“I was really amazed with their innovative gestures”, said B. Dasgupta, PA to of a former labour minister of the Left Front government. “They turned the headlights of automobiles into OT lights by placing those on the steering wheel. During those days, the media was vocal about disruptions in hospitals due to power cuts. But Shramajeevi Hospital never faced such a crisis as their OT lights were attached with AC/DC and a battery system.”

The journey was not as smooth as that may sound. The factory finally closed down in 1996. The laid-off workers ran from pillar to post for permission to keep the hospital going as a cooperative entity but to no avail. “Despite the government’s announced policy, we did not get the required support from the central cooperative,” Bhattacharjee said. Factory owners attacked the hospital with goons, backed by the police. They even dragged the patients out on G.T. Road and damaged the roof of the orthopedic ward. The Samiti earned a reprieve when the high court intervened.

Many of the general assistants in the hospital are ex-workers of the factory or their family members. They all work gratis. “None of the doctors or nurses is paid. They get a paltry amount for conveyance and refreshments. Yet they offer their best possible service for the hospital,” claimed Debashis Bhattacharjee.

And the beneficiaries are understandably happy. Outpatients pay only Rs 11 for registration. The hospital charges Rs 4,525 for gall bladder or laparoscopic operations. In other private hospitals, these surgeries run into five figures.

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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: An intriguing story of growth and envy

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‘Erase the line that divides us’

2010-06-08T12:07:00.000+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.

He was asked if the marriage of Sania Mirza and Shoaib Malik would establish peace in the subcontinent. Singh said tens of thousands of inter-marriages have taken place between the people of Sindh and Rajasthan. We need to work to have a situation similar to the one that existed prior to the 1965 war, he said. After the 1965 War, a Berlin Wall was erected between India and Pakistan; it needs to be demolished as soon as possible.

He pointed out that when he was the foreign minister of India, he proposed that there should be no city-wise visa. The constituency of peace needs to be pushed forward and the people of the subcontinent have to play their vital role in this regard, he said.

The Kashmir issue can be resolved only through talks; it was high time that there were good relations between India and Pakistan because peace would not prevail until there were good relations between the two countries, Singh maintained. We need continuous engagement if we want to resolve Kashmir issue. India, Pakistan and Bangladesh are unique and we should answer our questions ourselves instead of looking towards the West, he said.

He said that for an author, one's book was like a child and burning a book was like burning a child. Singh also shared his remorse over the extremist reaction caused by his book in India. They should have at least read the book before punishing me, he said.

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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: An intriguing story of growth and envy

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Rise of Ethical Gambling

2010-06-07T10:51:00.000+05:30

The recently opened Sands Casino at Marina Bay, Singapore seems to be a perfect 'Asian' answer to Las Vegas casinos. The USD 5.7 billion project by Las Vegas Sands Corporation is all set to become South-east Asia's new gambling and tourism hub. There's no doubt that the incumbent government is eyeing tourism as a source of revenue to foster Singapore’s development and growth plan. The Sands Casino will play a major role and go a long way in luring foreign tourists to Singapore. However, the casino is quite different from other traditional ones. Singapore's new casinos have taken steps to ensure that no permanent resident of the country gets addicted to gambling and loses his savings or earning. The Marina Bay Sands Casino, (the world's second most expensive casino) and Genting's Resorts World Casino at Sentosa is estimated to generate nothing less than USD 3.5 billion by next year. For the uninitiated, Las Vegas’ annual gambling revenue (thanks to their 37 casinos) stands at USD 6 billion while Macau’s 31 casinos collectively generate around $13 billion annually.

A cloud of apprehension, thanks to the new and upcoming casino culture, can be easily felt across the country. The Singapore government has put in place possible measures to contain such apprehensions and check the social-ills of the game. In order to discourage locals (the permanent residents) from going to the casinos often, the government has imposed an entry barrier of 100 Singaporean dollars (this allows them to stay inside the casino for 24-hours straight). Those suffering from bankruptcy are banned from entering the casinos. Another measure taken by its authorities to save families from the perils of this money-looting game, is to install free telephone connections where families can call and ask for their family member to be banned from entering and playing in the casino. There aren't any such severe restrictions on foreign tourists. However, under the National Council for Problem Gambling (NCPG), parents of adult foreign students studying in Singapore can apply for a family exclusion order, if they fear that the student can cause financial harm to the family because of gambling. Moreover, almost all casinos are part of integrated resorts, and thus no casinos can discreetly advertise themselves within Singapore but can only promote themselves as 'integrated resorts'.

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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: An intriguing story of growth and envy

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The great Indian graphic novel

2010-06-03T14:44:00.000+05:30

It was hard to fathom anything like the epic Mahabharata, until this – a graphic novel based on the Mahabharata. Indira Parthasarathy finds exciting times ahead for comic fans, even as she tries hard not to get lost in the semantics separating comics and graphic novels...

To be honest, I used to think graphic novels referred to the genre of books written by Dan Brown. All those symbols, codes, upside-down paintings, and then the triple exclamation marks… Disturbingly graphic.

Comics, I knew fairly well though; they, after all, are as integral to our childhood as bruised knees and summer vacations. "Chandamama" and "Amar Chitra Katha" (ACK) books were every preteen’s window to Indian history and mythology, before the television set us up. Remember mumbling invectives gleaned from Captain Haddock’s colourful vocabulary, or imagining our very own Asterix and Obelix – Chacha Chaudhary and Sabu – to the rescue, as the school bully sized you up. Those were the times I missed a Y-chromosome sibling most; also when I fancied some worthy opponent while indulging in Superman/Batman-like derring-do in the living room.

Comic or graphic novel, the nomenclature didn’t matter when Liquid Comics announced last month that the "Mahabharata" is to be reprised in comic book format by none other than Grant Morrison – the creator of "All Star Superman", "Batman and Robin", "The Invisibles" and other spectacular graphic tales. "18 Days" is set to hit stands (US markets) in August this year, but what’s new, one is wont to wonder, for aren’t we familiar with countless volumes of ACK dedicated to the seminal epic? Let Gotham Chopra (don’t miss the Batman reference in the spelling), co-founder of Liquid Comics convince you, “In a way, it honours those original ACK books, but also pushes the art in particular to a whole new level… (It) will capture the imagination of a global audience who is used to "The Dark Knight" and "Iron Man" and "Avatar".

Adds Sharad Devarajan, Liquid CEO, “'18 Days' takes one of the most enduring tales of the East and places it in the capable hands of Grant Morrison, one of the greatest storytellers of the West. Combined with the visual spectacle of Mukesh Singh's artwork, this is a book that goes beyond myth, beyond generations and beyond borders.”

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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: An intriguing story of growth and envy

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How to live their lives, where to work, whom to marry, etc.

2010-06-01T14:05:00.000+05:30

Cut to Deoband, a small town in western UP, famous for the Sunni Islamic seminary of Darul Uloom. The recent fatwa calling women working alongside men un-Islamic finds resonance among students and teachers here. A prominent Muslim cleric of international repute and the senior-most teacher of the Darul Uloom, Maulana Arshad Madni, says, “Every religion has specific guidelines for men and women which define what is allowed or disallowed for them to do. If any person asks what is permitted under his religion, then his religious head will guide him as per the teachings of that particular religion. As far as Islam is concerned, it prohibits neither men nor women from working but it has certain guidelines. If any Muslim is not following the guidelines, it does not mean that the person ceases to be a Muslim. However, he will surely be a sinner.”

But if Muslim women or 50 per cent of the Muslim people do not work, won’t that affect the economic condition of the community, he says, “In our country itself we still have separate schools for girls. So, if we can have institutions only for women then we can have workplaces exclusively for women too. As far as definition of progress is concerned, it is different for different people. For us, a good family unit and health of the society is more important than materialistic progress.”

He further added that most Muslims did not make an issue out of the fatwas. When asked whether there exist Islamic bodies which examine modern-day issues which find no mention in the Quran or the Hadiths like shares, eye and blood donation etc., he says, “We have such bodies in India which take stock of such issues and then take decisions.”

Justifying the recent fatwa, the president of All India Tanzeem Ulema-e-Hind, Syed Ahmed Khizar Shah Masoodi Kashmiri, says, “Islam gives equal rights to both men and women but also demarcates their domains which are important as well as inevitable to run a good system”. In support of his statement, Ahmed Khizar argues, “If both of us decide to build a house and both of us just start mixing sand and cement, then will we be able to build a house? Obviously not, because we need a labourer to do this mixing work and a specialist mason who will construct the house. In the same way, Islam has defined separate roles for men and women.”

However, TSI found that maulvis were not averse to using modern technology to issue fatwas. Muhammad Arshad Farooqui, chairman of Fatwa on Mobile Service, claims to use mobile for issuing speedy fatwas and says on an average at least five such fatwas are issued daily. He says he started this service three years back to save time and cost. “Most of the queries are regarding business, bank interest, shares, divorce and namaz,” he adds. At Darul Ifta (House of Fatwa), all records are maintained regarding fatwas. No mufti was ready to come on record but an official of Darul Uloom tells TSI on the condition of anonymity that about 30 to 35 fatwas are issued daily and about a thousand fatwas every month.

A senior cleric adds that Darul Ifta is not a court and neither a fatwa is a court ruling. So if a person does not adhere to a fatwa, it is not a crime. But since the widespread belief is that a fatwa is like a court ruling which has to be implemented at any cost, Khalid Ashraf, who teaches Urdu at Kirori Mal College, Delhi, opines that there is a need for Muslim religious leaders to introspect. He warns that continuing with this fatwa culture will darken the future of the community. He further adds that modern education is the only weapon to challenge such orthodox thinking and that Muslims should come out in the open against such clerics. “It is not a question of introspection but looking at things more realistically,” he concludes.

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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: An intriguing story of growth and envy

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

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Family ties unearthed!

2010-05-03T11:06:00.001+05:30

What’s common between Madonna and Ellen DeGeneres? One is a dancer, the other likes to dance; one is a legendary pop singer while the other is a judge at the “American Idol”. Closer scrutiny reveals that the two were born in the same year and both of them have also penned books. Genealogy researchers at Ancestry.com though have come up with the most shocking connection between the two yet – Martin Aucoin, their 10th great grandfather! That’s right Madonna and Ellen are 11th cousins! Martin’s two daughters apparently left France and settled in Nova Scotia, and while Ellen’s family left Canada in late 1700s, Madonna’s family relocated in late 1870s. Wonder if others in this family tree are equally talented…

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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: An intriguing story of growth and envy

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Her own woman

2010-04-30T11:45:00.000+05:30

Right from her evocative, sensitive and moving cinematic essay on loneliness, fleeting joys and heartbreak of an Anglo-Indian spinster (“36 Chowringhee Lane”) to her last, a dramatic, powerful, even cathartic take on the life and time of a schizophrenic (“15 Park Avenue”) which incidentally fetched her yet another prestigious National Award), film-maker Aparna Sen has consciously continued to hit the road, less travelled. More “humanist” than “feminist”, her leitmotif/themes – loneliness, primal truths, emotionally, mentally, physically challenged – resonate with a universality that engages, enriches and empower in one glorious sweep. Her latest film – “The Japanese Wife” – promises to be yet another masterpiece from this amazing story-teller. In this exclusive interview with Monojit Lahiri, Aparna Sen lays it on the line…

First things first. Contrary to a belief in some circles that “The Japanese Wife” (TJW) marks a total departure from her earlier work, the Director Sahiba is at pains to explain that this is not so. “Loneliness defines the persona of at least 3 – the man, the Japanese wife and the widow who takes shelter in his house – of the 5 main characters of the film. However, it is different in one aspect – it is not my story but somebody (Kunal Basu) else’s”. She admits to being completely blown and bowled over, (during a casual narration by the author) by this amazingly unusual love story about a cross-cultural marriage between two people who never actually meet or see each other! “It was so cinematic, held such scope for great, exciting visuals that it really got to me! The sheer improbability of it all, the magical innocence and the pristine love that colours the storyline – in a world constantly confronted with mindless violence and mockery of basic human values – really fascinated me. Right there and then I warned him that he dare not give the story to anyone because I was going to translate it to a feature film”. She laughs. “He sweetly and charmingly agreed, instantly. Fact is, he was familiar with my work and I guess, knew that I would take pains to capture the essence and spirit of the story in its entirety with the required sensitivity, truth and power without distorting it”.

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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: An intriguing story of growth and envy

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

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