Friday, October 31, 2008

The beginner

This is for all those car owners who want to look hip and different but neither do they have the time nor the inclination to read auto journals (to try and understand arcane terms like torsion bar) or to go on the net and do their research. So, getting right down to business, the first and the easiest way to make your car (and yourself) look attention worthy is to get a killer set of alloys. These wheels are made using an aluminum alloy and are shinier, lighter and carry far more variety than your regular steel rims. Available at almost all car garages from Rs.10,000 onwards (for a set of 5) going up to Rs.50,000, this extra bling on your car is sure to satisfy your inner gangsta. Just remember not to go overboard with the width of the alloy wheel, for example if you choose an alloy wheel more than an inch wider than your stock tyre, it will affect your fuel economy adversely while at the same time making your steering hard. Ok, now that you have those cool looking rims it’s time to do something about those stodgy halogen headlamps… there’s nothing wrong with them, expect of course that every car has them! So switch to Xenon headlamps, the latest and coolest accessory for your car which won’t blow a hole in your pocket. What’s more, they emit a very bright and eerie bluish toned light which, while making you stand out, also freaks people out (especially if you come roaring behind them, switch to high beam and watch as they squirm while their car interior glows with a unsettling bluish tinge…very cool effect!). After these two modifications just stick some inexpensive Taiwanese LED lights to the underside of your car, programmed to emit various colours at regular intervals (red, blue, yellow…you name it) and voila your car is sure to turn some heads and offend some other people (isn’t that the whole idea).

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2008
An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

Read these article :-
ZEE BUSINESS BEST B SCHOOL SURVEY
B-schooled in India, Placed Abroad (Print Version)
IIPM in Financial times (Print Version)
IIPM makes business education truly global (Print Version)
The Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM)
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'This is one of Big B's best performances'
IIPM to come up at Rajarhat
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The Hindu : Education Plus : Honour for IIPM
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India eNews - IIPM Ranked No1 B-School in India
IIPM Delhi - Indian Institute of Planning and Management New Delhi ...domain-b.com : IIPM ranked ahead of IIMs

Thursday, October 23, 2008

World’s sixth largest car maker - Honda

The world’s sixth largest car maker, Honda sold a whopping 3.77 million cars in the year 2007. Growing by almost 6% in an epoch when the entireHonda India automotive industry is probably experiencing the worst times, Honda has once again proved its unbeatable market understanding. The company has presence in almost all major markets with strategically located manufacturing bases. The company’s revenues for the year 2007 stood at a mind-numbing $95 billion and that too when the company is perhaps the lowest outsourcer in the entire industry. Honda is probably one of the few carmakers which manufactures its own engines (the most capital intensive component in the finished products category). What’s best, the company has always maintained its profit-earning colours. During the quarter-ended June 30, 2008, the company earned a staggering $2.1 billion from operating profits alone! Expressing the need for Honda to go forward, Takeo Fukui, Global CEO, Honda Motor Company asserts, “A new three-year mid-term plan began in April of this year. The basic idea for this plan is to establish a corporate structure necessary to sustain our strengths and that will enable us to grow globally in the future.” The company intends to restructure its operations for better performance in the long term. In order to increase efficiency and quality, Honda recently transferred production to a new plant in Kumamoto from its Hamamatsu base.

Honda has widely been termed as conservative, but the company’s careful yet very shrewd corporate strategies make complete sense. As per Auto Expert Vikram Gaur, “Even though Honda may not be as aggressive as say Toyota in acquiring market shares, the company carefully studies and launches sportier models to take over the market. This is the company’s market penetration strategy.” Now that is just what Honda did with its ‘Acura’ branded vehicles. These more exclusive Hondas like the speedster NSX are selling like hot cakes in America and have apparently broken all records. However analysts increasingly believe that Honda is more concerned about keeping profits, thereby avoiding any risk. And this is one area where Honda perhaps needs a servicing! This lack of living on the edge shots has indeed paid off well till date, but times are changing too fast today. Apart from Asia where sales increased by about 10.9%, its sales in North America fell by 5.7% and Europe, they were down 8.9% during 2007. The erstwhile ‘standard’ strategies are becoming obsolete as the evolving market spawns fresh challenges, especially in the developed world where the automotive market is stagnant but highly demanding.

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2008
An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

Read these article :-
ZEE BUSINESS BEST B SCHOOL SURVEY
B-schooled in India, Placed Abroad (Print Version)
IIPM in Financial times (Print Version)
IIPM makes business education truly global (Print Version)
The Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM)
IIPM Campus

Top Articles on IIPM:-
'This is one of Big B's best performances'
IIPM to come up at Rajarhat
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The Hindu : Education Plus : Honour for IIPM
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IIPM Delhi - Indian Institute of Planning and Management New Delhi ...
domain-b.com : IIPM ranked ahead of IIMs

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Call Guru Pitka!

IITs face a faculty supply crunch
Amongst developing economies, India has one of the best pool of intellectual talent and institutes of higher technical education, one being the Indian Institute of Technologies (IITs). The story reads great so far, but ‘behind the scenes’ the IITs are facing an acute ‘shortage of faculty’ problem today, a situation which is only getting worse by the day!

The IITs produce 1,500 B.Techs every year, out of which 40-50% leave the country, 10-20% pursue management studies and 5-10% join either the civil services or other services leaving just a handful to opt for M.Tech, who then may or may not opt for a PhD. On an average, IITs produce just 100 PhDs per year with the total count of PhD graduates from top engineering institutes being just 700!

Each IIT requires a faculty strength of about 100 to be self-sufficient. Therefore, just the new IITs that are coming up require 200-300 PhDs every year. Conclusively, there is a definite negative gap between the supply and demand of engineering PhD qualified faculties (even for the IITs). The only solution is to retain engineering pass-outs or get those Indians who graduate from US (as around 1,500 Indians graduate from foreign Universities with a PhD in engineering); ‘decent package’ of course, being the major issue. For now though, the IITs have their work cut out to meet the faculty supply crunch! Indian Guru Pitka was the chief ‘teacher’ for literate America in the spoof The Love Guru. Pray we never have to call him to teach us!

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2008
An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

Read these article :-
ZEE BUSINESS BEST B SCHOOL SURVEY
B-schooled in India, Placed Abroad (Print Version)
IIPM in Financial times (Print Version)
IIPM makes business education truly global (Print Version)
The Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM)
IIPM Campus

Top Articles on IIPM:-
'This is one of Big B's best performances'
IIPM to come up at Rajarhat
IIPM awards four Bengali novelists
IIPM makes business education truly global-Education-The Times of ...
The Hindu : Education Plus : Honour for IIPM
IIPM ranked No.1 B-School in India, Management News - By ...
IIPM Ranked No1 B-School in India
Moneycontrol >> News >> Press- News >> IIPM ranked No1 B-School in ...
IIPM ranked No. 1 B-school in India- Zee Business Survey ...
IIPM ranked No1 B-School in India :: Education, Careers ...
The Hindu Business Line : IIPM placements hit a high of over 2000 jobs
Deccan Herald - IIPM ranked as top B-School in India
India eNews - IIPM Ranked No1 B-School in India
IIPM Delhi - Indian Institute of Planning and Management New Delhi ...domain-b.com : IIPM ranked ahead of IIMs

Monday, October 20, 2008

Screeeechhhh!!!

Interest rate hike and mounting inflation has put the brakes on the speeding auto financing industry in the country. Bad times be damned!

im O’Neill, Sandra Lawson and Roopa Purushothaman who had concluded (in their paper titled, ‘The BRICs and Global Markets: Car, Crude and Capital’) that India’s market growth will be rapid with the potential for a threefold increase in car ownership over the next 10 years, might once again have to redo their work and radically change their conclusion. Well, the reason for the reconsideration being the rising raw material cost, slowing credit & signs of economic slowdown. All of these have cast a dark spell on the sector which now seems to be bearing the brunt of the economic slowdown, as well as interest rates that are rising by the day.

Certainly, the last five months have been a bit wary for auto loan consumers. The interest rates on auto loans have been hiked four times in a row. This has forced the banks to cut down on their retail lending by about 15-20%. Further, given the tight monetary stance by the central bank and its advice to the banks not to overstretch themselves and keep lending in consonance with their sources of funds (limit credit growth up to 20%), the banks’ margins have squeezed. Hence to maintain their profitability, they are left with no option but to revise their lending rates. With inflation (currently pegged at 12.44%) continuing to surge, a cut in the interest rate is unlikely in the near term and volumes are likely to remain under pressure. So much so that the current interest rates on auto loans which hover around 15.5% have had a direct impact on the buying behaviour of consumers. Sadly, these high interest rates (on the part of the financers) and lower buying sentiments (on the part of the consumers) will continue to negatively impact the demand for vehicles.

India is undergoing unprecedented change and auto financing is no exception. Earlier 80-85% of auto financing was undertaken by the banks and financial institutions, but with rising interest rates and higher disposable income, more people are opting for an outright purchase using their savings. This seems to be logical to some extent as auto loans are costlier today by 2-2.5% since the beginning of the year. This implies that an auto loan of Rs.5 lakhs for a three year period will get expensive by a further Rs.10,000. And as lenders still account for 70% of auto financing, a rise in interest rates, which subsequently implies a hike in EMI instalments further aggravates the problem, thus leaving the buyer confused! “The high interest rate is very negative for the auto industry,” asserts S. Ramnath, Analyst, SSKI to B&E. However interestingly even in such a scenario there is some good news. As for auto loans (for new car) fall, an increase in sales of second hand cars is bound to happen.

However, auto financiers are on their toes to increase their profit margins. While, a few have shut their financing operations, others are now approaching customers directly instead of routing through intermediaries. Certainly, the economic activity (the high interest rate & burgeoning inflation) has had a knock-down effect and unless these are resolved, the predicament will continue to haunt the auto industry. Screech... Heard those giant brakes?!
For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2008
An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

Read these article :-
ZEE BUSINESS BEST B SCHOOL SURVEY
B-schooled in India, Placed Abroad (Print Version)
IIPM in Financial times (Print Version)
IIPM makes business education truly global (Print Version)
The Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM)
IIPM Campus

Top Articles on IIPM:-
'This is one of Big B's best performances'
IIPM to come up at Rajarhat
IIPM awards four Bengali novelists
IIPM makes business education truly global-Education-The Times of ...
The Hindu : Education Plus : Honour for IIPM
IIPM ranked No.1 B-School in India, Management News - By ...
IIPM Ranked No1 B-School in India
Moneycontrol >> News >> Press- News >> IIPM ranked No1 B-School in ...
IIPM ranked No. 1 B-school in India- Zee Business Survey ...
IIPM ranked No1 B-School in India :: Education, Careers ...
The Hindu Business Line : IIPM placements hit a high of over 2000 jobs
Deccan Herald - IIPM ranked as top B-School in India
India eNews - IIPM Ranked No1 B-School in India
IIPM Delhi - Indian Institute of Planning and Management New Delhi ...domain-b.com : IIPM ranked ahead of IIMs

Saturday, October 18, 2008

“The slowdown can be seasonal”

Vivek Nayar, VP (Marketing), Auto Division, Mahindra & Mahindra

B&E: What are the effects of the industry slowdown on M&M? VN: If there is a slowdown, naturally we will also be affected by it. However I think that the slowdown is a seasonal factor and sales will pick up eventually. Then there is the monsoon and rains, a situation where the consumer is not very keen in making new purchases.

B&E: On M&M’s new found focus on the environment.
VN: The subject of global warming is something which we should be aware of. The beauty we see in the nature will not be here forever. What matters most is what you leave behind and that is what M&M wants to do. We are not only leading at the CNG initiative, there is a lot more. We have already demonstrated our electric vehicles at the auto expo as well. It all depends on the reach of infrastructure.

B&E: On the company’s environment friendly products.
VN: The launch is a part of our sustained mobility programme. We have already launched the Champion CNG and Alpha CNG in light load carrier segment. Now it is the two tonne segment, Bolero Pickup. We have a portfolio of small load capacity vehicles which are propelled by CNG. In the light commercial category these are solutions to a specific issue. Right now the launch is for the Delhi market, followed by Mumbai and Gujrat. As the infrastructure develops, and as the government plays a major role in increasing the CNG reach, we go to other places as well.

B&E: Will CNG be used in the company’s other models?
VN: Once you are strong in a technology you can use it in various segments; so I think we can provide this initiative into the passenger segment as well. We may launch a Scorpio hybrid in the near future.

B&E: On M&M’s market performance.
VN: M&M volumes have grown from 30,000-44,000, a CAGR growth of 20%. This is when the industry grew by only 7%. In pickups, we are the market leaders with 83% market share. Here, Mahindra grew at 77%, a full 33% more than the segment.

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2008

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

Read these article :-
ZEE BUSINESS BEST B SCHOOL SURVEY
B-schooled in India, Placed Abroad (Print Version)
IIPM in Financial times (Print Version)
IIPM makes business education truly global (Print Version)
The Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM)
IIPM Campus

Top Articles on IIPM:-
'This is one of Big B's best performances'
IIPM to come up at Rajarhat
IIPM awards four Bengali novelists
IIPM makes business education truly global-Education-The Times of ...
The Hindu : Education Plus : Honour for IIPM
IIPM ranked No.1 B-School in India, Management News - By ...
IIPM Ranked No1 B-School in India
Moneycontrol >> News >> Press- News >> IIPM ranked No1 B-School in ...
IIPM ranked No. 1 B-school in India- Zee Business Survey ...
IIPM ranked No1 B-School in India :: Education, Careers ...
The Hindu Business Line : IIPM placements hit a high of over 2000 jobs
Deccan Herald - IIPM ranked as top B-School in India
India eNews - IIPM Ranked No1 B-School in India
IIPM Delhi - Indian Institute of Planning and Management New Delhi ...
domain-b.com : IIPM ranked ahead of IIMs

Friday, October 17, 2008

Dollar Almighty is back!

Noisy currency movements reflect the future of emerging markets & their economic fundamentals
First the eurotisation and then the strengthening of emerging market currencies cast a fatal attack on the hegemony of dollar. The economic fundamentals of the emerging markets (EMs) were robust enough to take on the challenges and what the world witnessed was a rally of the currencies of these nations. This phenomenon has come a full circle; the five year rally is coming to an end. Thanks to the ‘monster’ termed inflation; the respective central governments are struggling to combat it. As a matter of fact, inflation in 19 out of the 26 emerging markets now exceeds its tolerance zone. The global economic slowdown is bound to impact economies that are less well positioned or underpinned by fundamentals. “Is it the beginning of currency crises in the emerging economies?” It is a pertinent question that needs to be debated. Keeping aside the self-fulfilling prophecies, the looming currency crisis can nevertheless be prevented by subtle policy changes.

The prediction of the beginning of currency crises is linked to the availability of timely and accurate information about economic fundamentals. Theoretically speaking, weak economic fundamentals coupled with herd behaviour increase the probability of a crisis. Nouriel Roubini in his paper “The role of large players in currency crises” emphasises on the fact that the presence of agents with market power can increase a country’s vulnerability to a crisis and make other investors more aggressive in their position-taking. A fact justified a few years back when global investors became increasingly nervous about holding an overweight US dollar position and opted to diversify their position. This shift in investor confidence added to volatility and weakened the dollar against other currencies. The reverse is happening now; it is expected that the EM currencies will further weaken against the dollar. According to a Merrill Lynch survey, for the first time since 2001, investors prefer US equities over developing economies stock markets.

Turkey’s current-account deficit of a whopping $50 billion by the year end (Moody’s Investor) will see to it that there is a reversal in the Lira–Dollar trends. Analysts are of the view that the Lira, which has appreciated by 10% against the dollar (y-o-y) will fall by approximately 12%. Owing to the large and persistent deficits, South Africa will largely have to depend on foreign capital. The Indian Rupee, which advanced to 12.7% last year, is currently under pressure to weaken further, courtesy the losses in the stock market (since the beginning of the year the market has lost 28.32%), which have raised concerns about capital outflow. The road ahead will be more challenging for the emerging economies as they are bound to witness less of portfolio flows, courtesy the differentiation and the ratings cuts (Fitch Ratings has cut the credit outlook on South Africa and India). Stephen Jen, Chief Currency Economist, Morgan Stanley cites various reasons as to why the South Korean Won (KRW) would also be weaker. According to Jen, “In contrast to most of Asia, Korea does not have energy subsidies. Thus, we expect to see the impact of high oil prices becoming visible in Korea before it does in other countries. The size of the negative ToT shock impinging on Korea is as large as any country in Asia. As a result, the KRW should not be strong.” Globally, as growth decelerates, and as focus shifts from inflation fighting to GDP protection, it is expected that the ratio of US dollar to that of emerging market currencies will gradually drift higher.

The emerging markets today are more concerned about future inflation and consequently a tighter monetary policy; as a result their currencies are selling more aggressively thereby sharply increasing the risk aversion. As far as policy interventions in the emerging markets are concerned, they need to be understood that merely seeking to limit currency fluctuations could end up in fostering more instability. Indisputably, currency movements tend to be oft noisy but in the long term they are a reflection of economic fundamentals.
For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2008
An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

Read these article :-
ZEE BUSINESS BEST B SCHOOL SURVEY
B-schooled in India, Placed Abroad (Print Version)
IIPM in Financial times (Print Version)
IIPM makes business education truly global (Print Version)
The Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM)
IIPM Campus

Top Articles on IIPM:-
'This is one of Big B's best performances'
IIPM to come up at Rajarhat
IIPM awards four Bengali novelists
IIPM makes business education truly global-Education-The Times of ...
The Hindu : Education Plus : Honour for IIPM
IIPM ranked No.1 B-School in India, Management News - By ...
IIPM Ranked No1 B-School in India
Moneycontrol >> News >> Press- News >> IIPM ranked No1 B-School in ...
IIPM ranked No. 1 B-school in India- Zee Business Survey ...
IIPM ranked No1 B-School in India :: Education, Careers ...
The Hindu Business Line : IIPM placements hit a high of over 2000 jobs
Deccan Herald - IIPM ranked as top B-School in India
India eNews - IIPM Ranked No1 B-School in India
IIPM Delhi - Indian Institute of Planning and Management New Delhi ...domain-b.com : IIPM ranked ahead of IIMs

Thursday, October 16, 2008

No more dirty linen

Unilever could have given their legacy brands some more time to make a comeback in the US market
Laundry, for once, finds itself in frontline news, coming directly from one of the world’s most glorified, albeit slowing consumer markets, the US. This came right after FMCG major Unilever agreed to sell its US laundry business to PE firm Vestar Capital Partners. Unilever’s laundry operations include some high value fabric cleaning and conditioning brands such as All, Surf, Snuggle, Wisk and Sunlight, among others. The buyer is expected to amalgamate the acquired business with Huish Detergent Inc., a group company. The new combined entity will be known as Sun Products. According to Patrick Cescau, CEO, Unilever, “It puts our North American laundry brands into a company that’s focused on the laundry category & is well-positioned to become a strong player.”

Along with preferred shares worth $375 million (in the new company), Vestar paid Unilever, $1.07 billion in cash for the business. To make the deal more tempting, Vestar has further allowed Unilever to buy up to a 2.5% stake in Sun Products at current prices, whenever it so desires. Apparently, as per analysts, for Unilever, it was a good time to sell the American laundry operations as there was very little left for Unilever to hang on. As per the year’s second quarter results, the turnover from the American operations stood at $5.1 billion, a full 6% decline over same time last year. Operating margins were also down by about 1% (13.4%). After this sell-off, which is expected to complete by the end of 2008, Unilever will be able to concentrate on other high potential markets like Latin America, Asia and Africa. The laundry business in markets like India, where the company holds a market share of more than 45%, will be further expanded for future eventualities. “Our (future) strategy leverages on our strong brands, broad geographical footprint and products that meet everyday demand,” adds Cescau. The stock market acted positively, with Unilever shares rising by 44 p, stabilising at about $29 as on 28 July 2008.

Unilever is basking in the glory of this tactical decision but one may well question the logic of selling the business, which consists of some of Unilever’s most established legacy brands in the US; and took humongous time, effort and investment to build. Additionally, a PE firm’s ownership may create insecurities for these brands, which may not be nurtured and lose their much sought after sheen over time. Was it really time to pull the ‘Lever’? We wonder...

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2008
An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative
Read these article :-
ZEE BUSINESS BEST B SCHOOL SURVEY
B-schooled in India, Placed Abroad (Print Version)
IIPM in Financial times (Print Version)
IIPM makes business education truly global (Print Version)
The Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM)
IIPM Campus

Top Articles on IIPM:-
'This is one of Big B's best performances'
IIPM to come up at Rajarhat
IIPM awards four Bengali novelists
IIPM makes business education truly global-Education-The Times of ...
The Hindu : Education Plus : Honour for IIPM
IIPM ranked No.1 B-School in India, Management News - By ...
IIPM Ranked No1 B-School in India
Moneycontrol >> News >> Press- News >> IIPM ranked No1 B-School in ...
IIPM ranked No. 1 B-school in India- Zee Business Survey ...
IIPM ranked No1 B-School in India :: Education, Careers ...
The Hindu Business Line : IIPM placements hit a high of over 2000 jobs
Deccan Herald - IIPM ranked as top B-School in India
India eNews - IIPM Ranked No1 B-School in India
IIPM Delhi - Indian Institute of Planning and Management New Delhi ...
domain-b.com : IIPM ranked ahead of IIMs

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Geography, is truly history

India cannot expect much from the SAARC now, it’s time to look elsewhere for alliances
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) proves its existence only by holding summits; otherwise its impact in the region is almost zero. SAARC was born in 1985 with lofty goals, and its stated intent was to “promote the well-being of the populations of South Asia and improve their standard of living; to speed up economic growth, social progress and cultural development; to reinforce links between the countries of this area; and, lastly, to promote mutual collaboration and assistance in economic, social, cultural, technical and scientific fields.’’ But in the absence of provisions to solve bilateral contentious issues, the performance of the bloc has been below par.

Links are perhaps the toughest of the aims to meet. First of all, the three biggest nations in SAARC (India, Pakistan & Bangladesh) don’t get along well at all. Cross border terrorism is the single largest factor which makes the matters worse and India faces the brunt of it. This burning issue, along with the issue of Kashmir, has often created several deadlocks in SAARC meetings.

This goes a long way in explaining why the bloc has failed in speeding up ‘economic growth’ as well. India accounts for around 75% of the total GDP in South Asian region and is a dominant trading country. In absence of its desire to do trade in the region, economic performance slows down drastically. As per a World Bank report, promotion of economic integration is the lowest in South Asian region. Trade between the SAARC nations is less than 2% of their GDP. This is the reason why South Asian Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) has been a miserable flop. There is a vast potential which remains untapped. The member nations have a comparative advantage in certain products, yet most of such products are sourced from outside. Bangladesh, for example, imports most of its textile requirements from outside South Asia, while India and Pakistan are net exporters of textiles.

India naturally shares interests with its regional neighbours and the increasing irrelevance of SAARC has downplayed the benefits that India could have received if the bloc was doing well. India’s trade with SAARC nations is much less than the potential. India currently has trade worth $1 billion with Pakistan and World Bank estimates show that this could increase by around 900%!

The recently concluded 15th SAARC summit, too, didn’t bring much hope. At a time when rising food and oil prices are threatening the economic progress of the region, terrorism has overshadowed the two day long talks yet again. Although, the members decided to work together in stopping terrorism, one knows that these issues will not move into oblivion in a hurry, considering the intent shown by Pakistan in the past.

In such a case, it would be foolhardy for the nations, especially India, to expect any major development in the region on any issue. It is disappointing since survival issues like climate change are being constantly overlooked. The agrarian nature of the region makes it vulnerable to bigger human and income losses in the future. Actually, India can’t change its neighbours, but of course it can choose a different set of friends.


For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2008

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative


Read these article :-
ZEE BUSINESS BEST B SCHOOL SURVEY
B-schooled in India, Placed Abroad (Print Version)
IIPM in Financial times (Print Version)
IIPM makes business education truly global (Print Version)
The Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM)
IIPM Campus

Top Articles on IIPM:-
'This is one of Big B's best performances'
IIPM to come up at Rajarhat
IIPM awards four Bengali novelists
IIPM makes business education truly global-Education-The Times of ...
The Hindu : Education Plus : Honour for IIPM
IIPM ranked No.1 B-School in India, Management News - By ...
IIPM Ranked No1 B-School in India
Moneycontrol >> News >> Press- News >> IIPM ranked No1 B-School in ...
IIPM ranked No. 1 B-school in India- Zee Business Survey ...
IIPM ranked No1 B-School in India :: Education, Careers ...
The Hindu Business Line : IIPM placements hit a high of over 2000 jobs
Deccan Herald - IIPM ranked as top B-School in India
India eNews - IIPM Ranked No1 B-School in India
IIPM Delhi - Indian Institute of Planning and Management New Delhi ...domain-b.com : IIPM ranked ahead of IIMs

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

MEDAgascar-II opens rock solid!

MEDA surprises like nobody’s business in economic development
If continents are a dividing factor, seas have often played the very opposite role in not just connecting people from distant regions but also in often giving a reason of commonality for people bordering the same sea. The Mediterranean region, which had in the past incubated some of the prominent civilisations like the Mesopotamian, the Greek, the Egyptian, the Roman and Turkish ones, is now again giving shape to the ascent to some of the bordering nations cutting across the continental factors. MEDA – or the Mediterranean Economic Development Area – is increasingly becoming a key economic block to reckon with.

And with some tacit support from the European Union, the MEDA Region is just a shade behind China when it comes to inward FDI for the year 2006 as per a report by ANIMA Investment Network. Though countries like Israel, Egypt and Turkey continue to take the lion’s share of the estimated $59 billion of investments that flew into that region in 2006, this block has the potential to not just bring in economic and subsequent social development in some of the coastal African and Asian countries like Morocco, Algeria, Jordan, Lebanon, Tunisia and Libya but in a chain reaction would also help in restricting a major menace inhibiting the European Union today, i.e. illegal migrants from Coastal Africa and Asia. If the proposed Euro-Mediterranean Free Trade Area sees the light of the day by 2010, then it would usher in a new era and would go a long way in making sure that the benefits of free trade and globalisation eventually start permeating down from rich Europe to its much poorer brethren in Africa and Asia as well. Thereafter, it is expected that in a domino effect, many of the mainland African countries too would take cue from their coastal neighbours and go for development while shedding the path of ethnic violence. MEDAgascar-II rocks!

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2008
An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

Read these article :-
ZEE BUSINESS BEST B SCHOOL SURVEY
B-schooled in India, Placed Abroad (Print Version)
IIPM in Financial times (Print Version)
IIPM makes business education truly global (Print Version)
The Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM)
IIPM Campus

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Monday, October 13, 2008

An eagle eye on india

Cisco is targeting the Indian market with an 'eagle eye' to push offerings which, though novel, are quite ahead of their time for India. Will their judgement prove right? SAVREEN GADHOKE of B&E takes a closer look


As the network has become more and more intelligent, Cisco has gradually assumed greater prominence in a company's IT environment. From routing & switching, the company is now moving into areas like TelePresence, Unified Communications & WiMAX, with India playing a prominent role. Here's an in-depth analysis of the emerging dynamics on Cisco's side of the IT story

It was a 'normal', bright sunny afternoon (one of those days in May this year when global warming took a break!) when we proceeded towards Cisco’s Office on Barakhamba Road in Delhi to interview Naresh Wadhwa, President & Country Manager, India & SAARC, Cisco Systems (India) Pvt. Ltd. And courtesy our interaction, Cisco also inaugurated its TelePresence facility in Delhi. When we entered the conference room, we saw Naresh seated across the “virtual table”, speaking to us from his office in Mumbai. Besides the wonder of technology, this facility gives one a feel of the kind of vision Cisco harbours for its business in India.

TelePresence (not to be confused with video-conferencing) is just one of the unique futuristic technologies Cisco India is working on. Cisco TelePresence heavily relies on the idea that “geography is history” and creates lifelike, in-person experiences using the power of a global IP network and unified communications. Apparently, Cisco has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with CII and Tata to deploy the technology. Vikram Tiwathia, Chief Information Officer, CII asserts, “We’ve connected CII offices so that it is easier for us to interact with our officials located in different areas.” In fact, setting up of public rooms, which can be used by companies as well as by the common man, on payment basis is also on Cisco’s agenda to make the technology go well with the masses also. It could even qualify as Green IT, since it could cut down significantly on commuting.




Another futuristic technology that Cisco is quite gung-ho about is Unified Communications (UC). In layman terms, it means integrating all forms of communications like telephone, mobile, e-mail, chat & SMS and making a unified network so as to increase response time and improve the overall productivity of the organisation. Sanish K.B., Research Analyst, Gartner, opines, “UC is an emerging technology and India presumes to be a potential market for it in the coming years.”

When Cisco entered India in 1995, the focus was primarily to consolidate on its routing & switching business. Today, Cisco has moved far ahead and ventured into networking and communications technology services. John Chambers, during his India-visit in 2006 proudly exclaimed, “India is a very important market for Cisco’s global growth strategy.” And that was also when he re-iterated the investment of $1.1 billion announced in 2005. The investment was primarily directed towards setting up an R&D facility in Bangalore besides VC investments, development of broadband content and digital media, etc. And today Cisco is making India as one of its technological and innovation hubs. In fact, they are considering taking products tested in India to other emerging countries as well.

With over 45 acquisitions globally in the past five years, Cisco has radically transformed the networking platform in India & globally. As changing times made technology easy to duplicate (Cisco has also sued Huawei in China for unauthorised copying of its technology), Cisco soon realised that it wasn''t enough to compete on products alone and felt the need to focus on solution selling. “Cisco is not only

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2008

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

Read these article :-
ZEE BUSINESS BEST B SCHOOL SURVEY
B-schooled in India, Placed Abroad (Print Version)
IIPM in Financial times (Print Version)
IIPM makes business education truly global (Print Version)
The Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM)
IIPM Campus

Top Articles on IIPM:-
'This is one of Big B's best performances'
IIPM to come up at Rajarhat
IIPM awards four Bengali novelists
IIPM makes business education truly global-Education-The Times of ...
The Hindu : Education Plus : Honour for IIPM
IIPM ranked No.1 B-School in India, Management News - By ...
IIPM Ranked No1 B-School in India
Moneycontrol >> News >> Press- News >> IIPM ranked No1 B-School in ...
IIPM ranked No. 1 B-school in India- Zee Business Survey ...
IIPM ranked No1 B-School in India :: Education, Careers ...
The Hindu Business Line : IIPM placements hit a high of over 2000 jobs
Deccan Herald - IIPM ranked as top B-School in India
India eNews - IIPM Ranked No1 B-School in India
IIPM Delhi - Indian Institute of Planning and Management New Delhi ...domain-b.com : IIPM ranked ahead of IIMs

Saturday, October 11, 2008

7th day dream

James Michener once called it “The most beautiful lagoon in the world.” The Bora Bora Nui Resort & Spa, a 120-villa resort offers a world class combination of Polynesian tradition and sumptuous comfort. In 2007 the World Travel Awards named The Nui “The Best Resort in French Polynesia.”

THE VIEW:
Nuzzled in a sacred cove of white sand and grandiose lava rock, the Bora Bora Nui Resort & Spa is poised between the crystal waters and the limitless skies. The resort offers a perfect blend of authenticity and luxury.

ARCHI TYPE:

The Polynesian tradition has its resonance in the authentic object d’art, decorations and landscaping. The Nui has 120 suites and villas situated on 16 acres of lush and terraced land with a private cove of emerald waters.

BON APPÉTIT: While you are in Polynesia, it’s the perfect opportunity to sit back and enjoy exotic fruits and vegetarian ‘meats’. Also, seafood is a speciality all over Polynesia. Tamure Grill is the resort’s special restaurant with a sand floor that organizes Polynesian evenings every Tuesday and Friday. The other restaurant here is the Iriatai which serves a fusion of French and Polynesian cuisine.

AROUND THE CORNER:

There is an hourly shuttle to Vaitape (main village of Bora Bora) for the guests (free). A visit to the Ancient maraes, leftover World War II cannons and bunkers, plus a special Circle Island tour is a must. Apart from the adventurous water sports, exotic Lagoonarium, Tahitian dancing and the Aqua safari are other attractions.

FROM UNDER THE CARPET:


If you’re in quest for mouth-watering food preparations, you might be a tad disapointed. Mainly catering to the American clientele, one will have to settle for exotic fruits and mediocre dishes with subtle flavours. The rather bland food may trigger your pocket, but certainly not your taste buds. IN ESSENCE: This motu (islet) is truly a French paradise and a romantic hideaway for the ones who have a fervour for natural beauty, and a lot more!

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2008
An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative
Read these article :-
ZEE BUSINESS BEST B SCHOOL SURVEY
B-schooled in India, Placed Abroad (Print Version)
IIPM in Financial times (Print Version)
IIPM makes business education truly global (Print Version)
The Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM)
IIPM Campus

Top Articles on IIPM:-
'This is one of Big B's best performances'
IIPM to come up at Rajarhat
IIPM awards four Bengali novelists
IIPM makes business education truly global-Education-The Times of ...
The Hindu : Education Plus : Honour for IIPM
IIPM ranked No.1 B-School in India, Management News - By ...
IIPM Ranked No1 B-School in India
Moneycontrol >> News >> Press- News >> IIPM ranked No1 B-School in ...
IIPM ranked No. 1 B-school in India- Zee Business Survey ...
IIPM ranked No1 B-School in India :: Education, Careers ...
The Hindu Business Line : IIPM placements hit a high of over 2000 jobs
Deccan Herald - IIPM ranked as top B-School in India
India eNews - IIPM Ranked No1 B-School in India
IIPM Delhi - Indian Institute of Planning and Management New Delhi ...
domain-b.com : IIPM ranked ahead of IIMs

Friday, October 10, 2008

Add a pinch of transparency

ACR has been made mandatory by the Supreme Court
Indian public servants love the green paper- Big bucks are always welcome. But when it comes to performance-based incentives, their attitudes turn sour. Its been a tradition in India of not discussing the performance of top public servants. But recently, The Supreme Court gave a judgment that it’s mandatory for all authorities to disclose the content of the annual confidential report (ACR) to the employee. This will allow the employee to access every clause of ACR and will also get opportunity of raising a voice if aggrieved

Non-communication of ACR of a public servant denies him with opportunity of asking an upgradation or promotion and assessing his performance. The core objective of the ACR is to give an opportunity to a public servant to improve his or her performance, but keeping it behind veil, questions the fundamental reason of its inception. Under the RTI, the rule states that even an adverse grade or comment even after a good grading, needs to be communicated to the employee. Moreover, ACR will also clear and avoid any skepticism about any personal liking during the promotion.

This will not only allow more professionalism in the service but also inculcate the concept of performance based incentives. Hence, this will make the whole system a bit more transparent and motivate the employee to work instead of just pretending to work!
For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2008
An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

Read these article :-
ZEE BUSINESS BEST B SCHOOL SURVEY
B-schooled in India, Placed Abroad (Print Version)
IIPM in Financial times (Print Version)
IIPM makes business education truly global (Print Version)
The Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM)
IIPM Campus

Top Articles on IIPM:-
'This is one of Big B's best performances'
IIPM to come up at Rajarhat
IIPM awards four Bengali novelists
IIPM makes business education truly global-Education-The Times of ...
The Hindu : Education Plus : Honour for IIPM
IIPM ranked No.1 B-School in India, Management News - By ...
IIPM Ranked No1 B-School in India
Moneycontrol >> News >> Press- News >> IIPM ranked No1 B-School in ...
IIPM ranked No. 1 B-school in India- Zee Business Survey ...
IIPM ranked No1 B-School in India :: Education, Careers ...
The Hindu Business Line : IIPM placements hit a high of over 2000 jobs
Deccan Herald - IIPM ranked as top B-School in India
India eNews - IIPM Ranked No1 B-School in India
IIPM Delhi - Indian Institute of Planning and Management New Delhi ...domain-b.com : IIPM ranked ahead of IIMs