Some Like It...Chilled!!

Monojit Lahiri examines the reason behind Bollywood’s – and audiences – new fascination for the Horror Film!
MONOJIT LAHIRI | Issue Dated: June 21, 2013, New Delhi
Tags : Bollywood | Horror films | Bees Saal Baad | Gumnaan | Ramsay Brothers | Raaz | Darna Zaroori Hai |


Close your eyes and go back to your childhood – a winter night securely tucked in bed with cuddly warm blankets, one small bed lamp and your favourite grandmom narrating a ghost story that sent shivers of excitement and fear of the unknown that still stays with you! Why? What is it about the ghost story, the paranormal and the horror tale that is so seductive, enticing and thrillingly scary that its an all-consuming virus?  Irrespective of age, gender or social strata, this brand remains a matchless, unbeatable must-hear/read/watch!

In Bollywood, the horror film has mostly been a sub-brand/genre, receiving neither the attention nor the respect given to other mainstream fare.  It was a niche category for a niche audience, sometimes cutting loose to register a big success.  Film historians believe that the 1949 Ashok Kumar-Madhubala starrer Mahal was the first really scary movie emerging from Bollywood.  Other super-duper successes between the 40’s and the 60’s include Bees Saal Baad, Gumnaam and Bhoot Bangla.  In the 70’s Ramsay Brothers – who were to own this space – unleashed Do Guz Zameen Ke Neeche.  Raj Kumar Kohli swooped in, blending horror with fantasy with Nagin and later Jaani Dushman. Darwaza, Jaadu Tona, Aur Kaun, Saboot, Gehraiyee, Red Rose, Guest House followed.  The 80’s came with their own horror stories – Ramsay Brothers’ Puraana, Saamri, Veerana, Tahkhana, Dak Bangla, Puraani Haveli, Shaitan Ilaaka, Bandh Darwaza.  Interestingly the products of the 80’s relied less on ghosts and more on titillating/sex scenes.

In Hollywood, Psycho, The Omen, The Exorcist, The Shining were big-time chiller-thrillers along with hit TV American shows like The Vampire Dairies, True Blood, Fear Files and Haunted Nights, categorically proving that there is a huge vacant spot in our psyche that is reserved for cinematic encounters of the spooky kind!  In other words, paying money to be terrified is the name of the game!

What do these movies – and genre – offer that is so special and unique?  Psychologists insist that it has to do largely with the aphrodisiac called fear!  They believe it is about making forays into our curiosity about the unknown which has always been a territory where trespassers can enter only at their own risk.  This fear makes them uneasy and on the edge and this sparks the excitement!  Its like a roller-coaster ride, a terrifying scream-fest that you wouldn’t miss for anything, right?  Its like that indescribable anticipatory build-up to that ‘bang’ moment that you are so desperate to experience, when buying the ticket to the film.  Iconic storyteller of this genre, Stephen King, believes that “horror movies provide psychic relief because outright madness is extended so rarely to us.”  Closer home, psychiatrist Dr. Harish Shetty reckons “the grotesque fantasy of a human being is entwined with his vicarious pleasures and then the visuals and sound effects all put together results in a heart-pounding suspense that is irresistible – be it a TV show or movie.”

In year 2013, while we are continents away from the Ramsay brand – dilapidated, haunted mansions, creaking doors, spider webs and eerie background score –sophisticated and new-age updates in this genre keep haunting us!  Some recent examples are Ragini MMS (inspired by the 2007 American supernatural horror film Paranormal Activity) which went down so well with audiences that it reportedly recovered its costs within two days of its release!  Haunted (a 3D horror film), Ram Gopal Verma’s Bhoot, Kaal, 13B, Bipasha-starrer Raaz, Verma’s Darna Zaroori Hai and later Darling followed.  Very recently, the Nitin Mukesh-Sonal Chauhan starrer 3G, Bipasha-Nawaz Siddiqui starrer Aatma and Ek Thi Daayan have joined the list.

When you pull back and see the big picture, you realise that this genre is definitely an idea whose time has come. Bollywood is forever looking for new buttons to push, cash cows to milk and themes to invade that get the moolah. 

Read more......

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2013.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri

and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles

IIPM’s Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri – A Man For The Society….
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM makes business education truly global
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman

ExecutiveMBA

Shifting your focus to match customer needs

It is critical for organisations to adopt a scientific approach to understanding how they can meet customer needs, and to firmly ingrain a customer-focused culture throughout the organisation

We have often heard the phrase, “Customer is king”. While it is self-evident that higher satisfaction levels give a company an edge over sales, company growth and reputation, what it really does in the long term is to ensure that existing customers stay happy, resulting in better relationships and happier employees. Customer-focused companies are more attuned to the market and better able to stay ahead.

I refer to Harley-Davidson’s customer focused culture as one of the best in the world. It is the longest, continuous manufacturer of motorcycles in the US and has outlived nearly all of its competitors. In the twenty short years since Harley-Davidson started its Owners Group programs, it has grown to over 500,000 members & each of them own at least one motorcycle. The question to ask is: Is there any other consumer product in the world that will prompt customers to travel over several continents to be part of a group experience? Customers and employees alike take great pride in their affiliation with the company and this continues to make Harley-Davidson one of the great success stories of our time.

There is simply nothing – nothing – more important than getting to know the needs of your customer in a detailed and scientific manner. In the words of Michael Dell, “By spending time with your customers where they do business, you can learn more than by bringing them to where you do business”.

80% of companies believe they deliver a superior customer experience; however, only 8% of their customers agree. Why? Your customers are looking for maximum value when spending their hard-earned cash, particularly in this economy. The customer experience requires the active participation of everyone in your organization. This is where the word “Satisfy” comes into play. What it means is that your company is providing nothing more or less than what the customer expects. Creating a customer-focused culture is a proven strategy for both short-term success and long-term growth.

Going by the industry’s best practices, let me share with you some key insights into what will really work for you or your company.

1. Make a list of the values you’d like your company to exemplify. Then, examine your current culture, and ask yourself if those values are apparent in your company and driving your everyday efforts. 2. Before you can convince your company’s end customers of your focus on satisfaction and service, you need to convince an even more important customer audience – your internal customers – the employees who represent your company to the world. Talk with all your employees about corporate values and ask for input and suggestions. 3. Customer focused companies constantly seek and document feedback. They have a system to analyze and feed this information back into the loop so that response is immediate and not an annual feat 4. A strong customer orientation also demands that the company treats customer complaints positively. They not only make toll-free numbers and helpdesks available, but also staff it with knowledgeable people to work on them. 5. This means that they get back to these customers within an acceptable time frame So how does one tell if the customer is truly on your side? Most companies survey their customers in some way, shape or form – formally or informally. After decades of forms, interviews and focus groups, studies have shown that in gauging a particular customer’s overall satisfaction, a single question is needed to provide a fairly accurate answer: “Would you recommend us to your family, friends and colleagues?” If the answer is “Yes,” you are meeting or exceeding that customer’s expectations; if it’s “No”, it’s time to get to work.

Read more....

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2013.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri

and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

 

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles

IIPM Global Exposure
IIPM Best B School India
IIPM B-School Detail
IIPM Links
IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face

BBA Institute

29 suitors, 1 tuxedo

RBI should have 29 different interest rates for 29 different states based on their growth patterns and the globally-practised Taylor’s law

The RBI’s interest rate fixing in India is a scattershot approach, which assumes that the country is uniform, which is not the case in reality. A uniform interest rate, therefore, is a wasteful proposition in a country that varies from the prosperity of Punjab to the utter neglect and backwardness of Tripura – both economically and socially. Progressive states like Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have high per capita income, low level of hunger, better infrastructure and low poverty rate, thus inspiring confidence in the minds of investors. On the other hand, states like Orissa, Rajasthan, Bihar, et al find it difficult to attract investment. In this light, the current system of blanket interest rate/lending rate is clearly out of sync.

Instead of implementing a uniform pan-India interest rate, the RBI must impose higher interest rates in states that offer business opportunities to investors on a platter and offer discounted rates for investors opting to invest in regions that are still not progressive. Gujarat is another manufacturing power house, but unlike Punjab, it is an industrialized economy with a very high growth rate and should attract higher interest rate from RBI. If we focus on the growth trend line among these states, we figure out that between 2006-07 and 2011-12, Haryana (growth rate between 17.1% and 21.66%), Tamil Nadu (growth rate between 12.98% and 20.44%), and Maharashtra (growth rate between 11.39% and 20.38%) are among the forerunners of the country’s growth trajectory. Thus, RBI should push up the lending rates in proportion to the growth pattern in these states.

On the other side are middle income states like Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and West Bengal. Andhra Pradesh is mainly driven by agriculture (even though there is a considerable concentration of IT and manufacturing units in and around Hyderabad), Kerala is driven by agriculture and tourism, while West Bengal is languishing with hundreds of sick manufacturing units. These states are mainly agriculture-based, where high interest rates can further exacerbate the problems that they face. Even though Andhra Pradesh and Kerala had a decent run in growth with 2011-12 growth rates being 14.82% and 17.94% respectively, they have some distance to go to catch up with more advanced states. West Bengal, on the other hand, has had a middle-of-the-road growth projection between 13.65% and 18.6% in the last 6 years.

The laggards are the BIMARU states and North East with low per capita SDP and low growth rate. The longer this impasse endures, the harder it will be to recover. Bihar (which is at the bottom of the table), however, has started a recovery of sorts, clocking 20.39% growth in 2011-12. However, it is on small base that can wither away as the base expands. Orissa, with 8.49% growth (2011-12), Jharkhand with 11.89% and North East with a consistently depressed growth rate of below 10% are consistent bugbears for our policy makers. Needless to add, interest rates must be lowest in these zones that badly need a breath of fresh air on structural reforms.

Read more....

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2013.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri

and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles

IIPM’s Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri – A Man For The Society….
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM makes business education truly global
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman

ExecutiveMBA

“I’m not going away anytime soon”

When 2007 began, Ford Motor Company was in one of the worst shapes amongst automakers. Then Alan Mulally walked in, conceptualised his ‘One-Ford’ strategy and even today, is working hard to implement his masterplan to earn maximum dollars in fast-growth markets. mulally in a conversation with B&E’s Pawan Chabra

After working at Boeing for over 26 years, Alan Roger Mulally took charge as the President and CEO of Ford Motor Company in September 2006. While he wasn’t the first choice for the top job at the auto major, under him the company managed a remarkable turnaround. Today, with less than two years left at the automaker, all eyes are on Mulally’s ‘One Ford’ strategy, and what more he can achieve with his plan in the days to come, especially in fast-growth markets. In an exclusive interview with B&E, Mulally shares his thoughts on the road ahead of Ford in India and his retirement & new launch plans.

B&E: You have unveiled the EcoSport in India, making it the second product to be launched in India under the ‘One Ford’ strategy. When can Indian consumers expect to buy it and what expectations do you have from the product?
Alan Mulally (AM): We chose India for the global premiere of the EcoSport, our compact SUV, because this market is very important for Ford Motor Company. We believe that it will become one of the three largest automobile markets across the globe by the end of this decade. The EcoSport will be sold in the Indian market during the later half of 2012 and it will also be exported to 30 different markets worldwide from India. To start with, it will be produced in India and Brazil. In total, the EcoSport will be sold in over 100 markets and it will be powered by the Ford’s revolutionary 1-litre ecoboost petrol engine. It will be available in both the petrol and diesel variants. We believe it will create a new segment in India as it has the flexibility of an SUV with the fuel efficiency that the modern consumer is looking for. Obviously, it marks the start of the implementation of our SUV plan for the Indian market.

B&E: The ‘One Ford’ strategy has been key to the turnaround tale of Ford Motor Company. Does the plan only help you cut costs by delivering economies of scale or is there much more to it?
AM: ‘One Ford’ is all about making one product for all the markets that we operate in. For instance, a Fiesta sold in Chennai will be made exactly the same way as the one that is sold in the US market. This strategy not only helps us gain economies of scale on the end of the suppliers, but also empowers us to bring more affordable products to the market. This is a very important strategy for Ford as the consumer today is looking for vehicles that are best in safety, quality and fuel efficiency at an affordable price. Roughly, today by using the One-Ford plan, what we have achieved is that over 60-80% of our global platforms are the same for producing vehicles across markets. As far as launches are concerned, under the One-Ford plan, we started with the Figo in 2010 and including the Figo and the EcoSport, we plan to launch eight new models in India by 2015.

B&E: The US auto market has almost recovered from what we saw during the days of recession, But EU is still a big concern. On the other hand, almost all automakers are bullish on the future of India and China. How will the coming years turn out for the auto industry?
AM: Europe is still a concern, but the governments there are making constant efforts to improve the situation. As a company, we expect the global automotive sales to increase by 5% a year at least for the next two years. The driver to this growth will be the Asia-Pacific region and mainly markets like India and China. At the end of 2010, close to 74 million vehicles were sold across the globe. It is expected that this number will go up to 100 million vehicles by the end of 2015. As far as India is concerned, it is one of the most important markets for Ford. The consumer is terrific. He is looking for value and fun to drive vehicles.

Read more.....

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2013.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri

and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles

 

2013 : DNA National B-School Survey 2013
Ranked 1st in International Exposure (ahead of all the IIMs)Ranked 6th Overall
Zee Business Best B-School Survey 2013
Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri’s Session at IMA Indore
IIPM IN FINANCIAL TIMES, UK. FEATURE OF THE WEEK
IIPM strong hold on Placement : 10000 Students Placed in last 5 year
IIPM’s Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri – A Man For The Society….
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM makes business education truly global
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman
IIPM B-School Facebook Page
IIPM Global Exposure
IIPM Best B School India
IIPM B-School Detail
IIPM Links
IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face

Do you trust your health insurer?

Many still do not, due to the prevailing high claim rejection rates in the industry. For a greater benefit, it’s high time insurers wake up to the fact and overcome the shortcomings present in their own processes.

When a medical insurance policyholder (the insured) enters into a contract with an insurer, it is primarily with an anticipation that eventually when the moment of truth (settlement of claims) comes, s/he would not be constrained by any problem; at least, not regarding the medical bills. This, in simple terms, explains the very concept of Uberrimae fidei or utmost good faith – the guiding principle of the contracts in insurance. But does this really happen?

Well, consider the following cases. Laxmi Subramanyam (based out of Mumbai) had carcinoma of her left breast; she got treated. She and her husband took a Mediclaim policy with New India Assurance. The policy excluded carcinoma of left breast, because it was pre-existing. Later, she was diagnosed with carcinoma of the right breast, which was not a recurrence according to the doctors but a new case. Despite that, when Subramnyam submitted her claim of Rs.80,000 to the Third Party Administrator (TPA) of New India Assurance Co. Ltd. (Raksha TPA Private Ltd.), they rejected the claim on the grounds that this was not included in the policy. Finally, Subramanyam had to take the help of a consumer forum to contest the claim.

Reshma Trivedi (Ahmedabad) had taken a Mediclaim policy of United India Insurance Company (UIIC). She had undergone a hernia operation for the second time, for which she filed a claim of Rs.27,500. But the insurer rejected the claim reasoning that Reshma had undergone caesarean hysterectomy, due to which she suffered from hernia for the first time, and subsequently for the second time too. The hernia, for which she was operated, apparently was existing while she took the Mediclaim and she had not specified the information under the pre-existing clause. However, hearing Reshma’s petition, the Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, Ahmedabad (Rural), contended that the occurrence of hernia had no relation with her caesarean hysterectomy. The forum ordered the company to pay her Rs.30,000 towards her policy with 9% compound interest from the date of the complaint till realisation and Rs.5,000 towards cost.

Interestingly, these names are real, and so are the cases mentioned. Such cases are not rare occurrences and happen by the hundreds. There is no doubt that India – where barely 5% of the population have some sort of medical insurance, and where 80% of all health expenditure is from personal sources – offers huge potential to the providers of health insurance and allows them to grow at a mind boggling rate of 21% per annum (from Rs.66.25 billion in 2008-09 to Rs.80 billion 2009-10 in terms of premium collected). But keeping pace with the growth, cases of claim rejection and repudiation are also increasing causing higher grievances. As the IRDA annual report for 2009-10 reveals, while there were 4,525 grievances reported in FY 2009-10 (both life and non-life), the number of cases witnessed in Q1 FY2010-11 was 1,600. And going by settlement of claims, the most important factor for customer satisfaction, well, it’s a despicable sorrow state of affairs. While the best, LIC, is pegged at 96.54%, the same for the best private player, HDFC Standard Life, is only 91.14%. The situation for insurers like Canara HSBC and Future Generali, is as pathetic as possible, with only 38.71% and 38.85% of claims being settled respectively.
 

Read more....

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri

and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

 

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles

 

2012 : DNA National B-School Survey 2012
Ranked 1st in International Exposure (ahead of all the IIMs)
Ranked 6th Overall
Zee Business Best B-School Survey 2012
Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri’s Session at IMA Indore
IIPM IN FINANCIAL TIMES, UK. FEATURE OF THE WEEK
IIPM strong hold on Placement : 10000 Students Placed in last 5 year
IIPM’s Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri – A Man For The Society….
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM makes business education truly global
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman
IIPM B-School Facebook Page
IIPM Global Exposure
IIPM Best B School India
IIPM B-School Detail
IIPM Links
IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face
IIPM – FLP (Flexi Learning Program)

B&E This Fortnight

INTERNATIONAL
BUSINESS, ECONOMY & FINANCE
Rip steve jobs

The legendary co-founder and Chairman of technology giant Apple Inc. passed away on October 5, in what will probably be remembered as one of the saddest days in corporate history. Jobs resigned as the CEO of Apple on August 24, 2011. The iPhone 4S was launched just a day before he died. Jobs will perhaps be the only business leader whose management style will never be emulated by others. During the early 1980s, the media presented Jobs as a maverick hero. And then the fateful day came in 1985, when Steve Jobs was forced to step down from his own company. Fortune did a cover story “The fall of Steve Jobs”. Any ordinary mortal would have resigned to his fate but Jobs instead went to William Hewlett and David Packard (founders of HP and Jobs’ mentors) and apologised for ending up so badly. But he was quick to rebound and shake off the adversity. What caught his fancy was the the potential that he saw in the Graphical User Interface (GUI) developed by Xerox. Whether by inspiration or imitation, Jobs decided to build computers with a rich graphic interface. Despite revolutionising the technology consumption pattern of an entire generation, his role as a technologist is largely underrated due to his obsessive focus on design. The speech that he gave at a Stanford convocation in 2005 was viewed online a record 8 million times the day he died. Jobs has truly been one of the most inspiring business leaders of our age.

Two tech titans in a court battle
The war between Google and Oracle over copyright infringement will come up for trial before a district court in San Francisco. Oracle sued Google last year, claiming the Web search leader’s Android mobile operating technology infringes Oracle’s Java patents and for which it claimed as much as $2.6 billion in damages. Oracle acquired the Java programing language through its purchase of Sun Microsystems in 2010. District Judge William Alsup had earlier asked Oracle to reconsider its damages claim and had suggested an alternative sum of about $100 million. On its part Google had moved a motion before the judge seeking to resolve the copyright claims in its favor before trial, which was also denied. After the initial hearings in the court where both parties presented their cases, the trial is set to commence this month. Many would be watching to see how the court drama will play out.

Read more....

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri

and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles

2012 : DNA National B-School Survey 2012
Ranked 1st in International Exposure (ahead of all the IIMs)
Ranked 6th Overall
Zee Business Best B-School Survey 2012
Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri’s Session at IMA Indore
IIPM IN FINANCIAL TIMES, UK. FEATURE OF THE WEEK
IIPM strong hold on Placement : 10000 Students Placed in last 5 year
IIPM’s Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri – A Man For The Society….
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM makes business education truly global
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman
IIPM B-School Facebook Page
IIPM Global Exposure
IIPM Best B School India
IIPM B-School Detail
IIPM Links
IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face
IIPM – FLP (Flexi Learning Program)

B&E Indicators

India adds 11.1 GSM users in April

Though the total GSM subscriber base in India touched 580.7 million in April 2011, the net subscriber addition, at 11.1 million, was the lowest in the last one year. Subscriber addition, at 2.5 million, stood highest in Idea taking its total subscriber base to 92 million. Idea was followed by Bharti & Vodafone, which added 2.4 million subscribers each, taking their total subscriber base to 164.6 million & 137 million, respectively.

Broad-based weakness

While Idea managed to grow its market share in total GSM subscriber slightly to 15.8% in April 2011 from 15.7% in March 2011, Bharti’s market share declined to 28.3% from 28.5% in March 2011 due to soft net subscriber additions. BSNL too lost its market share to new players (particularly Uninor) to 15% from 15.2% in March 2011. However, Vodafone sustained its market share at 23.6%.

Read more....

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri
and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist). For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles

2012 : DNA National B-School Survey 2012
Ranked 1st in International Exposure (ahead of all the IIMs)
Ranked 6th Overall
Zee Business Best B-School Survey 2012
Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri’s Session at IMA Indore
IIPM IN FINANCIAL TIMES, UK. FEATURE OF THE WEEK
IIPM strong hold on Placement : 10000 Students Placed in last 5 year
IIPM’s Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri – A Man For The Society….
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM makes business education truly global
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman
IIPM B-School Facebook Page
IIPM Global Exposure
IIPM Best B School India
IIPM B-School Detail
IIPM Links
IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face
IIPM – FLP (Flexi Learning Program)

B&E This Fortnight

INTERNATIONAL

BUSINESS & FINANCERIM – CAUTIOUS

In what seems to be a Catch-22 situation, Research In Motion (RIM) announced its financial results for the quarter and fiscal year ending February 26, 2011. Net earnings for Q4, FY2010-11, showed a 32% y-o-y increase (touching $934 million or $1.78/share, on revenue of $5.6 billion). But the market was disappointed on hearing the company’s expectations from the ongoing quarter, Q1, FY2011-12. While the company forecasted bottomline of $1.47-$1.55/share on revenues of $5.2-$5.6 billion, the market was expecting a much higher $1.65/share and revenues of $5.6 billion. As a result, its Nasdaq-listed shares lost 12% to close at $57.35 on March 23, 2011. 2010 was a great year for RIM, as Blackberry became the top-selling phone in US, Canada, Latin America and UK with record shipments of 52.3 million – representing a y-o-y rise of 43%. But RIM is expecting some goods from its new PlayBook tablet, which will go on sale starting April 19, 2011. About 20,000 retailers across US & Canada will test its desirability against Apple’s newly launched iPad 2. Cost of marketing associated with its new tablet and a risk of supply chain disruption arising due to the disaster in Japan are the biggest challenges for RIM in the short term. Hence the cautious guidance for Q1, FY2011-12.

OIL PRICES – SPIKE
As unrest continues in the Middle-East, and Japan & Asia struggle with a natural disaster and nuclear radiation problems, crude oil prices have started to become a worry. The per barrel price of crude oil breached a high of $106 for the first time on March 24, 2011 – the highest in two years. While 2010 ended with the price around $90/barrel, since February 21, 2011, the price has hovered around the $105/barrel mark. Even on March 25, 2011, West Texas Intermediate (the benchmark US contract) closed at $105.60 a barrel after peaking to $106.69 during the day. The benchmark crude for delivery in May peaked to $105.77/barrel in electronic trading on the NYMEX. Portugal’s debt crisis, US’ and China’s growing hunger for oil are among other factors that have contributed to this spike. Crude prices have jumped 25% since protests against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi began in mid-February and shut down most of the country’s 1.6 million barrels daily crude output. Experts claim that if all oil production is ceased in Libya, Bahrain and Yemen, prices could spike to $125 a barrel. Surely, this is an optimistic figure.

Read more....

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri
and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles

2012 : DNA National B-School Survey 2012
Ranked 1st in International Exposure (ahead of all the IIMs)
Ranked 6th Overall
Zee Business Best B-School Survey 2012
Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri’s Session at IMA Indore
IIPM IN FINANCIAL TIMES, UK. FEATURE OF THE WEEK
IIPM strong hold on Placement : 10000 Students Placed in last 5 year
IIPM’s Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri – A Man For The Society….
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM makes business education truly global
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman
IIPM B-School Facebook Page
IIPM Global Exposure
IIPM Best B School India
IIPM B-School Detail
IIPM Links
IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face
IIPM – FLP (Flexi Learning Program)

Mastering all Laws of High-Speed Motion?

Maruti’s Adoption of a New Three-Pronged Strategy fuelled its Topline Growth in FY2009-10. Can it Manage a Repeat this Year?

It was meant to be a huge loss for Maruti. The month: February 2010. The event: phasing-out of the Maruti 800 – the original people’s car of India – from 13 top cities across India, as the newly applied BS4 emission norms disallowed the company from selling the vehicle in those cities. The news made headlines, threatening to damage Maruti’s topline to a great extent. But it turned out be only an emotional loss for the company. The 800 meant no more than a trophy, a symbol that Maruti had “once” become the #1 in the domestic circuit. It still is. Most critically, the Indo-Jap has other cards to bet on. Actually, Aces.

The 20-year-old JV between Maruti and Suzuki, has never failed to spring sweet surprises. Launches like the SX4, the Swift, the Ritz et al, have taken handsomely to the roads. In fact, the carmaker, for delivering “just what the Indian consumer desires” has never failed to make it to the top of the recall list. Result: Maruti’s financial scorecard has always read pretty. Even for FY2009-10, in terms of absolute increase in revenues, amongst all Indian companies, Maruti features at #3 (after RIL & Tata Motors), with a y-o-y increase of Rs.86.45 million (growth of 42.27%). So what bet paid off to produce the numbers for it?

Maruti began FY2009-10, with a three-pronged plan. It started focussing on the rural market, tied-up with PSUs and appointed resident local marketing executives in tier III & small towns. For instance, the company launched an offering in the A2 segment called the ‘A-star’, which was originally meant to be sold primarily in Uttar Pradesh.

Read more......

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri
and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles

2012 : DNA National B-School Survey 2012
Ranked 1st in International Exposure (ahead of all the IIMs)
Ranked 6th Overall
Zee Business Best B-School Survey 2012
Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri’s Session at IMA Indore
IIPM IN FINANCIAL TIMES, UK. FEATURE OF THE WEEK
IIPM strong hold on Placement : 10000 Students Placed in last 5 year
IIPM’s Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri – A Man For The Society….
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM makes business education truly global
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman
IIPM B-School Facebook Page
IIPM Global Exposure
IIPM Best B School India
IIPM B-School Detail
IIPM Links
IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face
IIPM – FLP (Flexi Learning Program)

Enlightening Kanyakumari

The Tip of Our Country was where Swami Vivekananda reached the tipping point, And could also be where you Rediscover Yourself and Your Spirit

Surrounded by sea on three sides, Bay of Bengal in the East, Indian ocean in the South and Arabian sea in the West, Cape Comorin in Kanyakumari, comes to life early in the morning. Tourists throng the beach every day by 6 am to witness the sunrise, one of the beautiful attractions of this place. Among the crowd that stood facing the East, braving a chilly early-morning breeze, I too stood in silence. After a few minutes, the silence broke. Someone from the crowd whistled. Somebody else clapped. An elderly couple bowed towards the East. Yes, the reddish-orange Sun had risen, seemingly from the ocean, far off at the horizon. One needs to be patient and pay attention when waiting for the sun to rise, for even if one shifts their focus for a second or two, one could miss the ethereal scene. Though one can always catch this very sight here the next day as well! But on full-moon days, this place, which is at a distance of 700 kms from Chennai, gains special significance in the evening. For at the very moment the sun sets, the moon rises at the horizon, as though their timing was planned by prior arrangement!

Kanyakumari, the southernmost tip of the country, attracts many tourists from all over india. On working days, on an average, 1500 tourists come here. If it is a holiday, the number rises eightfold. Vivekananda Rock Memorial, Thiruvalluvar Statue, Gandhi Memorial, Kumari Amman temple, as well as watching the sunrise and sunset, are all important attractions here.

Vivekananda Rock Memorial and Thiruvalluvar Statue are located in the sea. One has to reach them by passenger boats. One first reaches Vivekanada Rock from where the boat takes us to a mammoth, 133 feet Thiruvalluvar Statue, recently built by the Tamil Nadu government in the memory of the great Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar.

Forty years ago, Vivekananda Memorial was built upon a rock island in the sea where the great Swami Vivekananda, meditated and is believed to have received enlightenment. This Memorial was a blend of various architectural styles of India. As I tumbled out of the boat, and went in, the sea was rough outside. But inside the meditation room, everything was calm.

Read more.....

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri
and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles

2012 : DNA National B-School Survey 2012
Ranked 1st in International Exposure (ahead of all the IIMs)
Ranked 6th Overall
Zee Business Best B-School Survey 2012
Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri’s Session at IMA Indore
IIPM IN FINANCIAL TIMES, UK. FEATURE OF THE WEEK
IIPM strong hold on Placement : 10000 Students Placed in last 5 year
IIPM’s Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri – A Man For The Society….
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM makes business education truly global
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman
IIPM B-School Facebook Page
IIPM Global Exposure
IIPM Best B School India
IIPM B-School Detail
IIPM Links
IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face
IIPM – FLP (Flexi Learning Program)

End of an era, fertilizers again!

After a decadal starvation of investments, Indian fertilizer industry is hot again in the books of investors and seems ready for a great run in the days to come. Before that, it will have to deal with its chronic problem of lack of feedstock.

For the past couple of months Indian fertilizer sector, which was almost missing from newspapers for around a decade now (except for the burgeoning size of government subsidies, shut down of fertilizer plants one after the other, and of course increasing import bill for fertilizers) has been all over media again. While a new plant set up by Chambal Fertilizers and Chemicals in 1999 was the last time something positive had hit the headlines (believe it or not, since then the country has not seen a single new large fertilizer plant till date), now there is a flurry of announcements (be it Oman Oil pumping in investments to the tune of $3 billion into India’s fertiliser sector or analysts forecasting that the investment-starved industry is now set for a wave of Rs.470 billion) indicating that the whole scenario has changed. What is more surprising is that even the existing ones, which had gone into their shell are now acting bullish and are set to expand their capacity in a jiffy. So, in short, the tables have turned and Indian fertilizer industry is hot again. But the million dollar question is, why now? How is it that a sector, which did not receive almost any investment over the past decade, has suddenly topped the chart of many investors?

Two of the clear cut reasons are no-brainers: basically, the rising demand and higher dependency on imports. As per the latest data available with the Department of Fertilizers (Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers), over the past decade while the country’s total consumption of fertilizers has shot up to 24.9 million MT in FY 2009 from 16.7 million MT in FY01, the country’s total production of fertilizers has actually gone down by 2.7% from 14.7 million MT to 14.3 million MT. As a result, in FY09, 21% of the urea, 67% of phosphorus-based fertilizers, and 100% of potash-based fertilizer sold in India was imported resulting in an import of 10.15 million MT of fertilizers during the particular year. This clearly indicates the fact that domestic manufacturers now face real low-volume off-take risks and this has been one of the major reasons for fertilizer manufacturers to gear up their production plans in India. S. Garg, Director, Fitch Ratings India, says to B&E, “The government has historically tried to match fertilizer manufacturing capacity with domestic demand, but a large gap has emerged between demand and supply as no large greenfield capacity has been added in the last 10 years. This has clearly resulted in a higher dependence on imports.”

Read more....

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri
and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles

2012 : DNA National B-School Survey 2012
Ranked 1st in International Exposure (ahead of all the IIMs)
Ranked 6th Overall
Zee Business Best B-School Survey 2012
Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri’s Session at IMA Indore
IIPM IN FINANCIAL TIMES, UK. FEATURE OF THE WEEK
IIPM strong hold on Placement : 10000 Students Placed in last 5 year
IIPM’s Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri – A Man For The Society….
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM makes business education truly global
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman
IIPM B-School Facebook Page
IIPM Global Exposure
IIPM Best B School India
IIPM B-School Detail
IIPM Links
IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face
IIPM – FLP (Flexi Learning Program)

INDIA INC.: Q3 PERFORMANCE

A 34% rise in India Inc.’s Q3 profit may bring smiles to many, but it’s nothing more than a statistical jugglery of an ultra-low base founded in the third quarter of FY2009. Though things have started looking better, India Inc. still has miles to before they can really celebrate by Deepak Ranjan Patra

More than a real performance, the truth behind the superb bottom-line showdown in the third quarter is the statistical jugglery of base-effect. Low-base in the third quarter of the last fiscal, which was also the worst quarter during the current slowdown due to the turmoil in the financial industry caused by the sub-prime crisis and followed by collapse of giants like Lehman Brothers, is the particular reason that made India Inc. look bigger and better in Q3 this year. However, going by a quarter-on-quarter (q-o-q) analysis, net profit of the 467 companies mentioned above show a negligible growth of just 1.72% over the previous quarter. The only consolation for corporate India is the fact that it managed to break the q-o-q downward trend it had been witnessing since the first quarter of the current fiscal.

But then, not all is well with whatever small growth India Inc. managed in the last quarter over the second quarter. Apart from Tata Steel, TCS and NTPC, no other company among the top 10 profit makers has witnessed a bottom-line growth of over 5%. Worse than that, profit after tax for three of them have gone down in Q3 over Q2 (including a 40% fall by the country’s largest public sector units- ONGC. SBI and Wipro are the other two) and two of them have grown less than 1%, stating that big brothers among the Indian companies have failed to deliver; leaving it to the small and medium companies with smaller base to do the job. Even the numero uno in the country in term of profits, Reliance Industries, (RIL) too has shown a hairline rise of merely 4%.

However, a report card revival in the small and mid-cap companies is probably the biggest fact to be cheered about in corporate India’s results for the last quarter. Despite their low-base, one should not take away the credit from companies like Hindustan Copper, AIA Engineering, Areva T&D and Panacea Biotec et al, which have seen their bottom-line growing by over 100% in the last quarter on a quarter-on-quarter basis. Not to mention that the small and mid-cap companies have also got a strong back from big investors like the Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs). As per a study conducted by CNI Research on small and mid-cap companies, FIIs increased their stake in as many as 322 companies in the last quarter. In 259 of those companies, the FII’s raised their stake by up to 2%.

Read more......

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri
and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.

2012 : DNA National B-School Survey 2012
Ranked 1st in International Exposure (ahead of all the IIMs)
Ranked 6th Overall
Zee Business Best B-School Survey 2012
Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri’s Session at IMA Indore
IIPM IN FINANCIAL TIMES, UK. FEATURE OF THE WEEK
IIPM strong hold on Placement : 10000 Students Placed in last 5 year
IIPM’s Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri – A Man For The Society….
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM makes business education truly global
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman
IIPM B-School Facebook Page
IIPM Global Exposure
IIPM Best B School India
IIPM B-School Detail
IIPM Links
IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face
IIPM – FLP (Flexi Learning Program)

If the US attacks us, they know what we’ll do...

Obama has little choice but to go after earnest development in the US foreign policy

Manouchehr Mottaki (MM) is the Foreign Minister of Iran, a country that has ensured that it continues to remain in the bad books of the United States; not only because of its suspicion worthy nuclear ambitions, but also partly because of the war of words that Iran’s President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has loosely declared on the West. Despite various talks of attacks on Iran, Bush has not fortunately put his words into action. The question is, will Barack Obama mirror standard establishment think when it comes to a so-called ‘dangerous’ country like Iran? Though initial reports do suggest to the affirmative, in this exclusive interview, Iran’s Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki says the media needs to be patient as Iran waits for Obama’s next move. He also deflates the chances of full-fledged military confrontation between Iran and US saying that America cannot afford to undertake another conflict in the region.

B&E: What is your opinion on the election of Obama as the US President?
MM: We take into consideration the statements of Americans but we are awaiting their statements and stances after January 21. We should wait and act with further consideration. Obama himself has asked for more time to reflect upon dialogue with Iran and it should be given to him.

B&E: So are you looking forward to the new administration?
MM: Everyone is looking forward to the US administration because everyone is bearing in mind the question of what will be the subsequent strategy of the United States. It is easy to find several criticisms of ongoing policies of the US. That’s why in our understanding, the next administration has little choice but to go after earnest and considerable development for modification in the US future policies, including its policy towards Latin America, Middle East, Iraq, and of course Iran.

Read more.....

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri
and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.

2012 : DNA National B-School Survey 2012
Ranked 1st in International Exposure (ahead of all the IIMs)
Ranked 6th Overall
Zee Business Best B-School Survey 2012
Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri’s Session at IMA Indore
IIPM IN FINANCIAL TIMES, UK. FEATURE OF THE WEEK
IIPM strong hold on Placement : 10000 Students Placed in last 5 year
IIPM’s Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri – A Man For The Society….
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM makes business education truly global
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman
IIPM B-School Facebook Page
IIPM Global Exposure
IIPM Best B School India
IIPM B-School Detail
IIPM Links
IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face
IIPM – FLP (Flexi Learning Program)

 

Cavo Tagoo Hotel, Mykonos

Make your trip to Mykonos even more memorable with your stay at the Cavo Tagoo hotel. A unique luxury hotel, Cavo Tagoo sits pretty on an impressive cliffside, near the town of Chora, overlooking the Aegean Sea. Unparalleled hospitality, state-of-the-art facilities, and an ideal location is what sets the Cavo Tagoo apart in comparison to the other hotels in its league. The hotel lives up to its reputation as the Top Resort hotel, earning 1st Prize of Applied Architecture in the Aegean Sea Region, and is also the winner of 10th International America Award for Quality 1998. Pamper yourself at the hotel’s spa centre or burn that flab away at the hotel’s fitness centre. Indulge in the delicacies served by the Tagoo restaurant or revitalise yourself with a swim in the indoor swimming pool. With all this and more, Cavo Tagoo is unarguably ‘The hotel’ to be in.

The view : Enjoy a quiet evening gazing across the breathtaking panoramic view offered by the hotel and enjoy the jet-setting vibes of Mykonos.

Archi type : Cavo Tagoo exhibits a blend of Mykonian architecture with a contemporary flourish. The hotel has an exquisite setting of whitewashed walls, blending effortlessly with its Cycladic surroundings, sleek lines and imposing designer urns in shades of the Aegean.

Bon appétit : Enjoy spectacular sunsets from the pool-side restaurant while you savour the delicacies on a platter. The restaurant serves a distinct Mediterranean cuisine, Greek specialities and also has a sushi bar.

Around the corner : The hotel is ideally located at a stone’s throw distance from the Mykonos town. The retreat proves to be an ideal base for shopping, beach visits and the town's famous nightlife.

From under the carpet : Since the hotel is located between the old port and the new port, where cruise ships anchor, the noise levels in and around the hotel can be a bit of botheration.

Read more.....

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri
and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
2012 : DNA National B-School Survey 2012
Ranked 1st in International Exposure (ahead of all the IIMs)
Ranked 6th Overall
Zee Business Best B-School Survey 2012
Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri’s Session at IMA Indore
IIPM IN FINANCIAL TIMES, UK. FEATURE OF THE WEEK
IIPM strong hold on Placement : 10000 Students Placed in last 5 year
IIPM’s Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri – A Man For The Society….
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM makes business education truly global
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman
IIPM B-School Facebook Page
IIPM Global Exposure
IIPM Best B School India
IIPM B-School Detail
IIPM Links
IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face
IIPM – FLP (Flexi Learning Program)