Friday, November 30, 2012

Gotta stay longa' in tonga

Located in the South Pacific, the Kingdom of Tonga is one of the most picturesque and pure of the Pacific Island nations. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a new visitor or one of those old travellers re-visiting; the sheer liveliness of this place is definitely going to get you glued here for at least a good week. Nestled between the Fiji, Samoa and the Cook Islands, Tonga is the heart of the most happening holidays you would ever want to go for.

If you’re a party person then Tonga is the perfect place to be as it gets you the most happening parties you could ever go to. But if partying is just not your thing, then simply hit one of those deserted beaches and enjoy the waves hitting the shore while you sip on a refreshing coconut juice. Water-sport lovers have a host of activities – ranging from exhilarating dive trip to surfing, kayaking and canoeing – on this wonderful island. Tonga, for you information, is not just about parties, and beaches only. There are a whole lot of things of interest to any tourist in Tonga. So how about heading towards Mapu’a ‘a Vaca Blowholes just to see what the place has in store for you? Stretched over a 5 km range along the south shore of Tongatapu, these geyser-like fountains which shoot up as high as 98 ft are formed when maximum amount of seawater goes up through natural vents in the coral limestone. ‘Mapu’a ‘a Vaca’ meaning ‘Chief’s Whistles’ are definitely one of the most famous attractions in the whole Kingdom of Tonga, making it the most visited sight in the whole of the archipelago. Thinking where to go next, then make a quick visit to Mu’a, an archaeological sight containing one of the richest archaeological remnants of Tonga. The place boasts of nearly 28 royal stone tombs (15 are monumental) and are built with enormous limestone slabs carried by canoes either from nearby sights like Pangaimotu or from far away sights like Futuna. One of the interesting structures of Mu’a is the ‘Langi Namoala’ which has a fine example of ‘fonualoto’ which means ‘vault for a corpse’ on top. It was said that the vault was the burial site of a female chief but is now surprisingly empty.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Thursday, November 29, 2012

Build, operate, lease, tarnished!

How road construction projects have got affected due to stupidity

The enduring inflation is not only preoccupying the finance ministry but also hampering India’s growth story. General road construction project cost has jumped by almost Rs.1 crore for every kilometre due to the rise in input cost by 25%. This is mainly due to the rise in prices of steel and cement. Interestingly, inflation is not what is killing road development. For example, the government’s decision to liberalise international borrowing norms for companies will allow construction companies to raise credit up to $500 million. This may to a large extent fulfil India’s infrastructure investment demand of Rs.7,91,000 crore. This liberal dual-beneficial commercial borrowing will help companies to raise funds and fight inflation as well. What in reality is playing truant is allocation of funds. As per local municipalities, sufficient funds are not allotted to meet their demands and needs. The authorities need to understand that these frequent delays are hampering the growth story beyond calculation. The 5,846-km-long golden quadrilateral highways have already gone Rs.12,000 crores in excess. Projects under JNURM [that are largely affected] have the potential to revive urban India but are becoming bureaucratic hells.

One needs to learn from Public Private Partnership models like used in airports privatisation, telecommunications et al. Public projects needs to be modified and twisted to suite the public-private model. This will ensure projects meet deadlines and budget without compromising on quality! Sadly, in India, any world-class model is either criticised ad nauseum or is simply disregarded as a one-off wonder!


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Raj unleashes 'Goonda' Raj

MNS's demonisation outside Maharashtra may consolidate its votes

An egotist nephew walks out of his clan frustrated that the nepotistic patriarch would prefer his son as his successor come what may. He burns with rage to prove his political prowess. When he writes (or someone else does it for him) he talks of strategies that Congresses across the world have employed. First hand lessons in politics (of hate) from his uncle are embedded deep within him. He knows that ‘insiders’ vote when ‘outsiders’ are demonised. He swiftly identifies the ‘bhaiya’ outsiders. The strategy works! He hits the headlines on TV, is highly popular on the Internet, is spoken about (read against) in the courts & corridors of power. Having demanded apologies from the greatest Indian movie star, he emerges as a pan-Indian hate symbol.

Raj Thackeray, the nephew of Balasaheb Thackeray knows how to play his cards. The Bombay High Court slammed the Maharashtra Police on September 25 for failing to take an action against him. A modern day Tughlaq that the Maharashtra government has allowed him to be, he ordered that all the sign boards in the global city to be changed into a language that he has known ever since he wore his first pair of knickers. The 'don'-ish order was largely followed. Later, a trader’s body approached the Court bringing that reprimanded the Maharashtra Police. Signboard makers may decide to work free for Raj when he contests the upcoming assembly elections. But then accepting his dictats may jeopardise Maharashtra's image. Assembly elections in Maharashtra are scheduled for next year. As far as poll history goes, Thackeray won 35 seats in 10 municipal corporations in February 2007. He is now a formidable power waiting to make a bigger killing. Prominent voices in Maharashtra oppose Thackeray’s tactics, albeit with a cautious approach. “Mumbai is a cosmopolitan city.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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ISRAEL: ELECTIONS

There are tremendous expectations from the new Kadima Chief; will she be a hawk or a dove?

She shall also have to understand that Israel cannot afford manifesting the divide between Fatah & Hamas as some of her predecessors relished doing. Also, she has to understand that Hamas is a reality and she shall have to take them in confidence in order to achieve a long-lasting peace. Palestinians will like her to stop and reverse the process of Jewish settlements in the occupied territories.

The spread of West Bank settlements – accelerating this year despite the talks – undermines Israel’s claim that it is serious for peace. Then there are Israel''s perpetual problems with Iran. Though a US-Iran clash seems unlikely, speculations are rife that Israel may take a unilateral action against Iran. Livni, a pragmatist will need to counter the pressures from hardliners to repeat the actions her country took against Iraq and Syria. Livni knows that a slight flare-up on this front may “obliterate” a good portion of the globe.

It can be safely said that Tziporah Livni’s name is as ambiguous as her traits. Tziporah means “little bird” in Hebrew. What we don’t know is that whether this little bird will turn out to be a hawk with claws or a gentle dove. 


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Tuesday, November 27, 2012

He leaves behind much more than a defeated dictator in Iraq

He may be the most unpopular president in modern times: a reckless, unilateralist cowboy. But history will be kinder to George W. Bush than contemporary caricatures. After eight years, he leaves behind much more than a defeated dictator in Iraq. Closer ties to India, a pragmatic relationship with China, and the pressure he applied to Iran will pay dividends for years to come. By David Frum

Now, the values shared by the United States and India may emerge as the most important geopolitical fact of this century. Other foreign-policy legacies of the Bush years include signing of new bilateral trade agreements, the world’s first convention on cybercrime, the wise decision to give Hugo Chávez enough rope to hang himself, and the continued successful management of the US-China relationship. Conversely, if Iran is allowed to follow N. Korea into the nuclear weapons club, it could well be the failure to act against the other two thirds of the “axis of evil,” not the willingness to act in Iraq, that’ll be regarded as the most important decision of the Bush years.

“the iraq war has made america less safe”
Prove it. In the two decades leading up to Bush’s presidency, the United States and its allies were struck by a rising number of increasingly ambitious, aggressive, and deadly terrorist attacks. The hijacking of TWA Flight 847 in 1985. The Berlin disco bombing in 1986. The Buenos Aires bombings in 1992 and 1994. The assassination of Kurdish exiles in Berlin in 1992. The World Trade Centre bombing in 1993. The Paris subway bombings in 1995. The plots to attack New York monuments & Pacific Ocean jetliners in 1995. The Khobar Towers bombing in 1996. The East Africa embassy bombings in 1998. The USS Cole in 2000. And 9/11.

Now compare that with the period since the invasion of Iraq. Since 2003, former state sponsors of terrorism have behaved much more cautiously. Libya, for instance, has retired from the business altogether. Where terrorism has existed outside the Middle East, it has steadily declined in both effectiveness and sophistication. The Madrid bombing of 2004 was less sophisticated than 9/11. The London subway bombings in 2005 were less sophisticated than Madrid. And the plots foiled in Germany, in Canada, and at Heathrow Airport in the summer of 2006 were all less sophisticated than the London bombings.

The US homeland has enjoyed almost complete immunity from acts of international terrorism, and the plots that have come to light have been reassuringly amateurish in their conception and attempted execution. Even in the Islamic heartland, terrorism is waning. Abu Musab al-Zarqawi’s attack on a wedding at a Jordanian hotel in 2005 soured Arab Middle Easterners on the al Qaeda movement. Al Qaeda’s commanders in Iraq have publicly acknowledged that their bloodthirsty tactics have alienated local residents—and left their movement in dire straits. It would be absurd to attribute this improving trend line solely to President George Bush. But it would be equally absurd to deny that things are now improving.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Sunday, November 25, 2012

Which ‘part’ do you like?

Led by huge demand, the Indian auto components sector is all set for a glorious future

The auto components industry could be the next big thing for India after software, pharmaceuticals and BPO. Sounds astounding?! Digest this: As per the automotive mission plan 2016, the auto industry plans to attain a domestic turnover of $145 billion by 2016 and provide more than 25 million jobs. So, with such huge plans it’s only natural to expect a parallel growth rate for the industry if not more.

Certainly the auto components industry has been one of the fastest growing (at a CAGR of 20% since 2000) manufacturing sectors in India. In fact FY 2007-08 saw the industry soar with exports crossing the $4-billion mark and investments touching new highs ($7.2 billion). What more, the industry experts estimate the global sourcing of components from India to double from the current $2.95 billion to $5.9 billion in 2008-09, and touch $20 billion by 2015 (ACMA)! All thanks to the escalating demand from both within India, and overseas. “Indian auto component industry is today emerging as one to be reckoned with. With more & more global auto majors setting up manufacturing facilities in India the industry is poised to grow,” N. K. Minda, MD, N. K. Minda Group, a leading component manufacturer tells B&E. Certainly, it’s because of these factors the domestic auto components industry is heading for a whopping 18% growth in the near future. Even the export market is estimated to reach $2.7 billion by the year 2010 (ACMA). However, what is more striking is the fact that exports to OEMs and tier I suppliers now constitute over 75% of total exports as against a mere 35% in the early 1990s.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Saturday, November 24, 2012

Finally, the right brew?

Lavazza’s attempts to gain synergies from Barista seem to be working well so far

Just as Indians developed a growing passion for eating out, they have also developed a phenomenal penchant for coffee. The land of tea drinkers has indeed created an exorbitant café market of Rs.8 billion (according to Technopak Advisors) and the organised coffee chain in the urban market is growing at a breakneck 35% per annum. It is no surprise that the organised coffee chain has been brewing hot over the past few years. But interestingly, successive owners of Barista have failed to take the heat.

The company has been through three changes in ownership in a time span of just six years, and four CEO changes in a time span of five years. A coffee chain started by Amit Judge of Turner Morrison, Barista was sold off to Sterling Infotech Group (65% stake for Rs.300 million) and to the Tatas (remaining 35%). Maverick NRI businessman – C. Sivasankaran, who owned Sterling Infotech, has a penchant for acquiring companies but no intention to hold them for the long run; even the Tatas. So the Tatas sold off their stake to Sterling and finally Sterling sold it to Italian coffee major Lavazza.

“The Indian coffee market today is emerging as one of the biggest markets in Asia. We wanted to be here and our research team indicted that Barista is the best,” announces Dan D. Labar, President, Barista Coffee Co. Ltd. The market buzz is that Lavazza injected a cool $120 million in Barista for the acquisitions, though Labar refuses to officially comment.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Thursday, November 22, 2012

WORLD FOOD CRISIS: EXPORT BANS

Food production across the world is higher than in the past two years; but export bans worsen the crisis

Fear and greed are two factors that are forcing many nations to keep food grains in their warehouses rather than bringing the same to the world market. This is creating a demand supply gap, which is raising prices to unnatural highs, a situation that could well sound the death knell for the poor in Asia and Africa who spend around 50-80% of their income on food. Media reports now reveal that food riots have already caused unrest in over 30 countries including Bolivia, Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia et al. The situation is getting worse for the United Nations World Food Programme (UNWFP), which is fighting a clearly losing battle to provide food to more than 850 million estimated hungry people worldwide.

And the clear culprit is the concept of export ban, which is currently being exercised in more than 10 countries around the world; and this has also resulted in the cutting off of aid given to destitute people who mainly depend on UNWFP for their daily meal. The good news is that food production this year is expected to be better than in the last two years. But food prices have risen 83% in the last three years. And the ADB warns that, despite production increase, if the export bans are not taken away immediately, the crisis would necessarily worsen! Till then, get your appendix in order; they say the organ could help the human body in digesting grass. Oh, by the way, grass tastes better with pepper, eh!


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Tripping on philanthropic travel!

More and more people are tripping on philanthropic travel!

In India it would still take time for a concept like philanthropic travel to emerge. Says Mr. Krishna Pujari of Reality Tours and Travel, “The idea of philanthropic travel is not even known to people in India. Having an abundance of wild life and being known for its culture and heritage, eco-tourism and eco-cultural tourism are fairly popular though.” He also added, “India, in a way, benefits from such kinds of tours that foreigners make to our country. Such a concept exists in places like US and maybe Europe, because those people have an inclination to learn about people of different countries.” But is that the only reason why India is in the list of such destinations? Does India’s poverty-struck population and economic condition also play a role? “I have seen numerous people from different countries come to India, not for the purpose of visiting but to extend help. They either do so by charity or by lending their services by getting involved with hospitals, health-care centres and NGOs dedicated to the well-being of women and children. This is indeed good social service as a lot of funds in the form of donations are collected,” explained Mr. Pujari.

At present, India remains an attractive destination for philanthropic travellers. Will Indians be guests in other countries and get involved in philanthropic travelling? “Not immediately, but it has a strong scope for gaining momentum in India too...” comes the positive reply from Mr. Krishna Pujari...


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Tuesday, November 20, 2012

FARC: CHANGE IN LEADERSHIP

After loss of key leaders FARC is skeptical about peace agreement

Reyes was a key negotiator in the recent efforts by Hugo Chavez to release some of the Colombian hostages held by FARC. There is a valid reason to believe that Uribe killed Reyes to thwart the chances of Ingrid Betancourt getting released. Were she to be released, Uribe would likely come under international pressure to grant FARC political status and it could bring a change in the political status quo of Colombia. Bernard Aronson, a top Latin America diplomat and a Hispanic affairs expert, comments, “There is nothing that can be negotiated with a terrorist group that is only interested in ransom. The FARC discarded long ago its leftist political and ideological agenda." Many leftists of Latin America distance themselves from the FARC because of the means it has adopted. The seizure of political power through guerrilla warfare is impossible unless it commands enormous popular support in the country. And FARC has sustained on its guerrilla strategy. If only the FARC heeds to the words of Chavez, peace will at least have some chance .


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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UNITED KINGDOM: TERROR

UK is fast turning into a hub of international terrorism

Security analysts fear that even the best intelligence and policing will not be able to prevent some terror modules from carrying out another horrifying attack.

Most of the terror recruits have origins in South Asia, particularly Pakistan. New recruits with British passports are being regularly sent to training camps in Pakistan. Fed with a strong diet of hatred against the West, these British passport holders present the biggest security hazard to England. Now, the virtual civil war in Somalia is adding new members to the ‘hate Britain tribe’.

Most analysts agree that the current Prime Minister Gordon Brown had a thankless task trying to clean up the foreign policy mess left behind by Blair. Can brown handle this one?


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Sunday, November 18, 2012

Fight More, Create Growth...

Godrej’s success in FMCG will depend a lot on its push strategy

Guess what Adi Godrej (Chairman of the Rs.75 billion Godrej Group) is eying these days? The Rs.450 billion Indian FMCG industry. This was visible when he revealed his plan on April 26, 2008 to garner Rs.80 billion from the FMCG sector by 2012. So what’s his contention? “Last year, food was driving the FMCG sector, but this year there will be growth in all segments of FMCG, the highest among all the other sectors,” reasons Adi. With an aggressive profit growth target of 25-30% ahead of him, he’s coupling a brand makeover exercise with a plan to roll-out oodles of products from Godrej’s stable. Sources from the company also confirm that Godrej has set its eyes on foreign acquisitions during 2008. The multi- billion dollar question is: will just portfolio expansion & M&As make the day for Godrej?

There is a rough patch on its path, though, as analysts argue that as compared to others, Godrej has missed out on supporting its new launches with 360 degree promotion in the past. However, with a budget of Rs.1 billion per year for ‘big’ promotional activities hereon (like a logo change), Godrej wants to make up for years lost. Also, assuming its acquisitions to be healthy (like Rapidol, which contributes to 20% of its turnover), Godrej could spring surprises to its competitors.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Stop elephant poaching

Stop elephant poaching – the state will be doing it anyway in South Africa

To be subjecting a society like theirs to a cull can be traumatising and is certainly not recommended. Besides,” Sukumar explains, “our ecological systems are dynamic in nature. For us to assume the carrying capacity of the land and conclude that x number of elephants in y area is ideal, is unrealistic estimation.”

The debate goes back to the 50s and 60s when relative abundance of elephants resulted in clearing up of woodlands into grasslands. Gradually the jumbos were pushed into smaller and smaller pockets of habitat, where the increasing density of the animals made it difficult for vegetation to replenish at a proportional rate, setting off the spiel on ‘over-population’. “Now, what if there was a drought like the one in Tsavo National Park, wiping out the numbers that we condescend to spare in the cull,” Sukumar reminds us of Nature’s ways of checks and balances. In 1970, a particularly dry period seared dead much of the flora and fauna in the area, establishing the eternal efficacy of Natural Selection as a tool to restore ecological equilibrium, over any man-made “toolbox of options” as Minister Marthinus Van Schalkwyk made sound of in his policy statement.

While India has yet to find itself in such a quandary to date, South Africa claims to have learnt its lessons from the last cull, promising to adhere to a “culling plan… with the assistance of (…) a recognised elephant management specialist.” What remains to be understood is that no amount of jargon can disguise the doom inked for the benign beasts, or reason the meddling with the concerns of the already weary Mother Nature.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Senior Congress leaders redfaced

They had not done their homework properly for the Hubli tour
 
The young AICC general secretary seemed never to tire of cracking the whip at senior Congressmen who had accompanied him on the tour, unmindful that the junior party functionaries were listening on. The Karnataka Pradesh Youth Congress Committee president Krishna Byregowda and Congress Committee president Mallikarjun Kharge had a particularly humiliating time with Rahul Gandhi on the third day of the Dharwad tour. Kharge couldn’t even interact with the NTTF students, and as if this weren’t bad enough, he was kept waiting a full 15 minutes at the gate. He was finally rescued by former minister R. V. Deshpande, who prevailed upon Rahul to tell SPG that they should let the man in. In keeping with the dynastic norm none would of course admit any of it; but their red faces said it all, saying merely, "It happens, it happens.”

Rahul did not appear in the least pleased by his “interactive” session with “select” Youth Congress workers in Hubli who, to give the young Gandhi his due, were repeatedly caught fumbling when asked precisely what organisational work was under way in their areas. However, the young Gandhi enjoyed his interaction with the tribals and youth, a large number of whom had gathered to welcome him.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Friday, November 9, 2012

MUSLIM SOCIETY: EMPOWERNMENT

However, not all Muslim clerics are happy; some have already slammed it

Some Muslim women have frowned on it, saying it failed to address triple talaq, polygamy and the marriage of minors. “The model nikahnama does put together some guidelines, but makes none of these mandatory,” said AIMWPLB President Shaista Amber. This was where it grossly erred. The new code rejects talaq through SMS, e-mail and phone and video conferencing. According to it, talaq, to be valid, needed to be spread over three months to give the couple time to reflect and review. It has a 17-point hidayatnama (Shariat marriage guidelines) and an 8-point section on the talaq process.

Under it, any forceful nikah is unacceptable. It also forbids dowry, thus “maintaining the equipoise,” according to Amber, who has been warmly endorsed by Zeenat Shoukat Ali, Chairperson of Wisdom Foundation. 


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Thursday, November 8, 2012

Serious disadvantage

The top-20% take everything away & in turn leave the bottom 80% with nothing, forever placing them at a serious disadvantage. In a democracy like ours, if this does not get upturned, the budget loses its essential quintessence...

It is an open secret that nothing like that has ever happened, as then the state of affairs would not have been as miserable as it stands today. Post independence, Union Budgets have always been a low key affair (relatively speaking!); but then, all this had gone in for a complete image makeover since 1991 when our current Prime Minister and then Finance Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, made budget a platform to announce economic reforms packages. Then onwards, each and every gentleman from North Block has tried his best to blatantly utilise this platform to gain political mileage, to such an extent that the budget at times delivered reckless policy packages, only appeasing the ruling political party’s stakeholders, with no concern to the vast majority. As a result, over the years, the budget, which ideally should put up with serious stock taking exercise(s), has been reduced to a weak document with persuasive political overtones.

What is amazing is the manner in which Finance Ministers, over the years, have been baselessly allocating invaluable financial resources, which are hard earned tax payers’ money, to earn brownie points from a few sections in connivance with popular media!! In fact, over the last few budgets, it became all the more evident that various budgetonomics of almost all FMs were more to gratify select top sections of the society. This can be corroborated by the fact that in almost all pre-budget talks and consultations, the FM talks to the big corporate and industry associations and rarely to any social watch group and representative of budget advocacy organisations. It’s very clear that the society and social sector representatives are not asked for any significant input or invited for active participation in either pre-budget discussions or textual proposals. The whole concept of budget for aam adami is nothing but a big farce, which has got lost somewhere in the crowd of big lobbyists. Consider this: The manner in which the fertilizer policy has been structured is simply to allow companies to profit, and not farmers in anyway. The resultant economic packages (that aim at reducing the budget deficit) have been consequently reducing the social sector allocations and expenditures.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face
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