DIVIDE AND RULE!

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“I think we have a good opportunity to bring refreshment to the category and delight the customers,” avers Gurdeep Singh, Chief Operating Officer, Aircel. After all the company believes in ‘divide and rule’! In fact, this refreshment plan from Aircel comprises of offerings identifying distinguishable group of customers and designing specialised services catering to a specific target group. “The rationale behind this move is that in the recent past we have seen a slew of service operators launching their services and almost all of them have been pegging it on the price factor, which is a very ‘me-too’ kind of strategy,” reasons Singh.

Certainly, the underlying idea is to touch all target groups, but in a manner that is unique and apt for that particular group. For instance, while recently it added Delhi in its operational chart, the company realised that of the total population making use of mobile phones in the city, most of them are students or immigrants from other parts of the country in search of employment opportunities. So, to address the needs of students and immigrants, they have come out with separate tariff plans that would be relevant to these groups. In fact, Aircel has been applying this approach in almost every circle that it operates in. But then, there are many who feel that this is just a start up communication, while delivery will be a different thing altogether.

No doubt, it’s surely a novel way to lure customers and has already started turning heads, yet it would not be easy for Aircel to convert these raised brows into customers. Raison d’être: Markets like Delhi and Mumbai already have seven to eight players (RCOM too is present in both CDMA and GSM) fighting for a share in the pie that already boasts of a whopping 90-95% penetration level (almost saturated, wouldn’t you say!). In such a scenario, it would become difficult even for Aircel, with its differentiated approach, to actually persuade customers to switch their existing number or carry two cell phones. But the good news is that when we look at the bigger picture and see India as a whole, we find that the telecom penetration in the country currently stands at a meager 30%, which means a huge untapped market still waiting to be ruled. Moreover, the mobile number portability, which is expected to be implemented by early 2010, would give Aircel and others of its ilk a plenty of opportunity to really churn out some big bucks.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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On second thought, it really hurts!

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Touted as the world’s cheapest car, Tata Nano aims to cater to the desires of the audience, who lack the financial support to own a highly priced four wheeler. Apart from forcing other carmakers to re-visit their business strategies, Nano has already started hurting the business prospects of the second hand car (currently standing over a million units) dealers like Maruti’s True Value, M&M’s First Choice et al. The adverse impact is visible even before Nano has hit the Indian road, as players of the used car market have been forced to slash their price rates by 30% in the Delhi-NCR region. The prevailing economic condition notwithstanding, consumers are holding back their precious pennies and thus Nano becomes an apt choice for the cash strapped buyers. However, Ravi Subramannian, AGM (Sales), Maruti Suzuki True Value differs, “The launch of Nano will hardly impact our business prospects, for the prospective car buyers would rather believe in purchasing a second hand high-end model rather than going for a never-tested-before vehicle.” N. Wadhwa, MD, SKI Capital Limited disagrees with Subramannian, “Used cars raise a lot of doubts in the mind of the buyers. Thus people would prefer buying a new car available at a lower rate rather than going for a second hand car.” Moreover, small cars form nearly 70% of the second-hand cars sold in the country; thus Nano is more likely to cut a hole in the pockets of second hand car dealers. But the future business dynamics of Nano having a larger share of the market pie and further hurting the second hand car dealers would depend on the success or failure after it goes through the buyers’ litmus test once it is launched.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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BASEL BEVEL... ...the next move

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As the cut-off date for implementing the Basel II Accord draws closer, Indian banks are gearing up fast to be at par with their international peers. Are they on track? 4Ps B&M’s Manish k Pandey finds the answer...

“If Basel I could be compared with an old bi-plane, then Basel II represents an advanced jet, designed to transport its passengers in utmost comfort irrespective of the turbulence and extremes of weather outside,” says a White Paper on Basel II by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). Certainly, considering the rewards of the accord that include introduction of new complex financial products, improvement in risk management system, availability of a range of options for estimating regulatory capital, et al, in the Indian banking arena, the statement by PwC, no doubt, marks out the real future of banking in India or rather banking across the globe. But what really confuses and haunts one is this perplexed transition – from the age-old bi-plane to a shimmering advanced jet.

Will it be a smooth one? Are the players ready for it? These are certainly some of the questions that need apposite answers as Indian banks enter the final lag of this transition matrix. No doubt, as the cut-off date for implementing the accord draws closer, Indian banks are gearing up fast to be at par with their international peers. But are they really on track considering that it’s just a month (April 1, 2009) before the new jet finally takes off? “Yes, the implementation is on track for Indian banks, within the context of the relaxation that the RBI has implemented in light of the ongoing crisis, such as reduction in risk weights. Majority of the banks are not facing any capital shortage at present and those public sector banks (PSBs) that need capital infusion, have already been promised the same by the government,” avers Vaibhav Agrawal, Sr. Research Analyst, Angel Broking. No doubt, so far, most of the banks are comfortably placed even after switching on to the Basel II accord in FY 2008. Though some of them have reported a reduction in the total capital to risk-weighted assets ratio (CRAR) or commonly known as capital adequacy ratio (CAR – the ratio of a banks capital to its assets) by around 30 to 80 basis points, primarily on account of operational risk, there are many who have reported a capital relief. All thanks to higher exposure to better rated corporates as well as savings on the regulatory retail portfolio.

In fact, if one goes by the latest numbers, the Indian banks already seem to have conquered this long row to hoe. According to a recent report on “Trends and Progress of Banking in India 2007-08” by the RBI, “the overall capital adequacy of all scheduled commercial banks (SCBs) was at 13% as on March 31, 2008, well above the Basel II norm of 8% and the stipulated norm of 9% for banks in India. Even on an individual bank basis, the CAR of as many as 56 banks was over 12%, of 21 banks was between 10-12%, while those of the remaining two banks was between 9% and 10%.” This is indeed comparable with most of the banks in emerging markets and developed economies where CAR varied between 10% and 28.7% in FY 2008.

However, if one goes by the desired level of CAR by the government, which is 12%, the situation seems to be a little tense for as many as 14 commercial banks (11 public sector banks and 3 private sector banks). In fact, a combined capital infusion in excess of Rs.50 billion is what is needed to shove them up to that level. No doubt, banks can use the capital market route to meet the capital requirements or can use private placement to garner the additional capital but then turning to capital markets to raise funds at a time when the markets are bleeding and investors are wary of planting money into them the option really doesn’t seem to be viable at all, particularly for the small and medium sized banks.

But, overall, out of 41 banks that migrated to Basel II Accord last March, 40 banks had CAR of more than 10% and one bank had close to 10% even at the time of transition. So considering this, no doubt the Indian banks are faring well as of now, but then going deeper into the Basel II matrix, one can easily figure out that the matrix is not just about CAR. The framework has three components or ‘Pillars’. While Pillar one relates to minimum capital requirements, Pillar two is the supervisory review process (SRP) and Pillar three is all about market discipline. Moreover, it is Pillar 2 that makes the Basel II Accord more comprehensive as it aims at eying the overall risk of an institution. But if one goes by Moody’s latest report on Indian Banking then the stress surely seems to be testing Indian banks. As per the report, while financial strength rating (BFSR) of most of the Indian banks was between C- and D+, baseline credit assessment (BCA) rating too ranged between Ba1 and Baa3.

Therefore, as it’s said by many critics that “fundamental to the successful implementation of the Basel II norms is an inconvenient but necessary marriage of two of unmatched horoscopes – qualitative tools and quantitative standards,” the task of implementing the accord surely appears to be a tough one for the Indian banks. In fact, this was the main reason for the delay in implementing Basel II Accord in the country (originally set for March 31, 2007). Though foreign banks and Indian banks with overseas presence have already incorporated Basel II Accord with effect from March 31, 2008, its full execution still remains a major challenge for them – all in terms of procedures, infrastructure requirement and capacity building.

Moreover, considering the technological advances and greater reliance on technology-based solutions by conventional Indian banks, a need for adequate safeguards against fraudulent activities automatically pops in and, this is an area where the Indian banks need to work the most in order to stand equal to their international peers. No doubt, the asset quality of banks in India has improved significantly in the recent years, efforts need to be made to ensure that the hard earned gains are not frittered away, particularly in the wake of the global slowdown. Further, for banks, the implementation of Basel II Capital Accord will certainly continue to be a challenge until the regulator acts as a facilitator rather than as any gregarious procrastinator. So, just watch out for the next move!

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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How about making moolah the rice, atta and daal way?

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With stock markets running out of gas, and equity becoming a property too hot – or cold – to handle, investors might see better prospect in commodity trading

When the stock markets the world over are biting dust, everyone is looking for a cover. And most of them are landing up buying gold and gilt-edged securities. No doubt, these two are the safest bets at the moment, but then they are just wealth preservers. So why not try something that can also offer you some return. Well, in this regard have you ever considered commodities? It’s true that many investors are still apprehensive in their attitude towards the commodity market, but then many others have joined the bandwagon for it’s not too different from trading in the equity market. And this is quite obvious from the fact that total monthly turnover of Multi-Commodity Exchange has almost doubled from Rs.2.1 trillion in January 2007 to Rs.4.1 trillion in January 2009.

Noted investment banker Jim Rogers tells us, “In the future, investing in commodities would be the most lucrative bet.” Reflecting this sentiment, 2008 has been a fairly good year for people who had invested in the market as commodities were the only thing moving up. However, the outlook for 2009 does not seem to be on the lines of 2008, especially if one is expecting to hedge their risks or are expecting similar returns. Arvind Bansal, Chief Investment Officer, ING Investment Management, informs 4PsB&M, “From a valuation and a price correction perspective, there has been a sharp correction in the commodity market like in real estate and equity.” The profits of various organisations have nose-dived, which has led to decreased production levels and in turn, a decline in the supply of these commodities. Therefore, much of the concepts in this market ride on how the ever illogical demand curve takes shape. With various governments trying all they can to revive the state of economy, it is expected that the demand for commodities would start to look up in the near future; and most analysts are pegging that the period post May-June might see some of the developing economies showing positive trends which would marginally shoot up the demand for commodities.

Though according to Amar Singh, the head of research at Angel Commodities, “For the year 2009, bullion will be the best bet.” Joseph Massey, CEO, MCX, accepts, “The most traded products on our exchange have been bullion, which continues to be a favourite.” But then, one must not forget agro products like sugar that yielded a good return for their investors in 2008. At the same time, investors also must be selective in picking up the commodities and become futuristic. Because living on past favourites can be deadly for them in the commodities market. Crude, perhaps, is the best example in this regard at the moment.

Having said all that, and more, allow us to sweetly warn you, whatever we write out here and in the other pages can come to nought, for though we may be smarter than what we think, the money is still yours honey.

Surbhi Chawla

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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The great brand brawl

IIPM set to beat economic slowdown

Attack advertisement is the latest muse for the corporates but the success boils down to consumer satisfaction and avoidance of the regulatory scanner

Ouch! That must have hurt. It surely does, when the opponent hits you ‘below the belt’. And the blows are getting increasingly fast and furious. The trend is invariably visible with a number of global marketers openly declaring war by taking a direct pick on their arch rivals through attack advertisements or in polite terms comparative advertisements.

This ‘Smack Down’ of brands has become an all-out battle amongst some of the world’s top brands. From the Pepsi challenge to the endless knockout rounds between Dunkin’ Donuts vs. Starbucks, McDonalds vs. Starbucks, Dominos vs. Subway, Mac Guy vs. PC Guy (Apple vs Microsoft) et al, the strategy has found a number of followers. This current marketing strategy is far from the traditional concept of promotion and marketing where companies highlight the benefits that a consumer would derive from usage of their products or services. The concept of attack advertisement rather has the players using the negative mechanism and splashes out the misgivings of their competitor’s goods and services, thus trying to convince the target audience of their relative superiority.

The Dunkin’ Donuts attack commercial against Starbucks is an apt epitome of the aforesaid statement; the former tells the consumers that more ‘hard-working’ people prefer their coffee than the high-priced ‘elitist’ coffee of the latter. “Our marketing approach evolves based on what resonates with customers and is not driven by another company’s advertising campaign. We believe what truly differentiates us from our competitors is the daily, human connection between customers and store partners,” avers unscathed Wendy Pang, Communication Manager, Starbucks Coffee, to 4Ps B&M, taking the entire fiasco as a pinch of salt. The coffee brewer has become the punching bag for Dunkin’ Donuts and McDonalds of late. It’s always easier to point out some of the failings of a competitor but clearly it’s always about establishing a point of difference. “It’s going to come more from those sectors which are being impacted by the economical downturn such as auto, electronics and parts of FMCG; nevertheless, the downturn is not the main driver of the concept but because it is persuasive, the players are using attack advertisements,” explain Stephen Byrne Director, DIFFUSION Global brand strategist and commentator.

Attack or comparative advertising does work to an extent, as it definitely draws a number of eyeballs. But then everything finally boils down to meeting the promises made and the quality of products or services delivered, leading to consumer satisfaction. “The Mac vs. PC guy has been very successful for Apple; look at the evidence from new Apple computer sales into corporate markets to see how it’s changed how people think, but more of it is due to the quality product and the after sales service deliverance,” supports Byrne.

However, the tendency to mislead consumers generally creeps into this kind of strategy. So companies should be wary of the fact that watchdogs like courts and consumer protection bodies are looking very closely at the way advertisers and brand owners use this advertising. For the punch they deliver definitely hurts, no matter which side of the belt it lands!

Ratan Lal Bhagat

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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YOU CAN CALL HIM THE ‘AXE’L BEHIND OBAMA!

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ARCHITECT OF MODERN POLITICAL ADVERTISING, DAVID AXELROD IS THE MAN CREDITED FOR OBAMA’S LARGER-THAN-LIFE IMAGE BUILD-UP

“If there’s anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible... tonight’s your answer.” As Barack Obama spoke these words on November 4, at the Grant Park in Chicago, Illinois, he crafted a notable moment in the history of the United States of America by becoming the first Afro-American President of the world’s most powerful country. The race was not easy for this man with a Muslim middle name. But what made his amazing feat possible were some perfect modern strategies devised by Obama’s long time friend turned Chief Strategist – David Axelrod. Having designed Obama’s campaign for the US Senate Elections in 2004, Axelrod’s camera had followed Obama like a sheep ever since, capturing all his public appearances. When Obama decided to contest for the Presidency, Axelrod was the first guy he hired for his team of strategists. With all the Axelrod accumulated footage, Obama’s first campaign was devised – a five-minute Internet video. “Throughout campaigning, Axelrod focused on Barack’s bio and people liked it,” says Rahm Emanuel, an Illinois Democrat. Axelrod’s personality-led strategy sold Brand Obama as an agent of change for the American people.

On the one hand, Axelrod focussed on building Obama’s image as a devoted family man, and on the other, as a well-read, confident leader. To win over racial prejudices, Axelrod roped in Paul Simon (an enterprising retired US Senator and a respected figure) to endorse Obama. But as luck would’ve had it, Simon died before the campaign shoot. Axelrod then convinced Simon’s daughter to appear in the commercial declaring that her father and Obama were “cut from the same cloth.” Axelrod also convinced Obama not to accept public finance for campaigning to avoid giving details of expenditure to the Election Commissioner. Obama raised close to $30 million in January alone and his total donations stood at $280,011,968 as on Oct. 15, 2008. Other approaches included community involvement, mobile marketing, product promotions, et al. Axelrod made Obama immensely popular with the youth by signing him up on social networking sites like Facebook, YouTube, MySpace, et al. “This enabled Obama to connect with all demographics of voters,” adds Emanuel.

As President-elect, while Obama will take on the task of getting the economy back on track; as his Senior Advisor, Axelrod will continue to polish his image in these turbulent times. As Obama said in his winning speech, “It’s been a long time coming, but tonight… at this defining moment, change has come to America.” God knows, that country needs it and how!

Savreen Gadhoke

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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IIPM set to beat economic slowdown
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The final ball...

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After having immodestly discussed events and people, let us talk about a company’s excellent performance for a change during times when the nation was counting goosebumps on its (sweaty?) forehead due to the ongoing slowdown. Yes, Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) has repoted four straight quarters of amazing growth, averaging 19%. In fact during the last two quarter results (with average net sales growth of 20%) were positively electrifying for HUL, and perhaps the best in over a decade! Tushar Bhattacharya, Sr. FMCG Analyst, FICCI comments, “Interestingly, the substantive price increases did not disturb the sales of HUL as most of their brands have a strong brand proposition, because of which the consumer doesn’t mind spending more.” While explaining HUL’s rosy 2008 performance, Harish Manwani, Chairman, HUL states, “We have sustained volume growth in a high inflationary environment and offset the cost management…”

Even when the world was stuck in a sandstorm, for HUL, the year gone by looked simply ‘Fair’ & ‘Lovely’. So much for Super Six #6. Truly, ‘what a ‘great’ year bygone, was 2008!

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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Motor insurance gets a makeover!

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Fed up of those nasty problems that your car gives you everyday & that too all of a sudden? Then here comes a good news for you! First party motor insurance is all set to undergo major changes in India. The insurers are now planning to come up with policies that will offer another vehicle for the period for which the insuree’s vehicle is unavailable, for instance, getting repaired. Even, if the car is not replaced, the insuree will receive allowance to recoup the rental of hiring a car during that period. Insurers in mature markets like US and UK are already offering such policies. Now with IRDA allowing it in India, almost all the major insurers have started working on it. IRDA has also allowed a waiver of depreciation.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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The Jet-Kingfisher ‘deal’ has re-ignited the debate on how poor regulation leads to cartels and collusion at the cost of the consumer. By Aditi Prasad

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True! But the problems for these two players are largely self-imposed. Both Mallya and Goyal already knew the existing fuel policy of the government, yet they expanded faster than ever and expensively acquired rival airlines, Deccan and Sahara respectively. Route rationalisation was far from Mallya’s mind when he was busy re-painting Deccan’s planes with his Kingfisher red. Had he rationalised routes then, things would have never reached such a passé. Moreover, to stem their monetary bleeding, the two airlines could have as easily looked at other ways to raise capital (like selling their stake) instead of this hurriedly stitched alliance. “They are too clever to sell stake when valuations are low. Also, high interest rates are dissuading them from borrowing. So the only way out was to get together, reduce competition and eventually charge a premium from consumers,” points out management consultant Avinash Narula.

Section 10 of the MRTP Act, 1969, prohibits cartelisation in any industry and says it is a restrictive trade practice as it imposes an unjustified burden on consumers. So although belatedly, but the MRTPC woke up from its deep slumber and on October 17 ordered a probe into the Jet-Kingfisher tie-up. Yet, by the time, the commission submits its report (they are supposed to do so in 60 days, but we know our bureaucrats better) and suggests action; the two airlines would have possibly ridden over the present storm, with adequate customer money in their airbags.

Incidentally, last June, Google and Yahoo! had entered into a somewhat similar alliance globally. The alliance said that Google (with 80% share of the paid-search market) would supply Yahoo! (20% share) with search ads to supplement Yahoo!’s. Yahoo! would get a new source of revenue, while Google would get a new customer for its ad delivery service. But before the ‘deal’ could see the light of the day, antitrust regulators in the US got in the way, fearing that the deal may create a monopoly and lead to illegal price fixing.

The search giants’ lawyers may eventually win over antitrust hurdles, but unlike the Jet-Kingfisher ‘alliance’, at least someone took notice before the deal was signed and put a spanner in their works until further review!

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM Programme :- SUPERIOR COURSE CONTENTS
IIPM INTERNATIONAL - NEW DELHI, GURGAON & NOIDA
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IIPM’s 36th Glorious Year of Academic Excellence
Why Study Abroad When IIPM Gives You 3 global Advantages!

Rashmi Bansal Publisher of JAMMAG magazine caught red-handed, for details click on the following links.

• Hindustan Times Article - Publisher goes underground
• Rashmi Bansal (Editor of JAMMAG)
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It’s a catch-22 situation. Sales are falling and increasing ad spend seems to be the way forward for brands.

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Madison Avenue and Wall Street in juxtaposition may appear to be an oxymoron, but in the recent past they have turned into a cynosure for the world’s eyes. The graveyard of fallen American financial brands stands in silent testimony to the reverberating shockwaves emanating from the Wall Street, making their stark presence felt across Madison Avenue. Even as words like recession, bankruptcy and bailouts hog newsprint and the war between Citi and Wells Fargo for ownership of Wachovia continues, the US advertising Goliaths have begun to reel under their impact. The initial hiccups began no sooner than the House of Representatives rejected the bailout package (worth $700 billion). Both Dow Jones and the AdMarket crashed simultaneously. If the former plummeted by 778 points (largest single day decline in history), the latter also had its biggest crash ever - an unmitigated 6.4%.

For the uninitiated, a lot is at stake for Madison Avenue. Advertising elasticity is being put to the toughest test. The top 10 advertisers in the US may have combined spent a humongous $8, 4427 millions (H1 2008) on advertising, yet it marks a 3% decrease from last year. The picture becomes more worrisome when you compare ad spends of the top 50 companies in America, which have already declined by 4.7%. Don’t blame it solely on the September debacle; after all, the stirrings of the mayhem had already begun in March (remember Bear Stearns).

In a year marked by failures of behemoths, bailouts, acquisitions, credit crunch et al, corporates have cut back their advertising and marketing expenditure for the already over-saturated market. Data from TNS Media Intelligence reveals that the total measured advertising expenditure in the first six months of 2008 has declined by 1.6% as compared to the same period in 2007, while Nielsen Monitor Plus puts the drop at 1.4%.

Ford Motor’s comparative advertising expenditure is a classic case; it has cut its advertising budget from $798 million (H12007) to $554 million (H12008), a drop of 30.56%. Even General Motors – grappling with unsustainable losses – now plans to cut its digital media budget. In fact, the ad spending in real terms has come down by 11.2% in the entire automobile category. The rational for the cuts are obvious. Ed Yardeni, President & Chief Investment Strategist, Yardeni.com believes that the would-be buyers simply can’t get auto loans needed to make their purchases. “At 12.5 million units (saar) during September, monthly car and light-truck sales were the worst since April 1992, with both Toyota and Ford posting sales declines of more than 30% from a year ago,” he says, adding that auto sales peaked at 20.6mu (saar) during July 2005, and are now down 40% since then. Clearly, and if advertising spends cannot justify sales (revenues), it is but logical to put a cap on the outgoings.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM Programme :- SUPERIOR COURSE CONTENTS
Now IIPM's World-Class Education... for everybody!!
IIPM INTERNATIONAL - NEW DELHI, GURGAON & NOIDA
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM : EXECUTIVE EDUCATION
IIPM’s 36th Glorious Year of Academic Excellence
4Ps Power Brand Awards 2007
When IIPM comes to education, never compromise
Why Study Abroad When IIPM Gives You 3 global Advantages!
IIPM Ranked No. 1 B-School In Global Exposre - Zee...

Rashmi Bansal Publisher of JAMMAG magazine caught red-handed, for details click on the following links.

• Hindustan Times Article - Publisher goes underground
• Rashmi Bansal (Editor of JAMMAG)
• Rashmi Bansal (Publisher of JAMMAG)

“Technology certainly adds knowledge to retail”

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How important is technology for the retail market?
Technology evolves with the need. And market caters to the need of the people. Retail market is constantly improvising itself & becoming more efficient. Technology is one of the most important tools in management and execution of retailing. In fact, technology helps in research and analysis and finally results in adding knowledge to retail.

Where do you see more technology being used in future and why?
Technology helps in reducing the cost involved in operations, optimising the functioning of the system and helps in monitoring, reporting and delivery in the day to day operations. Technology requirements differ significantly in rural areas. Limitations of telecommunications network, ill equipped P.O.S., severe power problems and ill trained manpower creates a much larger role for technology in rural areas. Retailers in urban areas of the country look for error free & smooth operations, and trust tested technologies in the industry.

Where does technology play a vital role in the retail industry, back-end or front-end?
Technology in the retail industry at the back-end comprises of robust database, intelligent tools (software applications) and dependable communication channels. Front-end requires comprehensive user-friendly interface. Advancement in IT/telecom technologies brings a lot of scope of corrections and improvement. Back-end technology gives more room to play and is always vital to the entire operation.

How do you see the future of technology in retail?
The blend of communication and IT is going to play a larger role in the near future. In fact, the future of technology in retail industry would lie in developing modular, compatible and scalable technology on rapidly changing platforms and protocols. This will help the industry to reach new heights.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM Programme :- SUPERIOR COURSE CONTENTS
Now IIPM's World-Class Education... for everybody!!
IIPM INTERNATIONAL - NEW DELHI, GURGAON & NOIDA
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM : EXECUTIVE EDUCATION
IIPM’s 36th Glorious Year of Academic Excellence
4Ps Power Brand Awards 2007
When IIPM comes to education, never compromise
Why Study Abroad When IIPM Gives You 3 global Advantages!
IIPM Ranked No. 1 B-School In Global Exposre - Zee...

Rashmi Bansal Publisher of JAMMAG magazine caught red-handed, for details click on the following links.

• Hindustan Times Article - Publisher goes underground
• Rashmi Bansal (Editor of JAMMAG)
• Rashmi Bansal (Publisher of JAMMAG)

WHEN KING KONG MET REAL FOOTBALL

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Mauj and Hungama are top-of-mind recall when one mentions mobile gaming in India. But a global player is swiftly preparing its ground, says Savreen Gadhoke

King Kong, Real Football, Midnight Pool, Ferrari World, New York Nights… the names mean a lot to all mobile gaming aficionados, who swear by the game’s time-pass value during boring college lectures, dull office meetings and sometimes even at the cost of their beauty sleep (when the ego trip is all about beating your own score!).

Fact is, mobile gaming has emerged as the latest blockbuster on the entertainment bandwagon, scoring high on the back of the growing wireless subscriber base in the country. Gartner predicts that the mobile gaming industry in India is projected to touch the $450 million mark by 2012 and while revenues from the same stood at $80 million in 2007, the same exceeded expectations over the next few years.

So from being a default application in most handsets, mobile gaming has evolved as an important source of revenues for telecom service providers, handsets manufacturers & publishers too. Encashing on this frenzy are various Indian companies like Hungama Mobile, Mauj Telecom, et al. But global players are not far behind. The $140 million European mobile game publisher Gameloft, which set its foot on Indian soil in 2005, is confident that they would be able to make their dent in the market... and soon!

Headquartered in Paris, Gameloft is already the numero uno mobile gaming company in Europe, number two in the US market and growing at an impressive rate of 40% (in 2007). Gameloft published six of the 18 games in Nokia N-Gage. Over the last three years, Gameloft has concentrated on acquiring channel partners and today has brands like Airtel, Vodafone and Reliance in its kitty. Now, top honchos at this gaming company are gung-ho about the iPhone launch in India, as they are sure it will kickstart an altogether new phase of growth for them. In an interaction with 4Ps B&M, Ravi Kumar, Country Manager (India), Gameloft, reveals the importance of Indian market in its growth strategy.

How important is the Indian market for Gameloft?
India will be a very significant market for Gameloft in the years to come because the volume that we are expecting out of the Indian market is huge. Currently there are 250 million subscribers and the number is expected to go up to 500 million by 2011. So we can expect at least 250 million mobile games downloads. We are probably the only company in game publishing industry, which publishes games for as many as 800 handsets, which means we try to adapt our games to both high-end as well as entry-level models.

Is your gaming content developed in India only?
For the content of the game, we’ve different studios across the world. We have 4,000 people, 90% of which are into content development. We’ve studios in US, France, Japan, China, India, etc. We back our technical capability with technological resources to support. One studio alone does not take the responsibility of creating a game because development of a game is divided into different stages. Depending upon the stage and work allocations, the global production team decides.

But you’ve India-centric games?
We primarily have games for the global audiences. But if you consider cricket game as an Indian game, then we do have India centric games. ‘Prince of Persia’ was also very popular in the Indian market but that was not specifically an Indian game. But we do have a game called ‘Vijay Singh Golf 3D’. Even our games ‘Real Football 2007’ & 2008 did extremely well in India.

You already have a formidable reputation globally. Comment.
Gameloft has a lot of credibility in the International market. We are clearly number one and PG.biz Quality Index survey done by Pocket Gamer (mobile game review website) has ranked Gameloft as leader in terms of quality. We are number one in sales too. Both qualitatively & quantitatively we are clearly ahead. We have a lot of ideas for iPod & iPhone and we expect a transition in the mobile gaming business with the launch of iPhone in India, because it has a lot of applications like the touchscreen, which fit very well with the new taste in gaming. We have adapted our games to the iPhone too and are ready to develop more games.

But when you talk of Mobile Gaming in India, Gameloft is not top-of-mind recall?
Well, we first wanted to have our sales partnerships in place and only then go about tom-tomming our brand in India. Now that we have those partnerships in place and are confident about our line-up, we will do the brand building exercise. Since our units are in place, you will see the Gameloft brand picking up in India.

What are the critical challenges that Gameloft faces in India?
If India wants to grow its mobile game industry, wireless carriers will have to take a leaf from Japanese business practices. Higher revenue sharing with game developers, according priority to developers instead of aggregators, allowing developers to host their own page on carrier’s portal are some of the key challenges. When developers host their own page, they have better control on what to sell and how to sell, eventually translating into more sales. Unfortunately in India, aggregators are calling the shots & pulling down creative quotient of the industry.

How does Gameloft plan to establish itself in the Indian market?
We want to grow into a trusted brand. There is lot of uncertainty when a customer downloads a mobile game. We try to ensure that all our games match the quality expectation of consumers. We want to build a relation with Indian consumers where they feel that purchasing from Gameloft is sure-shot gateway to international quality experience in mobile gaming. We would like to grow our distribution channels, and work with carriers like Reliance & BSNL too.

How do you visualise the mobile gaming industry in the coming two years in India?
The government and TRAI want that operators work more on the VAS side because telecom players get a good margin from these services. In APAC region, a 45% yoy growth is expected in video games across formats including mobile games. Number of telecom players is increasing by the day and keeping in mind the demographic shift that is happening; mobile gaming has a good bright future in India.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM Programme :- SUPERIOR COURSE CONTENTS
Now IIPM's World-Class Education... for everybody!!
IIPM INTERNATIONAL - NEW DELHI, GURGAON & NOIDA
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM : EXECUTIVE EDUCATION
IIPM’s 36th Glorious Year of Academic Excellence
4Ps Power Brand Awards 2007
When IIPM comes to education, never compromise
Why Study Abroad When IIPM Gives You 3 global Advantages!
IIPM Ranked No. 1 B-School In Global Exposre - Zee...

Rashmi Bansal Publisher of JAMMAG magazine caught red-handed, for details click on the following links.

• Hindustan Times Article - Publisher goes underground
• Rashmi Bansal (Editor of JAMMAG)
• Rashmi Bansal (Publisher of JAMMAG)

I am your move

IIPM, GURGAON

Now the signs of this change are also visible in India. Apart from the chic Reebok Classic stores, the once sportswear major has tied a knot with designer Manish Arora (for the Reebok Fish Fry range) and another with Bollywood diva Bipasha Basu (as their brand ambassador). Interestingly, the duo have nothing to do with sports, except perhaps Bips starring role in Goal. Clearly, Reebok has its eyes set on India’s haute couture market. But isn’t Reebok trading the cook for the cookie? After all, the brand has gone to great pains to carefully cultivate its sporty image in India and that’s where the revenues have been pouring in from, at least until now! Subhinder Singh Prem, MD, Reebok India, does not agree. “We are trying to capture all segments of the apparel market, but we are not compromising with the brand image. Reebok Classic will even have denims designed by Dhoni and Yuvraj. All our cricketer brand ambassadors would be promoting all Reebok brands,” he says, citing the ads featuring Bipasha, which either show her in a sporty attire, or playing a sport (remember Bips in the boxing ring!). The company is taking pains to keep the sporty image alive by strengthening the brand association with cricket in India. In June this year, Reebok rolled out cricket stores, which display cricket paraphernalia used by cricketers in major cricket series. “To sustain market share as a sportswear brand in India you cannot ignore cricket and we wanted to do something that other players had not done ever,” explains Subhinder.

The strategy is to tap the new segments, without compromising on its inherent sporty image. Since the beginning of Reebok’s Indian odyssey, its brand association with cricket has helped Reebok steal the show from rival Nike (which connected with cricket only in 2006). Now Reebok is mulling a different penetration strategy by focusing on store expansion. Already in 225 cities with 751 stores (Nike has 500 and Puma 425 stores), Reebok wants to up the stakes further to 1,000 stores by the end of 2008. Is that Subhinder singing ‘catch me if you can?’

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM Programme :- SUPERIOR COURSE CONTENTS
Now IIPM's World-Class Education... for everybody!!
IIPM INTERNATIONAL - NEW DELHI, GURGAON & NOIDA
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM : EXECUTIVE EDUCATION
IIPM’s 36th Glorious Year of Academic Excellence
4Ps Power Brand Awards 2007
When IIPM comes to education, never compromise
Why Study Abroad When IIPM Gives You 3 global Advantages!
IIPM Ranked No. 1 B-School In Global Exposre - Zee...

Rashmi Bansal Publisher of JAMMAG magazine caught red-handed, for details click on the following links.

• Hindustan Times Article - Publisher goes underground
• Rashmi Bansal (Editor of JAMMAG)
• Rashmi Bansal (Publisher of JAMMAG)

Unlocking values

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The rising stature of PE funds in the emerging markets indicates that it’s still not over for the PE sector, feels Gyanendra Kashyap...

Portrayed as the epitome of avarice, the private equity (PE) sector right now is witnessing a power play between two distinct polarities. While at one end (the developed nations) the sector is battling as the industry there can no more digest the large size deals (alas! the days of easy money making for the PE stalwarts are heading to a doomsday), on the other (the emerging economies) it offers them a huge untapped potential. At one pole even going public has not been able to restore the much needed momentum and confidence, whereas at the other it’s helping companies to increase their valuations even before they could enter the primary markets.

Well, the duality does not end here. While PE firms are forced to exit one set of market, they are reaping high returns on entering the other. Certainly this forces one to question, “Is it the end or the beginning of PE firms?” However, the answer to this candid question probably lies in the differentiation of the market dynamics.

No doubt, traditionally, PE firms in the European and US markets have worked in silence. But all thanks to the ongoing liquidity crunch, the ever tightening market for corporate debts and the roller coaster ride of the stock markets, the sector has suddenly hogged on to the lime light. And the bigwigs of the sector which include Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR), Texas Pacific Group (TPG), Blackstone, Carlyle Group, Bain Capital, et al, who were at the centre of blockbuster buyouts almost on a daily basis, are seemingly finding the tough days ahead. It is feared that some of the big deals may either collapse or be at least renegotiated. Even the banks which had committed to loan the money are now pushing these firms to rethink the deals. For instance, banks including Citigroup, RBS, et al even tried to wriggle out their commitment to provide debt to Bain and its partners. This surely indicates that it’s no longer true for the companies in the West that going private (that is accepting PE participation) will shield them from the pressures of publicly listed business which inhibit the full extraction of potential returns. Moreover, as the PE firms themselves are going public and are accepting financial assistance from cash rich sovereign wealth funds (China Investment Corporation and Dubai International Capital have invested in Blackstone, Carlyle, et al), it makes more business sense for companies to dump PE investments. Perhaps the companies there have realised the simple fact that the only thing that they need to ponder over is to go public again. It is but apparent that the golden age of PE has come to an end in the West and the billionaire practitioners of the buyout business can only look fondly on their glorious past.

However, cut the picture across to the Asia-Pacific region, it’s India and China along with few others that seems to be providing a new hotbed to these distressed PE players. It is apparent that the beautiful period of PE investment that embellished the record books of the European and US corporations is in rough weather as the corporations there have become all the more cautious. On the contrary, the PE players focusing on Asia Pacific market maintain that they are sector agonistic and that their prime investments targets are the sectors spreading across communication, financial services, real estate, media, et al. Be it Blackstone, Temasek, NBC Universal, Warbug Pincus or Carlyle they for sure have mastered the art of treasure hunting. In fact, Indian companies by far have been the biggest beneficiaries in terms of PE investment in the region.

The burgeoning PE activity in the Indian market goes on to paint a very rosy picture of the sector. Avers Vincent Pun, Head of Research, AVCJ Research, “India has broken historical levels in the last two years. In terms of investments made, private equity investment in the country has jumped over 130% from a mere $7.48 billion in 2006 to a whopping $17.26 billion in 2007. Indian private equity funds also raised $6.38 billion in 2007, reporting a 6.6% increase from $5.98 billion in 2006.” So, going by the domestic and international capital flows into this asset class it can be logically inferred that the PE activity will definitely be at a high in 2008 and 2009. In fact the PE investments in India during the first half of 2008 (January to June) have been to the tune of $9.64 billion (233 deals). This, in volume terms is just 1% lower than the total investment in calendar year 2007. Even the number of deals has increased by over 15%. So one can well imagine in which direction the Indian PE scene is heading! But according to Arun Natrajan, CEO, Venture Intelligence, “The steep fall in the public markets has resulted in a marked decline in the number of PIPE, Pre-IPO and Late Stage investments during the latest quarter. However, “while power and telecom companies continue to attract large ticket investments, the positive surprise this year has been the re-emergence of Healthcare & Life Sciences on the radar screens of PE investors,” he quickly adds on.

In fact, in the present year, real estate (DLF-Symphony $450 million deal) and telecom (Aditya Birla Group and Providence Equity $640 million deal) together accounted for the 40% of the PE investments on volume basis. This surely indicates that the Asian tigers are on the roar and India is way ahead of its arch rival China. Thanks to the over 300 active PE funds in India, the PE investment in India is 30% more than that of China on an annualised basis. As a matter of fact $6.13 billion has been raised by India specific PE funds (3i, Axis, Baring, Lightspeed, Helion Ventures, Citigroup, et al) while funds to the tune of $16.9 billion has been raised by different global and emerging market funds (Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse, GE, Ashmore, et al). It is interesting here to note that $4.04 billion has been raised by means of IPO in first half of 2008 while in the same period the PE investment has been to the tune of $9.64 billion (a thumping 240% lead). This clearly indicates the growing appetite for PE investments among Indian firms. However, the volatility in the capital market and the slowdown in the economy are leading to some negative trends (reduction of average deal size).

So, as PE firms loose their grip on the markets in the West, the emerging markets with Asia Pacific markets topping the chart are the new battlefields for them. Although individual markets have their inherent challenges, adopting a global strategy may be one approach to weathering the current economic slowdown. Though the sector may have lost a battle it is yet to lose the WAR!

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM Programme :- SUPERIOR COURSE CONTENTS
Now IIPM's World-Class Education... for everybody!!
IIPM INTERNATIONAL - NEW DELHI, GURGAON & NOIDA
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM : EXECUTIVE EDUCATION
IIPM’s 36th Glorious Year of Academic Excellence
4Ps Power Brand Awards 2007
When IIPM comes to education, never compromise
Why Study Abroad When IIPM Gives You 3 global Advantages!
IIPM Ranked No. 1 B-School In Global Exposre - Zee...

Rashmi Bansal Publisher of JAMMAG magazine caught red-handed, for details click on the following links.

• Hindustan Times Article - Publisher goes underground
• Rashmi Bansal (Editor of JAMMAG)
• Rashmi Bansal (Publisher of JAMMAG)

Is this service a path breaking innovative move in the telecom sector?

IIPM Programme :- SUPERIOR COURSE CONTENTS

So how is Netcore planning to get the cash flows and margins moving? The business model for this vertical of Netcore is the subscription model, wherein, the subscription charges would vary between Rs.25 to Rs.85 on a monthly basis depending on the usage (where the Rs.85 package would enable the subscriber to get an unlimited subscription of this service; and the Rs.25 package would be similar to pay per view after an initial free limit).

Is this service a path breaking innovative move in the telecom sector? Well, the truth is that though it might look as a revolutionary step in the Indian context, in the firang lands, this has been around for quite some time. There are companies like Momail.com and Teleflip.com, which are the top two choices in the US and European markets. Uniquely, they offer the basic services of these SMS/email messages at no charge at all; and only some specific add-on services are charged to the subscribers. Even at the recent CommunicAsia show in Singapore, Yahoo, which has been loosing its share of late, unveiled its own e-mail-to-mobile initiative. This initiative would allow its users to have their Yahoomail copied as text messages to their mobile phones, and also give an option of sending brief replies to these mails. Yet, Netcore MD Rajesh Jain terms his Emergic mail2sms service as being a ‘Blue Ocean’ service [suggestively named after the HBR paper titled ‘Blue Ocean Strategy’, which hypothesized that there are enough new markets for new players to enter], wherein, there is presumably and evidently a huge customer base that will pay up for their service rather than investing a heavy amount in purchasing a Blackberry and related service.

Competition or no competition, the fact is that in the Indian sphere, it is only Netcore that is offering this service. However, there might be a few others who might plan to jump in at a later stage. These are also early days for the mass marketing of Emergic mail2sms, perchance the reason why Netcore has targeted the offering currently at only enterprise customers who are constantly on the move.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
Now IIPM's World-Class Education... for everybody!!
IIPM INTERNATIONAL - NEW DELHI, GURGAON & NOIDA
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM : EXECUTIVE EDUCATION
IIPM’s 36th Glorious Year of Academic Excellence
IIPM Ranked No. 1 B-School In Global Exposre - Zee...
4Ps Power Brand Awards 2007
When IIPM comes to education, never compromise
IIPM is A World of Career
Why Study Abroad When IIPM Gives You 3 global Advantages!
IIPM Ranked No. 1 B-School In Global Exposre - Zee...

Rashmi Bansal Publisher of JAMMAG magazine caught red-handed, for details click on the following links.

• Hindustan Times Article - Publisher goes underground
• Rashmi Bansal (Editor of JAMMAG)
• Rashmi Bansal (Publisher of JAMMAG)

Top 8 for 2008! AWARDS

IIPM Programme :- SUPERIOR COURSE CONTENTS

Featuring those who won glory

A separate opinion poll was conducted using a structured questionnaire amongst 500 customers across 5 cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai & Kolkata. The opinion poll was conducted to list the gadgets under the following categories based on the maximum number of votes received.

Best Gadget 2008
Nokia N81 8GB
Many compared this to its predecessors; but, memory power sure counts! Add to that its looks, and you have a winner.



Hottest Selling Gadget 2008
Nokia N-Series
Call it an N-Series hype that create sales for this Nokia product. But it sold! And is there anything else that counts?!


Most Aspirational Gadget 2008
Vertu Monogram
Style it has, and promises it makes; yet its the price that kills!



Most Desirable Gadget 2008
Apple MacBook Air
This slim lady sure knows how to make others want it bad, at a high price, of course!



Best Buy Gadget 2008
Microsoft XBox
Microsoft was serious when it said that it wanted to play with you!



Most Value-for-Money Gadget 2008
Blackberry Curve 8300
Being omnipresent comes at a price... Thankfully, humans can pay for it too!



Must Have Gadget 2008
Apple iPod
Music is the food of love... Hear and see it play on the iPod now! If you don’t have one, you’re probably Elvis himself; if you do, you’re a pure music lover!

MostOver-Hyped Gadget 2008
Nokia Sorocco 8800
It appeared to fall from the sky, and it fell bang on the earth below! It earned a name, just a name!

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
Now IIPM's World-Class Education... for everybody!!
IIPM INTERNATIONAL - NEW DELHI, GURGAON & NOIDA
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM : EXECUTIVE EDUCATION
IIPM’s 36th Glorious Year of Academic Excellence
IIPM Ranked No. 1 B-School In Global Exposre - Zee...
4Ps Power Brand Awards 2007
When IIPM comes to education, never compromise
IIPM is A World of Career
Why Study Abroad When IIPM Gives You 3 global Advantages!
IIPM Ranked No. 1 B-School In Global Exposre - Zee...

Rashmi Bansal Publisher of JAMMAG magazine caught red-handed, for details click on the following links.

• Hindustan Times Article - Publisher goes underground
• Rashmi Bansal (Editor of JAMMAG)
• Rashmi Bansal (Publisher of JAMMAG)

JVC KD-AVX2

IIPM Programme :- SUPERIOR COURSE CONTENTS

Technical Specification

DVD/ CD Receiver with built in amplifier (20W RMS/ 50W Peak); 3.5 TFT LCD built in monitor, with display of JPG images; 5.1 Surround sound decoding; 7 Band iEQ; XM & SIRIUS Satellite radio ready; Giga MP3 compatible ; Not iPod compatible; No USB port
PRICE: Rs.18,500
WARRANTY: 1 year

The JVC KD- AVX2 is a complete car entertainment system, which can play diverse formats such as DVD, CD/R and MP3 with ease. The motorised flipper of the header unit, features a unique 3.5 TFT LCD screen which can play JPG images as well as personalised pictures at the touch of a button. The product experience is therefore multi coloured and eye tempting, making the life at the wheel a revelation each day. Featuring XM & SIRIUS radio as well, the system has a capability to play JVC patented high storage disks.

Marketers’ delight: The product is designed for out and out ‘brag value’.

Tester’s note: Pros – Gives a futuristic touch to your auto interior. Excellent sound and visual quality. Con – Lacks sync with an iPod.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
Now IIPM's World-Class Education... for everybody!!
IIPM INTERNATIONAL - NEW DELHI, GURGAON & NOIDA
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM : EXECUTIVE EDUCATION
IIPM’s 36th Glorious Year of Academic Excellence
IIPM Ranked No. 1 B-School In Global Exposre - Zee...
4Ps Power Brand Awards 2007
When IIPM comes to education, never compromise
IIPM is A World of Career
Why Study Abroad When IIPM Gives You 3 global Advantages!
IIPM Ranked No. 1 B-School In Global Exposre - Zee...

Rashmi Bansal Publisher of JAMMAG magazine caught red-handed, for details click on the following links.

• Hindustan Times Article - Publisher goes underground
• Rashmi Bansal (Editor of JAMMAG)
• Rashmi Bansal (Publisher of JAMMAG)

Dell XPS 420 (Quad Q6850)

IIPM Programme :- SUPERIOR COURSE CONTENTS

Technical Specification

Processor: Intel® Core™2 Extreme Quad Q6850; RAM: 3GB; DDR2 SDRAM; Graphics: nVidia GeForce 8600 GTS; HD/ Blue Ray Support: No/Yes

PRICE: Rs.53,000 without taxes

WARRANTY: 1 year (on-site)

The XPS 420 is powered by multi-core Intel processors and choice of graphics cards. It is designed to make work faster for complex digital media creating, editing and capturing activities. Girish Mehta, Director- Consumer Marketing, Dell India explains, “The XPS 420 is packed with sophisticated design and features which blend form and function with a focus on convenience.” Technically, XPS 420’s key strength is its capacity to create full copies of the Abode Photoshop Elements 6, Premiere Elements 4, and Soundbooth CS3 which are similar in spirit to the iLife Suite installed on new Macs.

Marketers’ delight: The CPU has a charger on the top for portable devices. Excellent for high-end gaming.

Tester’s Note: Pros – High-performance, terrific speed, and upgradeable option for gamers. Cons – Unsuitable for low-end price lovers, 1.5x slower than Apple iMac in media multi-tasking.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
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IIPM INTERNATIONAL - NEW DELHI, GURGAON & NOIDA
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Rashmi Bansal Publisher of JAMMAG magazine caught red-handed, for details click on the following links.

• Hindustan Times Article - Publisher goes underground
• Rashmi Bansal (Editor of JAMMAG)
• Rashmi Bansal (Publisher of JAMMAG)

A wounded batallion

IIPM INTERNATIONAL - NEW DELHI, GURGAON & NOIDA

So what happened to the promises of the capitalistic Sumos? The Japanese companies were forced to adopt cost-cutting measures and increase efficiency. Auto-majors like Toyota & Honda were also forced to shift focus to developing lighter & economical vehicles. Another trend that was widely visible during this area was the shift away from heavy industries (which had boosted Japanese economy during the boom years) to lighter, higher-yield fields like semiconductors and computer-related technologies & service focused industries. The fall in exports also forced Japanese companies to focus more on domestic market.

Casualties however were not rare as Mitsuru Saito, Chief Economist, Sanwa Bank asserted, “There is no doubt Japan was in the grip of deflation, with household incomes falling, unemployment climbing, and wholesale price index and the consumer price index declining.” Right as he was, unemployment levels rose from the pre-1990s level of 2% to more than 5.5% post-1994. This fall in employment and salary standards also reduced consumer spending and for the first time post-Allies’ attack, Japan witnessed a ‘negative’ GDP growth of 1.5% in 1998! The effects of the depression had started showing on national output as well. Worse, back-calculation showed how this gruesome picture was being painted by the deplorable performance of corporate Japan, as with financial institutions going bankrupt (due to the huge burden of bad debts aggravated by further falling land prices), many companies found living hard.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM : EXECUTIVE EDUCATION
IIPM’s 36th Glorious Year of Academic Excellence
IIPM Ranked No. 1 B-School In Global Exposre - Zee...
4Ps Power Brand Awards 2007
When IIPM comes to education, never compromise
IIPM is A World of Career
Why Study Abroad When IIPM Gives You 3 global Advantages!
IIPM Ranked No. 1 B-School In Global Exposre - Zee...

Rashmi Bansal Publisher of JAMMAG magazine caught red-handed, for details click on the following links.

• Hindustan Times Article - Publisher goes underground
• Rashmi Bansal (Editor of JAMMAG)
• Rashmi Bansal (Publisher of JAMMAG)

JYOTIRADITYA SCINDIA - The scion takes charge

IIPM INTERNATIONAL - NEW DELHI, GURGAON & NOIDA

JYOTIRADITYA SCINDIA
The scion takes charge

Born with a silver spoon in the one of the powerful political families of the country, Jyotiraditya Scindia’s entry into politics seemed to be destined. Many people questioned the entry of this Harvard graduate into the murky business of politics. His detractors stated that he exists in the political scenario only because of the deeds of his grandmother and the sympathy over the untimely death of his father – Madhavrao Scindia. However, after being in this profession he is all set to silence his critics. People close to him point out that he is a workaholic and shares his father’s passion for politics. Madhavrao Scindia was known to bring about corporate culture in all the ministries that he held positions in. Jyotiraditya too plans to carry the same torch but with renewed energy & vigor. Expectations from him have always been high and on April 5, 2008, he has been made the minister of state for IT & communications. Donning the mantle he pointed out, “The time has now come for India to look beyond being the back-office of the world.” Although the going ahead would not be a cakewalk as there would be many high-profile people to challenge him. Nevertheless, he would surely one of the Indian politicians to watch out for in the days to come.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM : EXECUTIVE EDUCATION
IIPM’s 36th Glorious Year of Academic Excellence
IIPM Ranked No. 1 B-School In Global Exposre - Zee...
4Ps Power Brand Awards 2007
When IIPM comes to education, never compromise
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Why Study Abroad When IIPM Gives You 3 global Advantages!
IIPM Ranked No. 1 B-School In Global Exposre - Zee...

Rashmi Bansal Publisher of JAMMAG magazine caught red-handed, for details click on the following links.

• Hindustan Times Article - Publisher goes underground
• Rashmi Bansal (Editor of JAMMAG)
• Rashmi Bansal (Publisher of JAMMAG)

AJAY AND VIJAY BEDI - The oscar goes to...

IIPM INTERNATIONAL - NEW DELHI, GURGAON & NOIDA

AJAY AND VIJAY BEDI
The oscar goes to...

A glamour quotient has invariably tagged along with photography. And when speaking of wildlife photography, the eyes surely widen with wonder. And among those who bask in the glory of the so-called glamorous profession are the second generation Bedi Brothers, Ajay and Vijay. Belonging to a family of ardent wildlife lovers, it didn’t take even a twinkle to ponder before they decided to follow their inherited passion.

Having plunged into this profession during a time when it was unfashionable, Vijay now takes pride in the fact that India has a vast pool of talented wildlife photographers. He says, “Just a little bit of encouragement by establishing good photography schools and courses, like those in America and New Zealand, would proliferate the number of talented and enthusiastic photographers in India.” Adds Ajay, “The technology has also changed a lot, and that has made photography appealing, especially to the younger generation.”

Where most are drawn to wildlife film-making to win admiration or perhaps pursue their passion, Ajay and Vijay chase a commitment, that of conservation. “We are conservationists first and then anything else. Through our films and documentaries, we want to show the beauty of wildlife to the world and bring across awareness about conserving and preserving such beings,” asserts Vijay.

The youngest Asians to win the Green Oscar, the brothers are now carrying the baton passed on by the first generation Bedi Brothers, Naresh and Rajesh. When asked to spill some words of wisdom that they have imbibed, “Hard work, patience and admiration for wildlife,” is what they would vouch for to attain success. And for those who intend to tread this track, Vijay drops in a word of caution – “Take it up only if you are really passionate about it. If you come in looking for glamour, there isn’t any!”

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM : EXECUTIVE EDUCATION
IIPM’s 36th Glorious Year of Academic Excellence
IIPM Ranked No. 1 B-School In Global Exposre - Zee...
4Ps Power Brand Awards 2007
When IIPM comes to education, never compromise
IIPM is A World of Career
Why Study Abroad When IIPM Gives You 3 global Advantages!
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Rashmi Bansal Publisher of JAMMAG magazine caught red-handed, for details click on the following links.

• Hindustan Times Article - Publisher goes underground
• Rashmi Bansal (Editor of JAMMAG)
• Rashmi Bansal (Publisher of JAMMAG)

Reunification on the cards

IIPM - Admission Procedure

A communist president for the first time

It was the desire for unification of Greek Cyprus & Turkish Cyprus, which resulted in victory of AKEL party’s Demetris Christofias in Cyprus’ presidential polls & the advent of communist rule for the first time in the tiny nation & of course the only Communist state in the 27 member EU . “The battle of ballots has someway punished the outgoing Papadopoulos, who was seen as instrumental in scuttling the May 2004 plebiscite, held according to Kofi Annan plan,” said A. K. Mahapatra, Professor at SIS, JNU. Moreover, recent independence of Kosovo also acted as a catalyst towards unification demand picking up momentum & hence, voting out Papadopoulos, who was seen as a hardliner against unification.

In 1974 the country was divided between the Greek-Cypriot south and Turkish-Cypriot north, leaving behind a great void in national psyche. “The main hurdle for the unification is the fear of Greek Cypriots, due to presence of about 30,000 Turkish troops in northern Cyprus,” adds Mahapatra. Apart from unifying the nation, the other main agenda of the new government is to bring back the displaced Greek Cypriots to Turkish Republic Northern Cyprus and helping them to reclaim their properties. The rise of the communists, however, has raised some fears about the nationalisation drive, which Christofias may initiate.

The experts on the other hand argue that there is very little that Christofias can do towards nationalisation of the national resources, mainly because the main economic assets - tourism, shipping and off-shore banking – are such, that they can’t be nationalised and have to be left free to float in the market.

B&E edit bureau: Rajeev K Singh

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM : EXECUTIVE EDUCATION
IIPM’s 36th Glorious Year of Academic Excellence
IIPM Ranked No. 1 B-School In Global Exposre - Zee...
4Ps Power Brand Awards 2007
When IIPM comes to education, never compromise
IIPM is A World of Career
Why Study Abroad When IIPM Gives You 3 global Advantages!
IIPM Ranked No. 1 B-School In Global Exposre - Zee...

Rashmi Bansal Publisher of JAMMAG magazine caught red-handed, for details click on the following links.

• Hindustan Times Article - Publisher goes underground
• Rashmi Bansal (Editor of JAMMAG)
• Rashmi Bansal (Publisher of JAMMAG)

Reneged or ricocheting

IIPM - Admission Procedure

With the launch of the Tata Nano, will Maruti’s small car strategy change?

The Maruti 800 was truly an iconic product credited with revolutionising the industry. But, its stature seems under threat now. Apparently, Tata’s prospective Rs.1 lakh car (Nano) is the car in contention for the coveted spot. “It’s a brilliant car from the customers’ point of view. The on-the-road price for Nano is somewhere around Rs.1,30,000; this means that there is a price differential of Rs.60,000 when compared to the 800,” says Ramnath S, Director, idfcsski. Certainly a price that makes it irresistible and can potentially drive volumes.

Inspite of a skeptical S Nakanishi, MD, Maruti Suzuki, it was earlier reported that a threatened Maruti was toying with the idea of slashing the 800’s price in order to effectively compete with the Nano. Analysts too agree that (if Maruti wants) it is possible as the car has been mass produced for decades and components vendors are now in a comfortable position to facilitate. But, “the volumes of Maruti 800 will increase only when a good price is quoted against the Nano. Vendors then might support the 800’s need to be re priced,” adds Ramnath. However, Maruti Suzuki has been on a relentless struggle to potentially replace the 800 with the best-selling Alto for some time now. In December 2007, Alto sold almost two times the 7,000 units that the 800 sold. This implies that for Maruti strategists, the company should now move up the value chain and focus more on being a holistic car company rather than being perceived as a small car maker. Therefore, with its fast-growing portfolio, it seems that Maruti is less affected by Nano than previously expected and as such a rationale to re-price the 800 is uncalled for.

However still, if volumes are the growth drivers for a company, then Maruti may lose its dominance to the Tatas. The Nano will create a niche for itself and the novelty factor enjoyed by Nano can further over-ride the 800’s appeal. So, if Maruti wants to retain and strengthen its economies of scale, it must come out with an alternative to Nano. Now the ball is in Maruti Suzuki’s court, but is it too late to follow suit? As we said, revolutions happen once in a lifetime.

B&E edit bureau : Karan Mehrishi with inputs from Sachin Bharel

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM : EXECUTIVE EDUCATION
IIPM’s 36th Glorious Year of Academic Excellence
IIPM Ranked No. 1 B-School In Global Exposre - Zee...
4Ps Power Brand Awards 2007
When IIPM comes to education, never compromise
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM is A World of Career
Why Study Abroad When IIPM Gives You 3 global Advantages!
IIPM Ranked No. 1 B-School In Global Exposre - Zee...

Rashmi Bansal Publisher of JAMMAG magazine caught red-handed, for details click on the following links.

• Hindustan Times Article - Publisher goes underground
• Rashmi Bansal (Editor of JAMMAG)
• Rashmi Bansal (Publisher of JAMMAG)

‘Kingdom of God is within you’

IIPM : EXECUTIVE EDUCATION

Peace, pride and prosperity can’t be imposed, bought or sold

The maxim, “the Rabbit that stays in a hole must be ready to face the hunter’s fire,” aptly defines the problems that most of poor African and Asian countries encounter. And if the World Bank floods these poor economies with aids, they will remain poor in the next century. The world has to realise that poverty, health, money are not problems of Africa. It is their failure to realise their own role to come out from the anarchy and shame. Aids, donations and sympathy from the developed world have never helped them; these have in fact, made them more dependent to godfathers, colonisers and aid giving countries.

The only continent blessed with natural resources, comprising of petroleum, diamond, metals; Africa failed to reap off these. If godfathers are only to be blamed; then South Korea, India faced much traumatic, horrifying, colonial history. Still, S. Korea is 30 times richer than Zimbabwe in terms of PPP. The crux of the problem is exclusively on poor quality of governance. Economic boom of Botswana and shrinking future of Zimbabwean economy proves how quality of governance makes vast difference in last few decades. The history is not different in most African countries. Moreover, illiterate local tribal leaders, corrupt politicians, officials, local police, mafias have left nothing good in their countries.

The World Bank urges developed nations to aid poor countries. They are doing so. External annual aids to Africa are going to touch $25 billion by 2010. Aid is really not helping them. Peace in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Angola, Ethiopia and Eritrea is in progress and even Congo is now better than what it was a year ago, as they all strived for it. Aids have put these countries on crutches. Over-dependence on aids has discouraged entrepreneurial spirits, proactive participation on revenue generation and fuelled bribery, corruption et al. The World Bank has to keep in mind that pride and prosperity can neither be imposed nor be bought or sold. Those who have fought and strived for development, have achieved it. But will the World Bank heed to this?

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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The ‘Sen’shine legacy...

IIPM : EXECUTIVE EDUCATION

A thespian grandmom, a sultry mom, and two star daughters…

Inborn, inbred and in consequence... inherent can be mama’s ways, particularly in daughters. And sometimes, these inclinations are so deeply entrenched that its unawareness to both the mum and her dolls doesn’t really surprise a distant spectator. Even I couldn’t help smiling at a similar oblivious situation when the yesteryear’s sensuous stunner, Moon Moon Sen recalled, “I had no idea that I will be like my mother and take up movies. Even more surprising was that both my girls, Raima and Riya wanted to be actors too.” Without pausing, she continued in the same breath, “Both of them had the potential but if I had inkling, I would’ve pushed them to learn dancing seriously and take some acting lessons too.”

While Moon Moon Sen, after trying her hands at a few other jobs, might just have incidentally picked up the career as her mother Suchitra Sen’s, her daughters made it a ‘family legacy’ as soon as they learnt that they belonged nowhere else. Like Raima, reasons from her personal experience, “From a very early age, Riya and I were struck with the glamour associated with it all. We always knew we would grow up to be actresses. We loved the lifestyle, the makeup and the studios. We loved to travel and mom would drag us along everywhere. Coming from a family of film actors, it easily influenced us at that impressionable age to join the same line. But when we got into it, we realised that acting was tough business and not always as easy and glamorous as it seems.” But she certainly has no regrets about her decision as she claims, “I am enjoying the perks of this career.”

Suchitra Sen was the pioneer in the family. Despite being cast opposite the Bengali cine legend, Uttam Kumar, in most of her movies, she inspired reverence and cult status in Bengal, entirely resting on her intense acting prowess unveiled in movies such as Saptapadi, Deep Jweley Jai and Aandhi. Daughter Moon Moon Sen followed in her footsteps but denies that it made things any easier for her. “With such family background all one gets is a readymade media platform,” she adds. Even a casual observation fetches stark differences in the image and movie choices of the duo.

Having been part of two different eras, Moon Moon sees no influence of her mom’s work in her own. “My mother stopped acting about 15 years before I stepped into films. If you look at the history of cinema, you will see that each decade is different in terms of writing, story, direction etc. I could never have done the kind of role my mother did because I was never offered such roles. What came my way was very different and I had to measure up to the kind of work I got.” The challenge, as she says, was never about comparison or expectation. “In fact, the biggest challenge faced by actors of any era is that of competition from fellow actors.”

On whether it is difficult for a star child to deal with people’s expectations, Moon Moon interestingly pointed out, “One has to understand that people don’t really have any expectations. It’s more about meeting your own expectations. Eventually how one performs matters.” In her film career of 60 movies and 40 tele-serials in Bengali, Hindi, Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and even Marathi, Moon Moon Sen dared roles that were tabooed in the Indian film industry then. “They just wait to see what you are going to be like,” says Moon Moon with a conviction that appears to be her source of motivation too.

During the conversation, her well paced discourse in a husky yet clear voice was constantly reminding me of an elitist secondary school language teacher. The similarity between them was an effortless wider-than-usual stretching of lips for clarity in pronunciation. What led to such a thought could probably be my knowledge of her being an English teacher at one time or her constant words of encouragement for all star kids who somewhere along the line are trying to overcome the shadows of their predecessors. “Like today, no one really expects Ranbir to be like his father or mother. For Abhishek Bachchan, the challenge is nothing to do with him being Amitabh Bachchan’s son. Nobody expects another Amitabh Bachchan; they wish to see what Abhishek Bacchan is all about,” she explains.

The discussion took a turn to the third generation of the Sen family, the nearly-look-alike sisters Raima and Riya Sen, who are quite contrasting, when it comes to their choice of work. While it seems that the former prefers serious roles such as the ones in Daman and Chokher Bali, the latter one seems to be happy modelling and acting in masala movies. Though Raima’s inference of the aspects related to family lineage coincides with that of Moon Moon’s to the extent of “getting our first break easily”, she opines differently about the challenges faced, “The expectations from a celeb-daughter or son especially with our kind of lineage is huge. We are more susceptible to criticism and are easier targets than people who have no film background. So, it was tough initially with the constant comparisons. But with time, as you prove yourself, it gets better.”

Still, the girls are fortunate, for as the mom says, “I don’t think there are any expectations from Raima or Riya. Now that Raima is doing nice and different roles, the expectation from her is that when she’s on screen, there’ll be something to look forward to and that she won’t be giving a sub-performance. There will be something enjoyable.” She adds (to the bliss of her girls), “I don’t think people expect fine performance from them because they are Moon Moon Sen’s daughters. They make their own names, carve their own niches and images.”

Somehow, the film industry’s glamour and stardom isn’t meant to be ephemeral in this family of mothers and daughters, each continuing the legacy, both inspired by and unto the faith and belief of the other. As Raima preens towards the end, “The honour of being associated with the family legacy is a matter of pride not many people can boast of.” Hoping their legacy doesn’t end with the last reel and continues for generations…

B&E edit bureau: Swati Hora with inputs from Gauri Pratap Singh

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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‘Bloodbath’ for oil is worth

IIPM’s 36th Glorious Year of Academic Excellence

A century was not enough to finish oil-politics...

The world could have been in the light of darkness, without oil. The world’s development and contributions of ‘Black Diamond’ has been itself been a history over a century. The last century has witnessed a battle between the US (Texas Railroad Commission, TRC) and OPEC to control oil and its price while output by non-OPEC countries & weather, have bereft individual countries’ power over it. Though, Middle East remains its major exporter with 44.5% share of global export, the US is capable enough to disturb oil price owing to its extentive reserves. Oil-politics has brought about more complications than other geo-political issues. Until 1970, oil price was less fluctuative as TRC was the only player to control oil price and OPEC was unaware of the game. In March 1971, TRC’s proration of 100% production scope to the US producers taught OPEC the game. This ultimately led power shift from the US to OPEC over price. The game began. The game of fight and shift of power went through with Yom Kippur War between Israel v/s Syria, Egypt in 1973, Iranian revolution in 1979 with Saddam’s sudden invasion to Iran and the US’s policy of subsidising, which favoured domestic oil production.

The price kept on fluctuating with various global events but individual country’s ability to influence oil politics got reduced and power shifted from OPEC, the US to non-OPEC countries, with increase in output from Russia, Europe and Asia’s economic boom, increasing consumption. Though, the real concern remains: reducing oil reserves, with increasing consumption, is forcing countries to find more sources. Was then the US’s entire ‘bloodbath’ or Middle East adventures to ‘own nothing but control everything’ worthless?

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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Modi takes the last bow

IIPM’s 36th Glorious Year of Academic Excellence

The ‘Spicy’ saga is finally over, but can the astute Modi still fight it out on the Indian terrain? By surbhi chawla

Salman Khan is not the only man possessive about Katrina Kaif. The 59-year old Bhupendra Kumar Modi, Chairman, Spice Corp. is another admirer. “I’ve only sold my operations and subscriber base. The Spice brand, my brand ambassador Katrina Kaif, Spice Mobile (the handset arm), Spice VAS and retail are still very much with me to fuel my telecom dreams,” he told this magazine, on being asked whether his 40.8% stake sale in Spice Telecom to Idea Cellular signalled a dead end for his telecom ambitions.

Modi’s vehemence is not unfounded. Despite the neat price offering (a cool Rs.2,200 crore) that goes into his back pocket with this deal, it must have indeed been a difficult decision for this pioneer of India’s wireless ambitions to sell off his pet project. After all in 1995, when the first ever call over a GSM network was connected between Jyoti Basu (West Bengal CM at that time) in Kolkata and Sukh Ram (then Telecom Minister) in Delhi, it was Modi Telstra that facilitated the exchange. In fact, it was Modi’s then technical engineer, Naveen Kaul (now CEO of Spice Telecom), who connected the call. From thereon, in 1997, the duo spruced up the ‘Spice’ brand in Punjab and Karnataka.

Over the years, Modi partnered with a host of global telecom players – Alcatel, Telstra and more recently Telekom Malaysia (with a 39.2% stake in Spice Telecom) – for his telcom service biz.And the man who successfully waded through the licence-permit-quota raj in India, hand holding a host of MNCs to do their business in India, seems to have tired of the license game now. Highly placed sources in Spice say that the reason for Modi’s exit from Spice Telecom is that, “The service operator business, dictated by licence norms, comes with a lot of geographical limitations.” The multi-million dollar offer from Idea Cellular came at an opportune time and the hard-nosed negotiator that Modi is reputed to be, he dealt the cards amicably in his favour. As R.K. Gupta, MD, Taurus Mutual Fund says, “It is a good price to exit and marks the coming of age of Indian promoters and their willingness to exit businesses when they get the right price.” Notably, Modi sold off the telecom operations business and retained other group companies. Gupta feels that Modi not selling off the other businesses may be a function of the fact that the other businesses were either not doing as well or not fetching the right price. “In the near future Modi may look at exiting from other businesses as well,” predicts Gupta.

Gupta may well have a point. Way back in 2003, Modi decided to retire and enjoy the good life in his Beverly Hills villa, leaving the running of the Spice business to his wife and sons. But competition began coming into the Indian telecom mart ever since and Spice’s health deteriorated. Our man returned from his self-imposed retirement in 2005 and took full charge. Modi recalls, “I told them I will run the group myself and gave my children $20 million to build their own businesses.” Modi initiated a logo change, established a fresh connect with the youth, and made an effort to revitalise Spice Telecom. He succeeded in rebuilding the company’s brand connect, but could not do much for its mounting losses (for quarter ended 31st March 2008, the company incurred a net loss of Rs.365.06 million). Now, having sold off his stake in the reinvigorated Spice Telecom, he may be aspiring to simulate similar with the group’s leftover businesses viz. effecting a turnaround, waiting for the right price, negotiating hard, selling off and hey, it’s back to his plush Beverly Hills villa to lead the good life.

Interestingly, had Modi not sold off his stake, Spice Telecom had the potential to actually come out of its heavy losses. The losses, being inflicted due to operational inefficiencies could have improved by taking in more circles. The company had already procured four new circles – Delhi, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Haryana – in the recent round of new licenses given away by the government.

Given that Modi has cut his losses on Spice Telecom, he is now gung-ho on revitalising his other businesses viz. Spice Mobile, Spice VAS and Spice Retail (HotSpot). Spice Mobile, in particular, is a potential cash cow, just waiting to be unleashed. A few days ago, Modi went ahead to launch the ‘People Phone’, a mobile handset with lifetime prepaid connection at just Rs.599, targeting the rural markets in Punjab and Karnataka. However, next month onwards, Modi and Co. are gearing up for the phone’s nation-wide launch, in a bid to up Spice Mobile’s revenues to Rs.1,000 crore in this calendar year, against Rs.380 crore in 2007. Besides, they plan to launch a ‘Movie Phone’ by early 2009, which the company showcased at the Barcelona mobile fest this year. “We would be using a two forked approach for this business viz. targeting the low end customers, as also the top brass,” says Modi, explaining the thrust areas of Spice Mobile. In addition, the VAS division of Spice Corp. – also known as Cellebrum – provides a host of technology first services. The other wings of the group that are waiting for Modi’s Midas touch include HotSpot (that he wants to list by end 2008), Spice BPO services (Omnia) and Spice World (an entertainment & amusement park chain).

What’s more, before the dust had even settled down on his mega deal with Idea Cellular, Modi bowled another googly, making his plans public to invest the money from the stake sale into buying the 32% holding of the Indian promoters in Sony Entertainment Television (SET) for $320 million. In effect, he exited from one sunrise sector to enter another. With the spectacular success of the first season of IPL, Sony’s rough conditions in the Indian media business have softened considerably. Besides, Dus Ka Dum and Salman’s charisma is also working in Sony’s favour these days, propelling it back toward the number 3 slot that it enjoyed before the entry of players like NDTV Imagine and 9X.

“We would spice Sony up even further,” avers Modi confidently, adding that the decision to invest in SET is inspired by the latter’s entry into a slew of innovative technologies in communication entertainment like Blue Ray. But then, with competition in Indian media reaching gravity-defying proportions, will Modi be able to effectuate the spicing up of Sony? More so, when he has no core competence in the sector? Sources within Spice, on condition of anonymity, say that given Modi’s track record of not sticking with any business for a long time, SET should perhaps not look for a long term relationship with him. In any case, the Beverly Hills villa beckons...

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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Vineet Mahajan (31), Contract Advertising

IIPM Ranked No. 1 B-School In Global Exposre - Zee...

Vineet Mahajan (31), Contract Advertising. A Commerce student who planned to study Hotel Management. However, he was never good at studies and instead had a tremendous gift of the gab. Chemistry equations appeared alien to him, but once he realised commercial art was a lot easier, he ended up being in advertising. Ask him why? “Because advertising is a language by which I enjoy talking to people and understand the masses.” But strangely enough, Vineet does not believe in the word creativity. “You don’t create anything. It is more of a discovery. Something like what James Watt did – he discovered the steam engine, but did not create anything,” says the ad man, with a Golden Lion and two bronzes at the Cannes to his credit. He says that his best is still to come, but his work for Hutch has brought him immense recognition.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

Read these article :-
ZEE BUSINESS BEST B SCHOOL SURVEY
B-schooled in India, Placed Abroad (Print Version)
IIPM in Financial times (Print Version)
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Rashmi Bansal Publisher of JAMMAG magazine caught red-handed, for details click on the following links.

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Josy Paul, Chairman and National Creative Director, BBDO India

IIPM Ranked No. 1 B-School In Global Exposre - Zee...

Josy Paul, Chairman and National Creative Director, BBDO India: Both of them have tremendous creative elasticity. They have the width and depth to cut across traditional and non-traditional media. They have the ability to break the clutter with their ideas and craft. They also conceptualise and design restaurants. You can pull them any way you want. When looking at a leader for tomorrow, he or she can’t come from the past... A leader is a response to the past. He’s a reaction to the past. Sandipan and Monoj represent this reactionary leadership. They want to create something new and exciting and want to make a difference to the world around them. They collectively want to create history. And the synergy between the two is superb. They complement each other totally. Sandipan is a very articulate presenter. He initiates, creates and nurtures ideas and presents them beautifully in the best possible manner – keeping in mind the market needs. Manoj, on the other hand, is the quietly observing artist. He has a fine artistic temperament with the ability to foster relationships with people around him. He makes things happen. Together they are a multitude.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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Clear-eyed & focussed

IIPM Ranked No. 1 B-School In Global Exposre - Zee...

Newfields Advertising continues to re-define value-driven communication in the PSU adspace

Fifty years ago a gentleman by the name of S. R. Gupta started an advertising agency called Newfields with three other partners in Delhi. It was the time when the very term – advertising – in this city, was not totally comprehended and as a profession was nowhere near the ‘preferred’ ones of an engineer, doctor, lawyer or Government service. Soon the other three partners backed off and he was the only person in-charge. His son, and the present Chairman & Managing Director, Raman Gupta, smiles wistfully while reminiscing, “What my father lacked in experience and professionalism, he made up through foresight, common sense and hard work.” Today Newfields Advertising Private Limited is a respected and established organisation, totally PSU-dedicated (with branches in Kolkata and Mumbai) moving up the value chain all along.

What is the basic philosophy that drives the organisation and what is its USP? Gupta is off in a flash. “Our philosophy has always been to provide personalised, focussed service to PSUs – a domain, which until recently was deemed both unfashionable and non-lucrative by the biggies. Our USP is to engage with them in a professional, need-based, assignment-specific manner that delivers value, without hype. PSUs have a different blueprint from FMCGs and other sectors, and demand a special skill-set to understand their communication needs. The very fact that many of our clients have been with us for over three decades bear testimony to our successful innings with them.” An acknowledged front runner in the PSU-communication space, Gupta has a ready answer as to why his agency is an only PSU-centric outfit? “The private sector has always seemed overtly enamoured with the glamorous multinational agencies and believed they are the best. We are automatically disqualified. Also, we have had a couple of disastrous experiences with them & have therefore consciously stuck to the safer PSU domain, where payments may be less and delayed, but never lost.” Coming to media usage, due to their client profile, the basic media deployed has largely been print and co-laterals, with minor forays into TV and new age, digital medias like the Internet or virals. In terms of turnover Gupta confesses he’s quite satisfied with his agency’s 15-20% growth and deliberately doesn’t want to accelerate beyond his means. “We are fully aware of our goals, strengths and limitations and have an agenda in place to take the agency forward.” A full service agency with a staff of around fifty and a gross billing of over Rs.20 crore, Gupta is all set to move to the next level, in his own way and at his own pace.

Looking back, Gupta bemoans the fact that advertising today has largely become a business where creativity is under siege, “Agencies seem to out do each other in grabbing business with means justifying the end.” He ends the interview with a bitter complaint against the establishment. “In recent times many PSUs have been demanding that only agencies above Rs.25-30 crore turnover be considered to pitch for business. Isn’t that both unfair and strange? Lots of agencies can (and do) artificially jack up their turnover and get into the list. Is that what they want? In a calling, which primarily deals with the ‘business of ideas’, how does turnover play such a critical part? I wish someone explains it to me, convincingly…”

Monojit Lahiri

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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Angling for the profitable fish

When IIPM comes to education, never compromise

A peek at the set of parameters that influence the investment decisions of most PE players

If you are a promoter of a firm, what do you really need to showcase to prove Private Equity (PE), which is currently booming in India? How do you become a Gokuldas Exports or Allcargo, both of which have successfully wooed one of the world’s largest PE players, the US-based Blackstone? The trick, it seems is to convince investors that you offer an almost perfect and appropriate investment opportunity and that, over the years, the valuation of your firm will grow substantially by domestic wealth standards, which may or may not be so based on global standards. However, to achieve this objective, all promoters, who wish to attract private equity, should ask the one basic question: what do private equity firms look for in a start-up or a mid-stage venture?

Deepak Dayal (Vice President, First Tier Capital) avers, “While one cannot pinpoint a single determinant of success, yet the focus for PE firms is on two core areas, the capabilities of the management team, and the prospects for sustaining and defending the company’s revenues and profit formula.” This sounds quite logical; in fact, investors pay a lot of attention on the quality of top management than to any other factor when they decide to invest in any firm. Some experts argue that of the 10 parameters that are taken into account before investing in a firm, eight are directly or indirectly linked to the management team in place.

Consider the case of Infoedge whose team, according to PE firm, ICICI Ventures, had the passion, vision and commitment. Finally, ICICI Ventures saw a great opportunity in the execution capability of the top managers which, it seems, had the ability to take the business proposal to a critical target and addressable market. This was reason enough for the investors. In the past, most businesses have failed because of the lack of management dynamics, rather than the market or technology reasons. This is the reason why IDFC decided to invest Rs.2.600 million, its largest-ever investment in a single firm, in Goodearth Maritime. The investor pumped in Rs.350 million in Doshion Ltd., a water-management company, because of the company’s proven technical and project-execution records.

Most PE players do take into account the investee’s historical financial performance to predict future financial projections. Agrees Sanjeev Aggarwal (MD, Investment Advisor, Helion Ventures), “PE firms are very good at making projections from past data.” The traditional form of financing, based on current business models, is no longer the order of the day since business plan keep changing by the minute and firms invariably have to scout for new things that they need to pursue to be a step ahead of their competitors. Therefore, investors today are more interested in funding companies that have proprietary technology or know-how.

According to Kalpana Jain (Senior Director, Deloitte Touche Thomastu India), other important funding-related factors include the size of investment, sector and location. Private Equity firms cater to investment opportunities, where the business has the potential for realistic growth in an expanding market and this is backed up by a well-researched and documented business plan. This is especially true after the burst of the dot.com bubble, when several venture capitalists and PE firms lost a lot of money that was invested in ideas, rather than provable growth plans. Explains Mukund Krishnawami (Founder & MD, Lighthouse Fund), “Since we lost money, we have become very skeptical.” Sharing his thoughts on this issue, Jitendra Gupta (Executive Director, Finance, Macawber Beekay) adds, “Unless a business proposition is able to offer the prospect of significant turnover growth within a stipulated time frame, it is unlikely to be of interest to a private equity firm.”

Therefore, it’s not surprising that a few sectors become the flavour of the year at some point in time and others occupy those slots at some later stage. At present, PE players are gung-ho about investments in infrastructure. At a recent seminar, Shivani Bhasin, a Principal in IDFC private Equity, said that India will invest nearly $450 billion in infrastructure over the next five years, and thanks to several incentives given by the government to private players, investment in the sector will double to 8% of the country’s GDP in the same period.

The other exciting sectors for the PE firms now are media and telecom infrastructure. Warbug Pincus has invested $33.33 million for a 7% stake in Dainik Jagran. The opportunities are so large that no one wants to miss the bus in the print media; global private equity investor Blackstone Group has invested $275 million in the Hyderabad-based Ushodaya Enterprises, the owners of Eenadu and ETV. Temasek Holdings, Investment Corp. of Dubai, Goldman Sachs Group, and others have invested $1 billion for a 10% stake in Bharti Infratel (the wholly-owned telecom tower subsidiary of Bharti Airtel). In addition, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co put in $250 million for an estimated 2% stake in Bharti Infratel.

Competition and competitors are yet another set of parameters that investors like to dwell upon before zeroing in on their investment decision. Putting forth his view on the issue, Anubhav Gupta (Investment Analyst, Kim Eng Securities India) says, “The current competitive advantage possessed by the investee firm, the investee’s market and competitive position and the current competitors are certainly considered by the investor.” Therefore, New York Life Investment Management India Fund pumped in Rs.225 million in Avesthagen, a systems biology firm, because the latter has the potential to develop valuable intellectual property portfolio. Similarly, the PE firm’s $25 million infusion in Sarvana Global Energy was because of the cost competitive edge of the latter.

Considering the risks involved and the lock up period of the capital, it is but natural for private equity investors to expect their investments to significantly outperform other forms of investments such as bonds and equity markets. Probe Gupta a bit and he elaborates on the finer details: “A good concept and the execution approach are pivotal. The investors show considerable amount of interest in start-up companies with high growth prospects, probably those being managed by experienced and ambitious teams, who have the capability to transform their existing business (plan) into reality. There is no thumb rule as such, provided there is a real growth potential then the private equity industry is interested in all stages, from start-up to buyout.”

Private equity is a creative mode of financing and investors invest with the aim to exit to earn profits. Ajay Kapur (CEO, SIDBI Venture Capital) adds, “The investors values the investee on comparable multiples and more so where the investee company is likely to witness growth by the time the investor wishes to exit. A clear exit strategy and possible mechanism are prime considerations.” There are few ethical investors who do not invest in companies, which in the near future, might compete with their existing investments. This stands out to be an important parameter for selection of startups. The investments are often followed by efforts at streamlining to revive the loss-making companies or substantially improving the performance of profit-making ones. Since private equity companies derive their returns from the appreciation in the value of the acquired asset or company, they ensure that they offer much more than financial assistance in terms of the offering they bring on the board. These efforts are aimed at adding value to the investments before the private equity investors can exit.

However, after the dotcom bubble, and given the risks, hard work and patience to earn returns, there is some form of reluctance on the part of the investors to invest in a start-ups. Many analysts are of the opinion that unless there is an overcrowding in the PE space or else the pricing becomes unattractive, most investors are not likely to revert to early-stage deals.

The industry certainly thrives on a disparity of views, but nevertheless it’s continually growing. In the present financing scenario, it is all the more important than ever to have a business plan, pitch and value proposition even before the investee companies hold talks with potential investors. Any investee company with a potential, a committed and experienced management with sound track record, capacity and organisational skills to implement business plans into actions can easily grab the attention of the PE biggies. The investors on their part gain exposure to specific markets by being specialists.

Edit bureau: Gyanendra Kashyap

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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

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i need to retire rich!

IIPM, GURGAON

Hi, my name is Sujit Kumar and I am 43 years old. I have been working for the last 18 years with Delhi Development Authority. My take home per month is Rs.19,000. My key concern as of now is retirement planning. With the recommendations of Sixth Pay Commission in pipeline, I expect to get much more...

Retirement planning must always remain the long term objective of any individual. Investing in safe asset classes & earning risk-free interest is not enough because steady returns only ensure that inflation keeps eating into your resources, with the result that your ‘real’ net worth actually decreases over a period of time.

Therefore, it is advisable that one should invest in growth assets like Equity Mutual Funds for positive inflation adjusted returns. Here is what Anil Mascarenhas, Editor, India Infoline, has to recommend, “Invest around Rs.6,000 to Rs.8,000 in a SIP of either Reliance Vision or HDFC Top 200. In case, Sujit wishes to invest in stocks, he should take into account his investment horizon and his risk appetite and make an asset portfolio accordingly.”

Further on, Mascarenhas advises Sujit to stick to the frontline counters as the downside risk can be minimised by holding on for a longer period. “In case you wish to invest keeping in mind the tax saving option, you could invest in SBI Magnum Tax Gain or Principal Personal Tax Saver either by putting in a lump sum or through SIP,” he adds.

Those looking for a happy retired life would do well to additionally take Medicare to cover future medical costs or invest in health insurance plans with adequate cover for themselves and their spouses. Here’s to a happy, healthy, retirement then!

Sujit Kumar

“I started my retirement planning late; I wish I could have done it early,” laments Sujit. He blames his conservative outlook for the majority part of his initial portfolio consisting of fixed deposit and post office saving schemes (mainly PPF & NSC). In fact, this conservative spiel was what his department at DDA advised at that time. “However, with rising costs and declining interest on investments over the years, I realised my folly of relying only on these instruments.” Having decided that fixed income instruments were not the solution for him, as they failed to fight inflation concerns, of late, Sujit has begun investing in balanced as well as equity oriented Mutual Funds. “The stock market is going great, I wish to invest something there too, but not as of now,” he says.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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

Rashmi Bansal Publisher of JAMMAG magazine caught red-handed, for details click on the following links.

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Yet a blip….?

When IIPM comes to education, never compromise

Despite all the hype that we have arrived in the IT arena, isn’t there a fear with global giants like IBM and Accenture setting up their operations in India and taking away the inherent advantage of Indian companies? Let Azim Premji of Wipro explain, “We do continue to view Accenture and IBM primarily as very significant competitors, not only in the IT space but also in the BPO space across the globe… we increasingly run into both these firms, as well as a host of local firms in the US including say EDS, and in Europe people like Atos Origin, LogicaCMG, Capgemini, Deloitte, as we ourselves are moving up the value chain. We are also seeing many of these firms leveraging and using their India offshore centres much more often, and a lot more aggressively, both in Europe as well as in

Of course, analysts have been more than fair to these burgeoning companies trumpeting their cause. While revenues are well short of their Western counterparts, Indian IT companies have taken a definite lead in terms of valuations. “Take India’s top four IT services companies: TCS, Wipro, Infosys and Cognizant Technology Solutions. They have combined annual revenue of more than $11 billion and an aggregate market capitalization of $73 billion. That dwarfs the top five US companies Accenture, Amdocs Ltd., Computer Sciences Corporation and Electronic Data Systems Corporation and Europe’s biggest IT services company CapGemini put together, which have total annual revenue of $67 billion and a combined market capitalisation of just around $65 billion,” proclaims Indusview’s Bundeep.

That, in essence, provides one with a clear perspective of how the Indian IT sector, despite facing formidable competition on the home turf as well as overseas, is definitely up to the challenge and has the support of the bourses too. And by expanding into newer markets and verticals, Indian companies are ensuring that they do not squander away the lead start they have. Tech India now seems to be wired to growth and glory for good.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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B-schooled in India, Placed Abroad (Print Version)
IIPM in Financial times (Print Version)

Rashmi Bansal Publisher of JAMMAG magazine caught red-handed, for details click on the following links.

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Time to brew a magic potion!

IIPM - Admission Procedure

Tea board re-defines art of brand-building...

Take a guess – what’s common about the ad-campaigns “Piyo Aur Chai”, “green=black” and “More tea does more good”? Tough? Well, they’ve all been sponsored by the Tea Board of India! Now that wasn’t easy was’t? But why another set of ads to flood the market when we already had enough from the likes of HUL , Tata Tea et al?! Well, nothing strange, but the strategy behind such ad-campaigns run by the board clearly appear to be nothing but to wash-off the ‘only the old like tea’ image surrounding this drink.

To this end the board has been promoting hard teas from Assam, Darjeeling & Nilgiri. “But why use the origin factor at all?” is the question. Justifying the reason behind the same to 4Ps B&M, R. Dutta (Tea Board of India) opined, “The origin factor in Indian teas have a unique character of their own and this best works for an Indian brand recall!” Now didn’t that sound innovative and original?

Sure enough, the board has redefined the mantra of branding and this indeed is good news for the Indian tea brands (and of course, the market as a whole which has not growing vigorously of late), especially considering the increased competition from well-promoted foreign tea brands. Today, the Tea and the Coffee Boards of India have realised the need to create generic campaigns which would battle the fall in enthusiasm for these two drinks owing to the rise in health consciousness quotient amongst Indians. On the duty side too, the government has done its bit by withdrawing the additional excise duties and by assisting the two tea Research and Development Institutes.

Turly, with the Tea Board revolutionising the very concept of promoting beverages, (“Junk food, late nights, lack of exercise. You could do with a few drinks”); tea is back as a tonic that helps de-stress and tackle lifestyle-related complications; or atleast let’s hope so!

Edit bureau: Sunanda Roy

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
When IIPM comes to education, never compromise
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM is A World of Career
Why Study Abroad When IIPM Gives You 3 global Advantages!

Rashmi Bansal Publisher of JAMMAG magazine caught red-handed, for details click on the following links.

• Hindustan Times Article - Publisher goes underground
• Rashmi Bansal (Editor of JAMMAG)
• Rashmi Bansal (Publisher of JAMMAG)

Max’imum promises; delivered!

When IIPM comes to education, never compromise

What Rahul Dravid is to cricket, Max New York Life is to life insurance! Masters of their own game, both are ‘Mr. Dependable’ on the field. Ask its CEO, Gary Bennett, who feels that, “respect for money is the first and the foremost principle of building one’s own wealth.” Surely, today, he has ensured that every advisor too believes in the very same concept. The company has identified individual agents as the key distribution agents for itself and this has been the main stay for the company. With 345 of its agents making it to the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) in 2006 – an elite club of top insurance agents, whose practice have been par excellence, the company needs to say little about the quality of human capital it possesses. It is also pursuing alternative channels of distribution, which include – expansions through the franchise model, rural business, direct sales force, telemarketing, bancassurance and corporate alliances. “To become the most admired and the most preferred insurance company in India,” is what Max New York Life sets as its branding statement. But then, considering its high standards, it is indeed the truth!

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM is A World of Career
Why Study Abroad When IIPM Gives You 3 global Advantages!

Rashmi Bansal Publisher of JAMMAG magazine caught red-handed, for details click on the following links.

• Hindustan Times Article - Publisher goes underground
• Rashmi Bansal (Editor of JAMMAG)
• Rashmi Bansal (Publisher of JAMMAG)

Dial E for eye balls

Why Study Abroad When IIPM Gives You 3 global Advantages!

NDTV, INX, Viacom-18, UTV, BAG Films and more are jumping in to cash in on the Hindi entertainment fever. Will they succeed or are they barking up the wrong tree? Aditi Prasad analyses...

Wearing an oh-so-cute baby pink jacket and blue denims, ensconced on her shining, black leather upholstered chair, in the plush environs of a spanking new cabin, she cannot but stop playing with her new toy for a minute – a brand-new, gleaming remote control. Anuradha Prasad, Managing Director of BAG Films, is pleased with the way things are shaping up. Sitting across the shining mahogany table from her, one cannot but be swept away by her enthusiasm, as she continues to switch channels between the dry runs of her soon-to-be-launched channels – one news and the other entertainment! The news channel should be on air – even as you flip the pages of this magazine, while the entertainment channel is slated for a December 2007 launch.

Six years ago, the place where she sits now was a ramshackle building in one corner of Filmcity, Noida, from where she used to churn out programming for Star Plus, Star News, DD & Zee. Today, as Anuradha nurses the dream to become a broadcaster herself, she’s added two new wings and two floors to the earlier dilapidated structure; given it a glass façade and completely overhauled the way the building looks, feels and even behaves. The entertainment venture – E24 – is her particular favourite. “There is an immense market for an entertainment channel like ours,” avers Anuradha, adding that her entertainment foray would not have the usual crop of comedies, soaps & reality shows, and will instead focus on catering to the Stardust audience on TV.

Anuradha and BAG Films are not unique. The decibel level around ambitious entertainment channel forays is at an all time high in the Indian tele biz today. One need not really look far. Even as your gaze travels over the vast expanse of Anuradha’s room, the window covering an entire wall will catch your eye. Look out of her window and across the road is the sprawling facility of Zee Telefilms Ltd., an already well-entrenched player in the TV entertainment shindig. Today, the excited discussions in this building hover around the launch of another General Entertainment Channel (GEC) from the Zee bouquet (Zee’s answer to Star One?). Called Zee Next, the new GEC is designed to cater to the youth segment; and is a brainchild of the new Zee duo – CEO, Pradeep Guha and Network Operation Officer, Puneet Goenka.

A youth centric GEC? Isn’t that what the month-old youth entertainment channel Bindass, from the UTV Astro joint venture, is all about? So, will Zee Next be another Bindass look-alike? “Not at all,” says an emphatic Ashish Kaul, head of Corporate Brand Development at Zee. “The programming of Bindass is a cross between AXN and MTV – which grossly underestimates the youth of the country. They are not frivolous (that youth segment is there, but it’s miniscule),” he adds, explaining that Zee Next will offer all the usual trappings of a traditional GEC – serials, soaps, fiction, comedy, movies – but the differentiation will be in the youth-oriented setting and characterisation of these properties.

There is a little-known, off-beaten path just behind the Zee facility. Walk down that lane and you will find yourself facing the spanking new, TV18 facility – where plans of yet another Hindi GEC are taking shape, this time in a 50:50 joint venture with Viacom Inc. (Viacom already runs MTV, Vh1 and Nickelodeon in India). Haresh Chawla, Group CEO, TV18, believes that this partnership will give TV18 the scale to compete and achieve leadership position in the segment. Having established leadership in news broadcasting, the last mile for the TV18 Group (and its broadcast subsidiary GBN) was indeed an entry into the multi-platform entertainment space, which will happen when this entertainment channel launches in 2008.


About 15 kilometers away from Filmcity, in the busy, south Delhi business hub of Archana Arcade, there is palpable excitement at the upmarket NDTV head office in Delhi too. Ace newscaster Dr. Prannoy Roy has ventured beyond news to team up with Bollywood baron Karan Johar and former Star India-turnaround magician, Sameer Nair to give shape to NDTV Imagine, a traditional Hindi GEC from the NDTV stable. Slated for a January 2008 launch, less than a fortnight ago, NDTV Imagine announced its programming line-up amidst much fanfare (the highlight was the jhatka-matkas from dance maestro Saroj Khan). In conversation with 4Ps B&M, Sameer Nair CEO, NDTV Imagine, shared his plans for the GEC, saying that the channel will offer “fresh not familiar” programming and will “appeal to the entire family from 6-60.”

Interestingly, NDTV Imagine unveiled its programming nearly two months before the actual launch of the channel, an unheard of practice. And since it came barely a couple of days after the big-ticket launch of 9X – The Indrani & Peter Mukerjea (ex-Star India head honcho) led INX Media’s mega GEC foray – that promises nine times more fun, media analysts are calling it a knee jerk reaction by Dr. Roy and team. “It seems when they saw the first mover advantage being taken away by rival 9X, they hastily decided to announce something,” they say.

Moreover, while NDTV Imagine does have to deal with the news-oriented image of its parent NDTV, 9X has no such image overhauls to consider. Sources in the industry also fear that NDTV’s upmarket SEC A and SEC B+ image may not work for a mass-market GEC segment. For now, the 9X launch is being hailed as the most innovative channel launch ever. Indrani Mukerjea, Founder & CEO, INX Media, is thrilled with the initial response to the channel. “Reports are trickling in that the content on 9X is looking even better than the promos,” she gushes, lamenting the current state of the Hindi GEC category, “Actually there were just three GECs in the Indian context – Star, Zee and Sony. And there is a level of fatigue that has crept in with the regular kitchen politics soaps that run on these channels,” she told 4Ps B&M.

Clearly, the entertainment overload on Indian television is reaching a deafening crescendo! And this is just the beginning – more like a peek into the plans of big pocketed players with ambitions to become the next Rupert Murdoch or Subhash Chandra Goyal.

There are numerous smaller aspirants and everybody who is anybody is harbouring TV entertainment ambitions. The reason is simple; it is a genre that has the bulk of TV viewers hooked, but has only 3-4 established players, as opposed to 9-10 players in the Hindi news segment, which has less than 5% market share. The common refrain is that there is immense potential in the segment, just waiting to be tapped.

India’s TV advertising pie is continually growing, with the maximum ad revenues being absorbed by Hindi soaps and movies (as per SSKI, television advertising accounts for 40% of the total advertising pie). FICCI-PwC’s 2007 report on the media & entertainment industry states that the nation’s total advertising pie today stands at about $4 billion. With an economy growing at 9%, advertising expenditures are bound to soar and analysts estimate that just this year advertising revenues are all set to go past the $4.5 billion mark. Anuradha adds that while world over the total advertising and marketing money that gets circulated is about 3% of the GDP, in India the figure stands at a measly 0.7%. “Obviously, there are great growth opportunities,” she reiterates.

Digital democracy (read: CAS, DTH and IPTV) waiting to unfold across the nation is another factor driving players to jump into the television well. Once implemented, if a channel is delivering good content, people for sure would pay to watch it – and media hubs would also save hugely on distribution costs.

But here’s the caveat to this entertainment jamboree. According to TAM, GEC share is sliding downward year-on-year. From occupying nearly 48% of the entire TV viewing populations’ share in the early years of the new millennium, the category has been sliding south ever since, to sit precariously perched at just about 28% of the total TV pie today. Market watchers say that thanks to the steady emergence of multiplexes, malls, amusement parks et al, the total TV viewership pie is coming down, and hence GECs are bound to take a beating. The lone genre that has seen growth in recent times is that of Hindi news viewers (See table).

The established players in the category - Zee, Star, Sony and Sahara – are all hungering for a bigger share of this 28% TV viewer pie. Add the 5-6 new players to the cacophony and the audience fragmentation is slated to rise to unprecedented levels. However, even the falling share of GECs cannot contain the gusto of the new players. Mukerjea, for one, believes that despite declining viewer share currently, positive economic indicators for the economy will certainly lead to higher advertising revenues, “and GECs, with a compelling programming mix and the right reach, will stand to benefit.”

So should the biggies in the biz be shivering with trepidation of a competitive onslaught? On the face of it, no! Star, Zee and Sony are clear leaders in the category. For now, Star’s worst nightmare is its shrinking viewership pie in the face of an onslaught from a revamped and re-energised Zee, which is slowly coming back to claim its pre-2001 (and pre-KBC and Ekta Kapoor mania) leadership status in the entertainment sweepstakes. Sony, at No. 3 is still in the reckoning and is playing catch up with the big two.


But a closer look and you notice that fresh competition has begun taking its toll; especially in terms of employee attrition. Unlike Peter Mukerjea (INX), who was in a non-compete agreement with Star India till mid-2007, Sameer Nair has picked up the crème from Star’s employee well, packing a swift punch in the current market leader’s belly. Star’s Shailja Kejriwal, Harsh Rohatgi, Manoj Vidwans, Gaurav Gandhi and Kuljeet Singh have already walked over to the Nair camp and more big ticket crossovers are imminent. “A lot of my ex-colleagues are working with me. Human management is a prerequisite in the creative business,” says Nair.

Be that as it may, it is almost certain that most of the new channels are bound to fall gregariously into the me-too trap. And media observers believe that the market is closed off (read: saturated) for the me-too variety. “All the new players are saying that they are different. But having seen the programming line-ups of some, I don’t see anything different that they have to offer,” says Pratap Suthan, NCD, Cheil Communications.

Going forward, the competitive fireworks will only intensify, with content, distribution and marketing becoming the reigning kings and queens of this epic battle for supremacy in the consumer mind space. “There is a creative famine in the TV industry, which will now realise the importance of talent management; as quality content aggregation and distribution will be the defining success factors,” offers Kaul of Zee, smugly reiterating that Zee stands strong on both these counts because of its DTH and cable arm, on the one hand; and the on the other hand, media conglomerate’s already established dominance and deep pockets.

Star Plus, Star One, Sony, Sab, would also be banking on similar sentiments, but the new players are no pushovers. They are in the process of inking equity deals with big production houses to strengthen their ‘content’; as also working out cost-effective synergies with distribution alliances to script their success sagas; not to mention unleashing multi-million promotional strategies.

But the devil is in the detail. Entertainment channels require big budgets, on an average Rs.1 to 1.5 crores on a daily basis. Most of the new players have deep pockets, but many may not last the distance. With Sun TV Network, buying 49% stake in NDTV’s Red FM radio network; Walt Disney purchaing UTV’s children’s entertainment channel Hungama et al, the consolidation has already started. As pressure on advertising rates and the analog distribution systems increases, smaller players will be further get edged out.

But sitting in her plush office in Filmcity, Noida, Prasad is not buying this logic. She feels that smaller players have invariably managed to carve out a niche for themselves in the entertainment business. After all, Dr. Roy and TV18’s Raghav Behl were small players, who eventually gathered both size and scale. So was the case with UTV. When it comes to grabbing eyeballs, size is never the major consideration. It’s all about creativity, brains and mind space.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
When IIPM comes to education, never compromise
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM is A World of Career

Rashmi Bansal Publisher of JAMMAG magazine caught red-handed, for details click on the following links.

• Hindustan Times Article - Publisher goes underground
• Rashmi Bansal (Editor of JAMMAG)
• Rashmi Bansal (Publisher of JAMMAG)

A silver streak...

IIPM, GURGAON

You’d definitely confuse it with a treasure island if you did not know it was Ravissant, a luxury goods store, displaying silverware designed by three of the world’s most distinguished designers – Simone Ten Hompel, Alistair McCallum and Michael Boy. The collection, aptly called ‘the Silver Lining’, shows off an array of magnificent treasures – a fusion of Indian, European and, at times, Japanese aesthetics in a unique blend of gilding metal with silver. Price on request.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
When IIPM comes to education, never compromise
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM is A World of Career
Why Study Abroad When IIPM Gives You 3 global Advantages!

Rashmi Bansal Publisher of JAMMAG magazine caught red-handed, for details click on the following links.

• Hindustan Times Article - Publisher goes underground
• Rashmi Bansal (Editor of JAMMAG)
• Rashmi Bansal (Publisher of JAMMAG)

Touch down on the tarmac!

IIPM - Admission Procedure

The slow and steady sometime wins the race, but not all the time...

Siddhanta Sharma and Jeh Wadia really don’t have all that much in common. The latter is the scion of a business family that traces its roots back to almost 200 years, while Sharma can’t lay claim to that kind of hoary legacy. Yet, in moments of quiet introspection, or when they pick up a pink paper that announces the nth round of the war between Vijay Mallya and Naresh Goyal, the head honchos of Low Cost Carriers (LCCs) GoAir and SpiceJet must be sharing one common emotion: the unspoken agony of being left behind in the race; and the passionate dream of catching up with the big boys one day.

In the rapidly growing civil aviation industry in India, the big boys, without any doubt, are Vijay Mallya and Naresh Goyal. The former has leveraged a Richard Branson persona and loads of cash generated by his liquor empire, United Breweries, to make Kingfisher Airlines arguably the number one in the country. Mallya and Kingfisher catapulted from the margins to the numero uno slot by acquiring Air Deccan (OK, we won’t say acquiring if Mr. Gopinath of Deccan insists!). Naresh Goyal was even faster on the draw; he managed to acquire Air Sahara after a convoluted and controversial process and now straddles both the full fare (Jet) and LCC (Air Sahara now christened as Jet Lite) segment. Then there is the government owned behemoth – Indian - that is emerging bigger and stronger from the merger of Indian Airlines and Air India.

Do the smaller players have even a ghost of a chance to be one up on the big boys? Analysts will remain analysts and revel in hedging their bets, as Binit Somaia, Regional Director, Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) does when he pontificates, prevaricates and then pronounces, “The aviation sector is facing a phase of consolidation which in short term will be dominated by Kingfisher/ Deccan, Jet Airways/Jet Lite and Air India/Indian…” But it is also a fact that in the highly competitive market of the last couple of years, yields have been so low that for new entrants to pursue market share would have meant bigger losses. Small surprise that in the face of the biggies acquiring more and more aircrafts in a bid to expand their services, GoAir prefers to maintain a low profile, with lesser numbers.

Given the bleeding operating costs that the industry as a whole faces, would Wadia’s approach be more sensible in the long run? Who knows, Jeh Wadia might actually end up having the last laugh. At the moment, he is dead pan and dead sure that the frenetic expansion pursued by the big boys like Mallya and Goyal gives him the luxury of sitting back and watching the two go at each other. He intends to cash in when the bruised leaders will inevitably give him a window of opportunity. Who said also-rans did not have chutzpah and confidence?!


For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
When IIPM comes to education, never compromise
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM is A World of Career
Why Study Abroad When IIPM Gives You 3 global Advantages!

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
When IIPM comes to education, never compromise
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM is A World of Career
Why Study Abroad When IIPM Gives You 3 global Advantages!

Rashmi Bansal Publisher of JAMMAG magazine caught red-handed, for details click on the following links.

• Hindustan Times Article - Publisher goes underground
• Rashmi Bansal (Editor of JAMMAG)
• Rashmi Bansal (Publisher of JAMMAG)

We have always created work that transcends the need for a brand ambassador and a certain line of work...

Why Study Abroad When IIPM Gives You 3 global Advantages!

Coming to some of the recent campaigns of the bank: The ad for HSBC Premier showed the importance of having a sound advisor behind the triumph of an individual. Ads for commercial banking put to the fore the bank’s skill of providing customised treatment in a very effortless, yet striking manner. One could see print campaigns that had pictorial comparison of people of different mindsets on a single platform. The bank also released various TVCs on the same lines. HSBC’s “Different People, Different Views” campaign was hugely successful and Ogilvy Action took the concept craftedby Contract Advertising ahead and aided it by innovative promotions (in multiplexes of metros).

The line of thought has been used in many ads to drive home the point which seems to have sunk in pretty nicely – thanks to the simplicity of the ideas in the ads. However, despite creating a name for itself, the bank still suffers from an image that is niche. Maybe, it’s time for a fresh idea that also gives it the mass advantage. What say?

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
When IIPM comes to education, never compromise
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM is A World of Career

Rashmi Bansal Publisher of JAMMAG magazine caught red-handed, for details click on the following links.

• Hindustan Times Article - Publisher goes underground
• Rashmi Bansal (Editor of JAMMAG)
• Rashmi Bansal (Publisher of JAMMAG)

Banking glocally…

When IIPM comes to education, never compromise

Bertrand Russell, philosopher and logician from England had popularly said, “Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric”. Ever since its inception in 1865, Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) has been advocating this philosophy not only to grow in the banking sector but also to establish its prominencewith respect to its communication. The burly bank acquired Mercantile Bank of India in 1959, commencing a journey that has gone through many milestones till now. The year 1987 witnessed first ATMs installed in the nation by HSBC. The strategy adopted by the bank globally, throughout the 1990s mirrored on “Managing for Value” that helped it to accrue earnings in both, established and emerging markets.

By the year 2002, HSBC had started bringing out commercials that voiced its presence across the globe with a tag-line: HSBC – The world’s local bank. “HSBC has managed to smartly juxtapose its communication (with global campaigns) to suit the Indian audience and I think that’s the hallmark of this global entity,” says Josy Paul, National Creative Director of JWT, HSBC’s global advertising agency.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM is A World of Career
Why Study Abroad When IIPM Gives You 3 global Advantages!

Rashmi Bansal Publisher of JAMMAG magazine caught red-handed, for details click on the following links.

• Hindustan Times Article - Publisher goes underground
• Rashmi Bansal (Editor of JAMMAG)
• Rashmi Bansal (Publisher of JAMMAG)

Nerves of steel & the moolah within

When IIPM comes to education, never compromise

On the other hand, the steel giant, Lakshmi Narayan Mittal is also set on tapping potential in his motherland, India. Undoubtedly a late entrant to the fast-growing market, the Forbes billionaire’s company, Arcelor Mittal, announced this fortnight that they are planning to set up steel plants in Orissa and Jharkhand, with a capacity of 24 million tonnes per annum. With an investment estimated to be about $18 billion, the move will make Mittal the single largest FDI investor in India. Also, having recently paid the first instalment (Rs.5 billion) of the Rs.35 billion investment for a 49% stake in HPCL, Mittal will no longer just be called a steel czar, but will soon earn the title of an oil tycoon, too. Everything associated with Mittal is larger than life, be it his daughter’s wedding or his London house worth million dollars, so also this investment marks the largest FDI in refining sector. Investing in a deal where majors like BP walked out, Mittal has surely given light to the cold storage project of HPCL.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM is A World of Career
Why Study Abroad When IIPM Gives You 3 global Advantages!

Rashmi Bansal Publisher of JAMMAG magazine caught red-handed, for details click on the following links.

• Hindustan Times Article - Publisher goes underground
• Rashmi Bansal (Editor of JAMMAG)
• Rashmi Bansal (Publisher of JAMMAG)

There is no stopping these rock solid men...

Why Study Abroad When IIPM Gives You 3 global Advantages!

India Inc. is surely taking giant leaps ahead, with its associates growing globally and at the same time inviting their counterparts to tap opportunities in the homeland too. Either way, India is proving to be a red-hot destination. And those who made big-biz news this fortnight, either made it big overseas or have come back to their soil, betting big on the untapped potential. The first newsmaker making his claim to fame is businessman turned Member of Parliament who has transformed his company from a moderate performer to a star performer.

Naveen Jindal, the Executive Vice Chairman & Managing Director of Jindal Steel & Power Ltd. (JSPL) is all set to shell out $2.1 billion to develop one of the largest iron ore deposits – El Mutun in Bolivia. The plan is to eventually come up with steel making facilities in the region. Naveen’s far sightedness has made his, the first Indian company to make such an investment in the 40 billion tonne iron ore reserve. Leaving behind international investors including Arcelor Mittal,JSPL will have access to 50% of these rich reserves in this 40 year contract. “It’s the first overseas deal for our company. Strategically, it is very important to have control of iron ore resources which this deal provides us with. We will be able to contribute a lot to Bolivia and our company will benefit immensely,” Naveen Jindal told 4Ps B&M. Under the leadership of Jindal, JSPL besides taking a leap of 35% in net profits to Rs.2.03 billion (in first quarter of 2007) has also been included in the coveted list of Emerging Companies in year 2001 by The Economic Times.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
When IIPM comes to education, never compromise
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM is A World of Career

Rashmi Bansal Publisher of JAMMAG magazine caught red-handed, for details click on the following links.

• Hindustan Times Article - Publisher goes underground
• Rashmi Bansal (Editor of JAMMAG)
• Rashmi Bansal (Publisher of JAMMAG)

Chamber of secrets

When IIPM comes to education, never compromise

As Delhi prepares to jog in the Hutch Marathon this October, almost chameleon-like,Hutch will shed its bubbly pink hues to wear the glamorous red of Vodafone. Sources in Hutch have revealed to 4Ps B&M that the much-hyped brand swap would take place around the event, when the three pink ‘samosas’ of Hutch would disappear and Vodafone’s logo would gain prominence instead.

Not that this is the first time Hutch is changing colours. The last time was in November 2005 when Hutch went pink from orange in search for more vibrancy. The move was a roaring success, gaining Hutch renewed zeal in the Indian telecom sweepstake. Yet, there is a twist in the tale this time around. The Vodafone red would take on the vibrant red of market leader Airtel. While Vodafone still has to instill its brand aura among Indian consumers, Airtel enjoys a coveted headway in that very arena. But those in the know say that the possibility of a colour clutter can be ruled out. “Vodafone will have a different shade of red than Airtel and their formatting and font size would be a big differential,” asserts Brand analyst Harish Bijoor.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM is A World of Career
Why Study Abroad When IIPM Gives You 3 global Advantages!

Rashmi Bansal Publisher of JAMMAG magazine caught red-handed, for details click on the following links.

• Hindustan Times Article - Publisher goes underground
• Rashmi Bansal (Editor of JAMMAG)
• Rashmi Bansal (Publisher of JAMMAG)

Consumers were not even used to processed vegetables at first, but we made Safal...

IIPM - Admission Procedure

But Thachil would do well to remember is that while he may be one of the pioneers in the probiotic curd segment, Mother Dairy still does not really wear the first mover’s robe. Amul with its probiotic icecream was the first to hit the probiotic market in India. And as the first healthy ice-cream marketer, Amul has already laid claim to the ice cream market with 37% market share. On the anvil are efforts from Amul to roll out probiotic lassi.

Coming back to curd, Nestlé, Mother Dairy and Dan one, all players are betting big on these bacteria, but unless this bacilli grabs a gigantic share of the Indian dining table, these giants will be left hurting and hungry for ROI...

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
When IIPM comes to education, never compromise
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM is A World of Career
Why Study Abroad When IIPM Gives You 3 global Advantages!

Rashmi Bansal Publisher of JAMMAG magazine caught red-handed, for details click on the following links.

• Hindustan Times Article - Publisher goes underground
• Rashmi Bansal (Editor of JAMMAG)
• Rashmi Bansal (Publisher of JAMMAG)

Eggs are going to be more fun!

When IIPM comes to education, never compromise

It’s time to beat the breakfast blues! Get ready to gorge on omelettes and fried eggs – because the cost of eggs is probably going to come down. It’s also the chicken and egg syndrome; the poultry expects an increase in supply (vis-à-vis demand), so the price of chicken will also go down. According to the National Egg Coordination Committee, egg prices may come down to Rs.150 per 100 eggs during August- September (which is the time when supply will be at its peak). Currently, retail prices of eggs are around Rs.28 a dozen; this is quite an upward spiral compared to Rs.18-20 per dozen in the corresponding period last year. The average price of chicken has also risen to Rs.100 per kg – compared to Rs.70 per kg last year. Of course, one reason is that the bird flu was on in full swing around this time last year, and prices had dropped. Anyway, enjoy that omelette while you can!

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
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IIPM - Admission Procedure
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Rashmi Bansal Publisher of JAMMAG magazine caught red-handed, for details click on the following links.

• Hindustan Times Article - Publisher goes underground
• Rashmi Bansal (Editor of JAMMAG)
• Rashmi Bansal (Publisher of JAMMAG)

More proof that India’s going all mobile

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According to a study by global research and analysis firm, Gartner, India will be the second-fastest growing country in the Asia-Pacific region – after China, of course! – in the sector of cellular services. It is being estimated that by 2011, 58% of Indians living in the rural and 95% of urban Indians will have mobile connections. And even though the mobile penetration in rural India is abysmally low (at 2%), this state of affairs actually offers a huge business opportunity for cellular service providers. One fallout of this has been cheap mobile handsets; there are black-and-white handsets that are available for less than even Rs.1,000. Overall, the telecom sector may grow by 18.4% between 2007 and 2011. In 2006, cellular services notched up revenues of $8.95 billion; by 2011, revenues could well be pegged around $25.61 billion. Gartner also says that cellular penetration will increase from 12.7% in 2006 to 38.6% by 2011. The other interesting finding that the study uncovered is that, in 2006, a whopping 84% of mobile users had prepaid connections; this trend is likely to grow overwhelmingly. It is being estimated that the prepaid segment will account for 93% of users by 2011. And of course, tariffs and call rates will further drop – and boost the number of users.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
When IIPM comes to education, never compromise
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM is A World of Career
Why Study Abroad When IIPM Gives You 3 global Advantages!

Rashmi Bansal Publisher of JAMMAG magazine caught red-handed, for details click on the following links.

• Hindustan Times Article - Publisher goes underground
• Rashmi Bansal (Editor of JAMMAG)
• Rashmi Bansal (Publisher of JAMMAG)

Going all out on M&As

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The second Asia Financial Services M&A survey (that was conducted on 230 financial services executives in Asia) by PricewaterhouseCoopers says that India, along with China (but of course!), will account for 86% of mergers and acquisitions (M&As) over the next five years. In India, M&As’ growth has increased to 39% in 2007 from 36% in 2005. In China, on the other hand, in financial services, the growth is expected to come down from 52% in 2005 to 47% in 2007.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
When IIPM comes to education, never compromise
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM is A World of Career
Why Study Abroad When IIPM Gives You 3 global Advantages!

Rashmi Bansal Publisher of JAMMAG magazine caught red-handed, for details click on the following links.

• Hindustan Times Article - Publisher goes underground
• Rashmi Bansal (Editor of JAMMAG)
• Rashmi Bansal (Publisher of JAMMAG)

The new box office HeroesBrad Pitt?

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No chance! George Clooney? Naah! Ashton Kutcher? Impossible! The way cartoons and animation movies are churning money, it won’t be long before top actors smashingly go...out of business!

Superman, Batman, Spiderman and now Hanuman. Yes, it seems to be a man’s world out there. A mention of the word ‘cartoon’ and probably these are the names that would spring up in everybody’s mind. As little children, we all used to wait for Sunday to watch ‘Spiderman, Spiderman… friendly neighbourhood Spiderman’ to do out of this world antics and mesmerise us. As young teenagers, we all read Archies and fancied going to the same Riverdale school where Archie and his cool gang used to study. Yash Chopra may rule Bollywood with his enthralling triangle love stories, but it’s Archie, Betty and Veronica, whose love triangle entertained us in our teenage years the most.

That’s the impact of animation in our lives. Probably some of our best, sweetest and most innocent memories are around animation. The world of animation is just unique. Just as love breaks all the barriers of language, religion, cast, creed and colour, similarly, animation is a universal language. It appeals to all people of almost all age groups all over the world. After all, from Timbuktoo to Tamil Nadu, every one laughs at the antics of Tom & Jerry. That’s the biggest advantage of making animated films. The world is your market, for cartoon characters face no language or culture barriers. They are watched with the same enthusiasm world over.

The Digital Miracle

The Walt Disney Company was fighting desperately to avoid a corporate takeover attempt in the 1980s. In fact, back then it was finding it so difficult to keep out of the red that it was considering abandoning the production of feature length animated films. Then they decided to give it one last shot and collaborated with Steven Spielberg to produce the animated feature film, “Who Framed Roger rabbit.” The film was a smash hit and suddenly, animation became the buzz word for success. What followed was a line of successful films from the Disney stable, like Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid and, of course, the biggest hit of all, The Lion king. It surpassed the wildest dreams of the studio. Soon, everyone wanted to do an animated movie. All the big movie studios tried their hands with computer animated feature films. From Dreamworks to Century Fox to Paramount Pictures, everyone started making animated feature films. All did reasonably well, but none could match the charm of a Disney film.

However, Disney was so successful because of Steve Jobs and his Pixar Animation. He was the one who had mastered the art of 3-D animation, also known as CGI. In the past, films had been made using the 2-D animation technique, which relies on hand-drawn animation. Today, computer generated or CG animated feature films rule the roost, and Pixar was the first to produce the first completely computer-generated feature film, Toy Story. The movie was a phenomenal success so probably is ‘Pixar’, which is the true star responsible for making animation such a big draw both for children and adults.

With animation, a new life has been infused in films targeted at adults. It has made it possible to let you run your imagination in the wildest of directions. You dream of any situation and think of any idea, animation will help you to achieve it. It’s a digital miracle that made Tom Hanks shake hands with President John F. Kennedy in the film Forrest Gump (shot decades after Kennedy was assassinated). It was the computer imagery apart from Kate Winslet’s beauty, which made Titanic such a realistic and awesome film. It was also the computer, which helped in sending shivers down your spine as you watched hungry man-eating lions in The Ghost and the Darkness.

When Finding Nemo was released, Disney and Pixar kept their fingers crossed. They didn’t expect it to do well. The film went on to become the highest grosser in 2003, earning $340 million in the US alone and an excess of $800 million worldwide. All thanks to the magic of 3D animation. Those are the absolutely stunning visual effects that are fuelling the industry and helping it churn out one block-buster after another. Technology has developed a lot, and animation studios are using novel software tools to develop mind blowing effects.

India, the new hub

The Lion King, Finding Nemo, Lord of the Rings, all have got one thing in common – they all were made with Indian expertise. Ralph Bakshi helped in the making of Lord of the Rings. He also created a well labelled TV series named Mighty Mouse. Ergo, Indians have oodles of talent and apart from that, this talent is available at a very cheap price. The cost of making a movie like Spiderman is $100 million in US. If you make a full length animated movie in India, it costs $15-25 million. No wonder, all eyes in Hollywood are directed towards India. Hollywood companies are increasingly outsourcing cartoon characters and special effects in India. So, a part of the success of Stuart Little and the terror of The Mummy was created right here in India. Indian animation companies are charging very low, and are thus able to divert a lot of work from China, Korea, Taiwan & Philippines. In the past, we have been exporting Tea and making a name for ourselves in the world market. With the amount of work we’re doing in the animated films, this could perhaps be our next big export globally.

After all, we have everything that takes to make us the animation hub of the world. India has the world’s largest entertainment industry in terms of the number of films produced. The Indian Entertainment Industry is expected to grow at 18% per annum and reach over $10 billion by 2009. Animation and special effects are making their presence felt here, too. After all, Hum Tum and Krrish would not be the same without the touch of animation and visual effects. A whole lot of animation studios have mushroomed all over. The prominent ones being Toonz Animation (biggest in India), UTV Toons, Padmalays Telefilms (Zee’s animation arm), Mays Entertainment, Crest Communication, to name a few.

They all have very talented manpower and are considered some of the best animation houses in the world. It’s enough reason for the biggies like Sony, Walt Disney, Imax and Warner Brothers to sign up huge contracts with these Indian animation companies. More so because apart from the fact that our manpower is talented and low cost, another big advantage is the knowledge of English.

At the same time, Indian mythologies are a treasure house of stories, which appeal to all. In fact, those were the Japanese who were the first to realise the potential of Indian myths and made the Ramayan in the 1990s. It was Disney, which made the little Indian jungle boy ‘Mowgli’ popular the world over with the movie Jungle Book.

Indians are waking up to the fact that we have characters like the ten-headed Ravan, which have the potential to mesmerise not just Indians, but audiences the world over. So Toonz Animation has created Adventures of Hanuman and also Adventures of Tenali Raman, India’s first animated television series. We are no longer just servicing western movie studios, but are signing co-production deals too. We are not just low cost content providers to Hollywood. We have moved up the value chain by not just keeping our costs down, but our quality consistent and of very high standards.

We have talent and content, and Richard Branson has decided to make full use of it. He has teamed up with Deepak Chopra and Shekhar Kapoor to come out with Virgin Comics. The three titles – Devi, Snakewoman and The Sadhu are all inspired by Indian gods and goddesses. The world seems to be in love with Indian animation. From Ramayan, to Mahabharat, to Devi – we seem to have it all. The market seems ripe for the animation industry. Is it a surprise then that the market for comics and graphic novels worldwide is exploding? It grew by 44.7% in US and 50% in UK (Virgin statistics). Even the number of cartoon channels are increasing rapidly on TV. What’s most interesting is that the growth in both countries has come due to Asian comics.

Definitively, animation has become widely accepted and is the new innovation of the 21st century. Movie-goers have accepted computer generated characters in films. It would not be long before there would be fully animated films featuring virtual human actors! Not just viewers, even the Oscars have accepted it; and in 2001, they introduced a new category “Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.” That year, Shrek won the award. Animation has made a place for itself in our lives and is here to stay for a long long time.

So what’s common between Titanic, The Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Caribbean, Harry Potter, Star Wars and Jurassic Park? They all grossed between $900 million to $1800 million in the box-office. They all have the computer to thank, which gave their movie such tremendous aura and awe inspiring look.

According to a survey, Mickey Mouse made $5.8 billion in 2003, while Harry Potter earned $2.8 billion, Nemo $2 billion and Spiderman $1.3 billion. That’s a cool sum for someone who has created with a ‘click-and-enter’ on the computer. These are the new favourites of the world. They are the new celebrities. What’s most interesting is that they come with no star-tantrums, no date problems and no scandle-problems! They work the way you want them to work. They are loved by the whole world and they always keep the cash registers jingling.

So move away Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt and make way for the new box-office heroes!

Copyright © : Rajita Chaudhuri and Planman Media.

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
When IIPM comes to education, never compromise
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM is A World of Career
Why Study Abroad When IIPM Gives You 3 global Advantages!

Rashmi Bansal Publisher of JAMMAG magazine caught red-handed, for details click on the following links.

• Hindustan Times Article - Publisher goes underground
• Rashmi Bansal (Editor of JAMMAG)
• Rashmi Bansal (Publisher of JAMMAG)

...The Marketing of a President

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Eye-popping celebrity branding, aggressive promotional schemes, astounding discount offers, unbelievable package deals... No, we’re not at all referring to some fabulous new product being introduced; rather, it’s all about...

They are gathering data – very detailed data on you. Things like, which car you drive, which magazines you read, are you married, do you have kids, how old are you, where do you live. They are not marketing whiz-kids collecting data to help their company launch a new soap, or plan a new marketing campaign for a refrigerator! They are the kids with Palm-tops and other gadgets knocking on people’s doors and gathering a whole lot of information, which is then fed into software. The software then helps the political parties figure out what issues would be of importance to a person with a particular profile. Accordingly, they can plan their political campaigns. Welcome to the modern way of tracking and monitoring potential voters. Yes, just like potential consumers, today political parties are keeping track of their potential voters and doing everything to woo them! The Presidential elections of USA have today become the biggest showcase of political marketing. The candidates are marketed in almost the same way as a shampoo or a face cream. The voters are pursued like consumers. The advertising campaigns are as glossy and slick. After all, we live in a fast food nation and our target is the Pepsi Generation. It’s about youth and fun and whatever your age, everyone is young. So if you want them to come and vote, you have to follow the advice of the marketing gurus who know this clientele very well.

The i-Pod crowd

Times have changed and the whole business of political campaigning has changed too. People are increasingly becoming more and more tech savvy. Internet has begun to play a very important role in framing people’s opinions. Thanks to the internet, information is flowing more freely – especially among the youth. They are becoming more and more aware of political issues. They are the ones who can tip the scales in your favour. Like any savvy marketer, political parties are realising the benefits of ‘catching-em-young’. After all, brand loyalties develop at an early stage and it’s easier to influence the younger lot. So in America, they started a campaign called “Rock the Vote”, which was targetted primarily at young voters, where pop-stars told the young generation to go out and vote.

It’s no more just long speeches that political candidates are using. They are doing much more to reach closer to the young generation. They now do phone polling, phone surveying and SMS text messaging to market their parties and themselves – things that the younger crowd finds cool and trendy.

Just as a brand needs to communicate the product benefits, the political candidate should be able to communicate something that the voters can understand and identify. He needs to work on a good sales pitch to increase his chances of winning. He needs to know what his target audience wants, and then he should sell that.

After all, Coca-Cola does not sell sugared water, Nike does not sell shoes and Starbucks does not sell coffee alone. What they all sell is an ‘image’, a ‘lifestyle’. Hutch does not sell ‘good connectivity’: It sells emotions. Emotions are the key word here. Our generation responds to emotions and a large part of the voters respond almost exclusively to the emotional appeal of the candidate. No wonder, when Rajiv Gandhi, a total novice, wept on his mother’s pyre, the whole nation wept and voted for him. He was the last superstar of Indian politics. He had the right image and evoked the right emotions.

If products need images to sell, then politicians need personalities to sell themselves. It all comes down to this basic fact, and Gallop surveys are a proof of the fact that time and again, in a Presidential race, it’s the personality factor that has played a critical role in deciding who would be the winning candidate. You need to master the art of knowing what is it that attracts the audience and reach out to them. A research has revealed that most of the people have no clue and no understanding of the candidate’s stand on issues. Most of them don’t understand the Presidential debates. It was said that people who voted for John Kerry in the 2004 elections believed in his health program and people who voted for Bush were concerned about the terror and national security and values.

On closer examination, it was found that hardly anyone understood the stand of both the candidates. They were all voting for the image that they liked. After all, all soaps clean germs, yet you pick up one and not the other – for no strong rational reason – but probably because you liked the model or the image shown in the commercial. The same was true for the Presidential elections too. Most don’t understand the rationale; and the few who do, don’t believe that political candidates would live up to their promises. So, if you have to win the voters over, you have to use your personality and evoke the right emotions to make them come out and vote for you.

The marketing battlefield

Elections are today nothing but marketing warfares! The mid-term election held in USA in November 2006 has been the bloodiest marketing battlefield. The media was splurged with ads of all kinds. According to Nielson Media Research, American TV viewers were exposed to around a million political ads between August and October this year. Compared to the last mid-term elections, there was a 31% increase in advertisements. Historically, America has always had a very low voter turn-out. As is the case everywhere, people don’t believe it’s important to vote, and don’t take it seriously. This time around, America went all out to reverse this trend. All possible marketing gimmicks were used to make the voter come out and cast his ballot.

If you have a five-year old at home, then you know how effective freebies are in selling a product. A packet of cornflakes assumes a whole new meaning if it comes with a free Spiderman projector. If free gifts attract a 5-year old, then they even attract a twenty five or a fifty-year old. So, in Florida, all those who voted, got free vaccination (which otherwise cost $25) against flu. “Vote and Vaccinate” worked quiet well. In Colorado, voters were given free rides from their homes to the polling booths in a limousine (A strech-limo rents at $500 a day!). If that were not enough, then in Arizona, Mark Osterloh had an irresistible trick to lure voters into polling booths. He offered a $1 million lottery. One lucky voter could change his fortunes!

A lot of gloss and glamour has been added to election campaigns nowadays. You now have Hollywood actresses featuring in advertisements and engaging in sexual innuendos – about the “first time” they voted – to Hollywood actors like Robert De Niro leaving messages on your answering machine to go out and vote for Hillary Clinton! During the 2004 Presidential elections, from music albums like Rock Against Bush to full length feature films like Farenheit 9/11, we saw them all being made to convince people to vote against Bush and his policies. If serious logic didn’t work, then humour was used to change people’s mind. Ergo, we had humourous ads like “Anyone but Bush” to humourous slogans on T-shirts proclaiming “No flip-flops in the White House” (a jab on John Kerry’s indecisiveness)

America leads the way. If these marketing gimmicks have worked in America, they would so in the rest of the world too. The fastest learner has been Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez, who has given his people free riders on a new metro line, free tickets to a rock concert, and even an unexpectedly large bonus – worth three times the monthly salary – just before the re-elections. His opponent, Manuel Rosales, in retaliation gave away free debit cards to more than two million poor Venezuelan households, allowing them to withdraw around 250 pounds a month. Freebies have some kind of a magical pull. The exiled child king of Bulgaria, Simeon Saxe-Coburg, used lottery power to win the elections. The lucky ones won cars, holiday packages and televisions. Not just this, he even had an exciting slogan. He promised to change the living standards radically in 800 days. He and his young team of economists – trained in the city of London – sure had learnt their marketing lessons well! To encourage voting, Simeon even made the nation indulge in tambola through mobile phones to win exciting prizes.

After all, all countries cannot be like Australia where voting is compulsory and everyone who doesn’t vote pays a $20 fine. No wonder they have a 95% voter turn-out. Till it isn’t made compulsory, we all need to open our marketing books to pull out some new tricks, to make people come & vote for us!

It’s all about money Today elections are a game of money. The ones with the deepest of pockets survive. In fact, it’s become the norm in America since 1976, that the candidate who has raised the most money by the end of the year preceding the election, has become his party’s nominee for President. Bush and Kerry raised a total of nearly half a billion dollars each for the 2004 Presidential elections. The battle between the Republicans and Democrats is fought primarily on TV, thus making it a very expensive warfare. During the mid-term polls held this year, some $2 billion were spent on the United States election campaign ads.

The fact is that it’s not enough being a good candidate, just as much as the fact that it’s not enough simply being a good product. You need to know your marketing extremely well to make it successful. The electoral marketing battle has to include all the tips and tricks strategically used while marketing products and services. From celebrity endorsements to malicious and attacking comparative marketing, direct mailers to internet campaigns, from emotional speeches to kissing underprivileged children, you need to do it all – and it doesn’t come cheap. That’s the price of democracy. The making of a President is actually nothing but the “Marketing of the President”.

Copyright © : Rajita Chaudhuri and Planman Media.

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM is A World of Career
Why Study Abroad When IIPM Gives You 3 global Advantages!

Rashmi Bansal Publisher of JAMMAG magazine caught red-handed, for details click on the following links.

• Hindustan Times Article - Publisher goes underground
• Rashmi Bansal (Editor of JAMMAG)
• Rashmi Bansal (Publisher of JAMMAG)

Bollywood Marriages

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Is there more of Bollywood in marriages or more of marriages in Bollywood movies? That’s a tough one to answer. Today most Indian marriages are celebrated in Bollywood style – complete with the gloss and glamour of Bollywood movies. If marriages today look straight from a Bollywood flick, then movies and televisions serials are being made straight from real marriages.

The much-talked-about and one-of-its kind wedding of hotelier Vikram Chatwal and model Priya Sachdev has been turned into a television serial on Discovery Travel and Living channel named “The Great Indian Wedding”. The wedding boom also inspired Sony Television to launch a reality wedding show Kahin na Kahin Koi Hai. It was anchored by the gorgeous Bollywood actress Madhuri Dixit.

Not just television serials, a whole lot of movies have been inspired by weddings. Be it Bollywood or Hollywood this is one subject which never fails to attract attention anywhere in the world. The sheer joy, excitement, euphoria surrounding this occasion is unmatchable. Be it Hum Aapke Hai Kaun or Bride and Prejudice, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge or Four Wedding and a Funeral – all have been box-office smash hits and the aura of a wedding was the heart of all these movies. Seems marriages do make both, Bollywood movies and the box office, rock!

As the girl and boy look deep into each others eyes and proclaim their love for each other a whole lot of business houses too get a twinkle in their eyes. For along with the wedding bells they can also hear their cash registers ringing. The marriage industry is a “profit guaranteed” industry. As long as people will fall in love, the industry will prosper.

So pull out your thinking caps and see how you can grab a portion of this pie, for a smart entrepreneur knows that marriages and business profits are made for each other.

Copyright © : Rajita Chaudhuri and Planman Media.

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
When IIPM comes to education, never compromise
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM is A World of Career
Why Study Abroad When IIPM Gives You 3 global Advantages!

Rashmi Bansal Publisher of JAMMAG magazine caught red-handed, for details click on the following links.

• Hindustan Times Article - Publisher goes underground
• Rashmi Bansal (Editor of JAMMAG)
• Rashmi Bansal (Publisher of JAMMAG)

“Innovation isimportant to us...it refl ects in ourmarketing,content & brandpositioning,” says Sharma of Zapak

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RELIANCE ENTERTAINMENT... With its zapak moves, this one’s created a big adda for itself among traditional media hotshots!

If Reliance Entertainment claims innovation to be the flesh and soul of their company, it’s no exaggeration. With its vanguard neverdone-before moves that exhilarate consumers, this company’s given sleepless nights to competitors. Take Zapak for instance - India’s first and largest gaming portal - innovative not just in terms of its content but also in terms of its whacky and catchy advertising. “Innovation is extremely important to us. We have built our complete market on that and it reflects in our marketing, our content and the brand positioning,” Rohit Sharma, COO, Zapak shares with 4Ps B&M. And not only Zapak but this very innovative mantra of ‘phirangi entertainment in desi ishtyle’ is true for other group companies too like Big 92.7 FM, Adlabs, BigAdda, Bigflicks, et al. In fact, Big 92.7 FM with its innovative marketing and programming strategies like outdoor broadcasting vans & big booths, has already won itself the crown of the largest private radio network in India in less than a year of its launch. Further, sending the existing market dynamics topsy turvy, are new initiatives by the group – BigAdda and BigFlicks. Needless to say, it is the constant drive towards innovation at Reliance Entertainment that has given Anil Ambani such a vast presence across various content and distribution platforms in the Indian media and entertainment sector, that too in such a short span.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM is A World of Career
Why Study Abroad When IIPM Gives You 3 global Advantages!

Rashmi Bansal Publisher of JAMMAG magazine caught red-handed, for details click on the following links.

• Hindustan Times Article - Publisher goes underground
• Rashmi Bansal (Editor of JAMMAG)
• Rashmi Bansal (Publisher of JAMMAG)

Apple

ARINDAM CHAUDHURI’S 4 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD CHOOSE IIPM...

In the fast globalising Indian economy, where a plethora of similar goods and services are vying with one another to get the consumer on their side, what sets a company apart is its quickness in anticipating customer demand and innovating accordingly. And that makes all the difference between success and failure!

When Steve Jobs gregariously introduced the iPod in October 2001, he not only changed the way people listened to music, but also managed to give a big thumbs-up to his company. How? Well, till then, Apple was struggling for mass acceptance of its computer brand Macintosh, which was going nowhere despite tall promises, in the face of stiff competition from Windows based PCs. But check this: analysts admit that ever since the iPod became a global sensation, the halo effect has rubbed off some on Apple’s computer business and Macintosh sales are on the revival path. That’s the impact of a seemingly innocuous innovation (in this case a 2-4 inch small musical device) on a company’s fortunes!

Closer home, take the case of Kingfisher Airlines. When flamboyant liquor baron Vijay Mallya decided on dabbling in the lucrative aviation sector, he went totally over-the-top and thought up an avant-garde way to lure consumers. The next thing one knew, his stylish Airbuses were in the air, replete with a state-of-theart personalised inflight entertainment system, a sassy cabin and ground staff in bold red attires, designer interiors in his aircraft, with the flashy Mallya himself greeting passengers on board. Coming for an audience, starved for such grandeur during travel, the inoovation paid off. Mallya’s special brand of air travel boasts of a sizable chunk of the total aviation pie within just two years of its launch.

Either via an inventive new product in the marketplace; or translating new ideas into a substantial product or service; or even successfully marketing and exploiting a new idea... innovation is fast becoming a winning habit for companies. Here’s a dekho at the 25 companies who are increasingly laying emphasis on being innovative in the Indian market. Their innovation need not always be out rightly radical (involving huge R&D expenditures). Sometimes it may be just a brilliant new idea (iPod?) or just an original adaptation of a known idea (Kingfisher Airlines?); It may just involve a minor tinkering with any of the 4Ps of Marketing (Product, Price, Promotion & Place) – a competitive pricing strategy, a different packaging, out-of-the-box marketing... Anything works, provided the demand is anticipated correctly. So, here they are in all their inventive glory...

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

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IIPM Economy Review

Rashmi Bansal Publisher of JAMMAG magazine caught red-handed, for details click on the following links.

• Hindustan Times Article - Publisher goes underground
• Rashmi Bansal (Editor of JAMMAG)
• Rashmi Bansal (Publisher of JAMMAG)

Leading global beverage

A recent report by the leading global beverage sales tracker, Beverage Digest, validates it further. According to the report, the market of carbonated drinks fell by 0.6% in 2006 as against a drop of 0.2% in 2005. Seems insignificant, but if energy drinks are kept aside, the decline is a shocking 150% more than last year. Now, there’s the real trouble. Well, one could blame it on the pesticides controversy or on the rising health consciousness across the globe, the consumer verdict even in India is definitely proving detrimental for fizzy drink makers including Coca Cola. With the health drinks category growing globally at 2.8% per annum, not far in the future, the only options left for Coca-Cola (in fact, for all the other cola makers too) would be to make existing products healthier; and of course, diversify. No doubt, Coca Cola has been bolstering its growth strategy with a host of relatively healthier options for quite some time now. And, India doesn’t seem to be an exception to these attempts as well. With the recent launches of Cadbury- Schweppes water and Minute Maid, its pulpy orange juice, the company has clearly indicated a shift towards sports drinks, juices, energy drinks and water. But a look at PepsiCo’s classic foresight and Coke’s strategic defence seems too vulnerable. Some 60% of PepsiCo’s profits come from its snacks and food business. Right from Fritos to Lays to Cracker Jacks and Tostitos, PepsiCo enjoys a virtual monopoly, with Coca Cola nowhere in the scene – the reason why PepsiCo’s net profits have been steadily climbing upwards. On the contrary, Coca Cola’s overdependence on the beverage segment has surely proved detrimental to its bottom-
line, both globally and within India. In such a scenario, though the ‘Drops of Joy’ concept seems emotionally pliable, the fact is that standing alone, it won’t be capable of bringing joy to Coke’s life. CSR or no CSR, if the ‘Real Thing’ doesn’t diversify into health segments, it won’t be long before ‘Drops of Joy’ for Coke are transliterated fatally and sadly into ‘Teardrops of Joy’.


For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

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

Rashmi Bansal Publisher of JAMMAG magazine caught red-handed, for details click on the following links.

• Hindustan Times Article - Publisher goes underground
• Rashmi Bansal (Editor of JAMMAG)
• Rashmi Bansal (Publisher of JAMMAG)

Coca Cola plans to increase

Through the campaign, Coca Cola plans to increase (and showcase) its involvement in community development programmes such as investing in environment protection, supporting the disabled and similar projects. A bird’s eye view and it could simply look like any other corporate social responsibility (CSR) activity taken up by the company. But a closer look inside – and some help from the company grapevine – reveals to us how this is a classic case of CSR being ultimately leveraged to become a profitability statement. But do such campaigns really work in the long run? To get the outside view on this, 4Ps B&M caught up with Superbrands, arguably the world’s most renowned brand valuation and ranking firm. Anmol Dhar, MD of Superbrands, shared with us, “Coca Cola certainly needs to improve its brand image in the society. Whether this sort of CSR initiative will help Coke improve its brand image, well, that’s what time will tell!” Time! But really, the reasons for this contemporary image makeover are not too difficult to come by. Though the biting pesticides controversy, along with ground water depletion or health concerns around its core brands, are behind Coca Cola now, continuously declining profitability is a fear that haunts the company perennially, what with the rate of growth of the soft drinks industry going down dangerously. The real problem for Coca Cola comes in as the traditional cola war, all over the world, seems gradually shifting to a new ground. Soft drink volumes have started witnessing a fall as a rising health-consciousness wave is hitting consumers belatedly. “Consumers have certainly become health conscious and are going to shun carbonated drinks and shift to more nutritious options,” prophesies FMCG analyst Harish Bijur to 4Ps B&M.

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

Rashmi Bansal Publisher of JAMMAG magazine caught red-handed, for details click on the following links.

• Hindustan Times Article - Publisher goes underground
• Rashmi Bansal (Editor of JAMMAG)
• Rashmi Bansal (Publisher of JAMMAG)

CSR: Coke Socially Responsible!

A strategic manoeuvre by Coke to go the CSR way; profitably

Sometimes, a soft drink is more than just a fizzy, sugared liquid. Sometimes, it symbolizes an exhilarating lifestyle; sometimes, an attitude statement; and sometimes, even a humane, community oriented and socially responsible product... Just a minute, what was that?!? Did you say, carbonateddrinks are becoming ‘socially responsible’?! Well, we don’t know about the whole bandwagon, but at least, that’s how the fizzy drink maker Coca Cola wants to market itself now. A small wait till September-end and India would see ‘Drops of Joy’ literally pouring in from the cola major who has just tested waters with showing the African continent ‘The Coke Side of Life’. For those who came in late,sources at the company affirmed to4Ps B&M that ‘Drops of Joy’ is part of a global campaign started by Coke early this year to project the Coca-Cola corporate brand as a total beverage company (read ‘society friendly organisation’) and not merely a cola and fizz-drink maker. And the investments being lined up by the firm are nothing less than huge. So what’s the official internal dope on the India campaign? Speaking directly to 4Ps B&M, the Coca Cola India spokesperson revealed, “In our bid to further strengthen the communication to different stakeholders, the company is in the process of putting together a corporate advertising campaign. The discussions are at a formative stage and we are currently looking at various options to make this exercise effective and robust.”

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

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

Rashmi Bansal Publisher of JAMMAG magazine caught red-handed, for details click on the following links.

• Hindustan Times Article - Publisher goes underground
• Rashmi Bansal (Editor of JAMMAG)
• Rashmi Bansal (Publisher of JAMMAG)