Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Crunched to death!

The financial crisis brought the world to its feet!

The foundation stone of the current financial crisis was definitely laid during the prior boom period, which lasted between 1996 to early 2005. Financial institutions like Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Lehman Brothers, Bear Stearns, Merrill Lynch et al, were enthusiastic enough to run after the lucrative sub-prime market and create an artificial buying power for borrowers. Giving no importance to financial due diligence, the lenders were quick to introduce new, riskier products with insufficient asset value as collateral. As a matter of fact, the total amount of mortgage-backed security issued tripled to $7.3 trillion and the securitised share of sub-prime mortgages increased from 54% to 75%; all thanks to the booming ‘credit derivative market’ which made risk transfer easy. The low interest rate further encouraged Americans to opt for housing loans or mortgages. But when home prices in the US began to decline in 2006-07, mortgage delinquencies rose and securities backed by sub-prime mortgages (which were widely-held by financial institutions), lost most of their value. Later on, when this housing bubble busted, three out of the five largest investment banks (once the cynosures of Wall Street) of US, failed, triggering instability in the global financial system. This resulted in a decline of capital for many banks, thus creating a credit crunch.


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

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Monday, December 10, 2012

The Afghan quagmire continues

Iran may be involved if the US opted for drone attacks in Balochistan and this is bad news for Pakistan

The 'war on terror' may or may not eliminate Al-Qaeda and the Taliban in the tribal areas of Pakistan but it seems it would cost dearly to a state that is already headed towards fragmentation. Now that the 100-days-old Obama government has decided to expand the American covert war in Pakistan, far beyond the unruly tribal areas to strike at a different centre of Taliban power in Balochistan, where top Taliban leaders are orchestrating attacks in southern Afghanistan. “Mullah Muhammad Omar, who led the Taliban government that was ousted in the American-led invasion in 2001, has operated with near impunity out of the region for years, along with many of his deputies,” the New York Times reported. Citing American intelligence officials, it further said many top Taliban commanders remain in hiding in and around the provincial headquarters in Balochistan, while some Afghan officials claim that other senior Taliban leaders have fled to Pakistan.

What does this mean? If the US administration goes for drone attacks in and around Quetta, it would lead to collateral damage in the largely Pashtun belt of Balochistan. “For the last 62 years, Baloch people are displaced. Now if the Americans opt for drone attacks in and around Quetta, Pashtuns will be displaced,” Nawab Khair Bux Marri, veteran Baloch leader told B&E.


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

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Saturday, December 08, 2012

Oracles be damned!

Do their M&A predictions really work? And is there some ‘secret learning’ even they know nothing about? STEVEN PHILIP WARNER takes a closer look...

Despite fears of making it sound more like a sadistically-inclined moronic panic attack, let us get straight to the point here: which one of the following is most fatal – SARS, tuberculosis, typhoid, severe malaria, dengue, and… marriage (oink?!)? Let us go by the numbers. As per prior medical and social studies, dengue has a fatality rate of just 3%, severe malaria – 9%, typhoid – 10%, tuberculosis – 11%, SARS – 15%; and divorces – 38%! [Oh! Couples in love never knew this, did they?] Now allow us to marginally change course here: from social marriage to business marriages [and in the process reveal facts that CEOs in love with the idea of business matrimonies have perhaps missed out on]. Business marriage if put in that list above would walk away with honours glorified, in the name of the Queen. Period! And what makes us so non-sanguinely presumptuous? Well, the failure rate of M&As is anywhere between 75-78% (as per researches by HBS, KPMG, Booz Allen, et al), and it has earned shameful recognition for stripping-down shareholders to their bones, such that even the ruthless piranhas of the Amazonian rivers would pack a mournful retreat over the crime.

So here we are, in the midst of another downturn… six long years of prosperity at the bourses, and suddenly the shareholders are crying out for mercy. And what do the pundits say? Well, first they claimed that there was no downturn in sight, and that it was simply a ‘slight’ correction at the stock market. Then the real estate diamond turned cheap carbon. This was followed up with some major financial entities finding survival a next life dream. Then the virus spread to the manufacturing and other services businesses and the bourses crashed. And yet, we never learnt!!! We undertook panic discounts. Wrong! We cut back on our advertisements. Wrong! [But hey, aren’t corporations supposed to cut down on expenses during a downturn?] And finally, the dirt: we still believe those ‘gas-ball of Oracles’, that perhaps don’t even remember their respective birthdays; forget about predicting the ‘right’ future! Research proves it, and there’s no white-chalk teaching needed to reassure you that deal-making is too dangerous and fruitless during downturns. We undertook some primary research & digged deeper into some exemplary past researches and events... all of which we present in the following paragraphs. When you get to the last line of this article, you would have figured out why the whole argument began in the first place… and why there’s so much to learn for those demented ‘self-proclaimed’ Oracles!


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

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Friday, December 07, 2012

Ask the right questions, of yourself!

If you’re not the apple of your boss’s eye, don’t sulk! Ask the right questions, of yourself!

If it’s the latter, solution could be simply trying to know your boss better and show some friendliness (not to be mistaken as sucking up). And, if it’s for real, then you need some introspection before reaction! “If someone comes to me with a problem, I always first tell him to introspect and see if the boss is really prejudiced or is there a method in the madness i.e. the person he favours actually has certain admirable strengths,” says B. Shankar, GM-HR, BHEL. It’s perhaps time to examine your own efforts (Are you as good as you think you are?!).

Just because you haven’t been told, doesn’t imply there’s no problem. Being less friendly could be his way of expressing disapproval. Talk it out and be open to criticism. Figure out the traits he really values. It could be these traits, in someone else, which make you call him unfair and biased… If this doesn’t help, you need to re-look at your work. If you like what you do and such preferential behaviour doesn’t affect your job potential, then putting up with such a boss by merely overlooking isn’t that bad an idea. Charging your boss with it would only lead to tension at work.

Managing your work is definitely a stated objective, but managing your boss is a primary unstated favour that you owe to yourself. So, if he’s low on EI, you might as well think a little on his behalf. Since he would rarely realise the impact of his decisions on your life, you may set the limit by making him realise it the next time he throws work at you when the day is about to get over! And, if your work is awaiting his approval, you may give him direction and structure, instead of silently getting angry at him.

By virtue of becoming a boss, a person comes under scrutiny, even when it’s not due. Maybe it is time to act and not judge him, for it’s likely that you may not be doing your ‘job’ i.e. thinking for him.


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

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Thursday, December 06, 2012

Caneel bay, a rosewood resort

This exclusive hideaway turned low-key luxurious resort, encircled by the beauty of the Virgin Island National Park, was established by financier and conservationist, Laurance Rockefeller, over 50 years ago. The essence of its virginity is mirrored by the dearth of room phones and TVs. However, you'll be doing anything but just sitting in one of the 160+ guest rooms, outfitted in soothing untamed nature with slick contemporary furniture and personal patios or balconies, spread over 170 acres. With a Sunset Cocktail Cruise, healing volcanic stone massages, weddings-on-board and a mind-body-spirit rejuvenating centre overlooking the retreat, it is a paradise which craves to be explored, but is still determined not to be exploited.

THE VIEW: Idyllic Caribbean beaches with stark-clear water and sand as white and fine as grinded sugar; not one, not two, but Caneel Bay boasts of seven of such private heavens. Heady rum-tasting, underwater slide show, tennis, fitness centre, windsurfing, scuba clinic, Sunfish sailboats and kayaks; there are enough activities to help you completely forget about your monotonous lives.

ARCHI TYPE: Just a short stroll from the beach, are the pleasantly strewn rooms throughout the resort. Natural wood and native stone form the structures while hand-crafted furniture and richly woven fabrics lend more warmth to the ambience. Celebrities wishing to escape the paparazzi (including Brangelina, Angelina Jolie-Brad Pitt) often book Rockefeller's private beach house, Cottage 7. Air-conditioning and ceiling fans are standard for all rooms, but are free from telephones, televisions and other modern-day diversions.

BON APPÉTIT: Surrender to innovative American cuisine against a breathtaking view at Caneel’s classy Turtle Bay Estate House, or a fixed, seven-course menu highlighting selections from their wine collection in the Wine Room. A more laid back place, called the Equator restaurant, is situated amongst the stone and coral ruins of an 18th-century sugar mill, which specialises in fresh seafood and grilled meats.
 

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

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Tuesday, December 04, 2012

MNCS: INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS, POLLUTION, AND MONEY POWER

MNCs are hailed as national treasures in some countries; but their devil-may-care attitude results in many tragedies – both industrial and health – making them reasons for global shame

And when some 200 women protested against Dow for its meagre response and for not really taking any proactive mechanisms to clean up the area stacked with dangerous toxic waste which spreads many gas related diseases in the small town Bhopal, Dow sued them in return for raising voice against the company using it’s political, monetary and muscle power. When an explosion and fire ruined a fireworks factory belonging to Bright Sparkles Sdn.

Bhd. at Sungai Buloh, Malaysia in 1991, causing 22 deaths and injuring 103, Bright Sparkles remained lukewarm in helping victims and their families and compensating the environmental damages it has caused. The lethal leak of phosgene gas in a Thai petrochemical company, Thai Polycarbonate Co., which killed only one but injured over hundreds, evoked almost no unified response, despite shocking proof being there of repeated calls earlier on warning of a possible leak. And the fiery explosion at one of the largest oil refineries of British Petroleum in Texas City in 2005, is another example of such unabashed irresponsibility. Well, BP has had a sparkling record of fatal accidents for the last few decades. Honourably so, it is the eighth largest polluter in the US, releasing over 5.1 million tonnes of pollutants with many harmful toxic gases like carcinogens, causing serious health ill-effects to 30,000 people living within three mile radius of its units. But while FBI investigation and imposition of new laws and fines continues, BP operates mercifully at worse levels.

On another front, Nigeria has redefined corporate social irresponsibility. Companies like Shell, ExxonMobil and Chevron are reaping off the nation’s oil industry but continue showing deliberate negligence to protecting the environment, human life and the locality which have been affected by the gas leakage and flares in their plants or refineries.

Protocols like the Kyoto one are more stupidly chivalrous rather than being autocratically (and logically) regulatory. International agencies have to necessarily regulate MNCs with an iron hand, than play to the lobby gallery.


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

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Monday, December 03, 2012

ECONOMIC CRISIS: CEOS

US CEOs face uncertain times, & it's not just their companies that worry them

Tumultuous economic conditions in US and across the globe (including Japan, Italy & Germany) have forced leaders to face tough questions on their companies. More alarmingly, there are questions that also relate to themselves that need answers today. Do they really deserve to be the chieftains of the drivers of world economy? And most importantly, do they deserve humongous compensations for ruining, oops, running their companies?

There is another hammer coming their way after Sarbanes Oxley. The $700 billion federal bailout recently passed by the US Senate put light on executive pays various company heads were receiving. And responding to the protests and angst of investors and tax payers, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson was forced to attach the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act 2008, to the bailout plan, which puts limits on the compensations that company heads have been getting for all this while. And now the top-honchos better watch out, for if they don’t perform, their compensations can definitely fall down. Add to this the backing and support from President-elect Barack Obama on the ‘Say-on-pay’ bill; top American corporate leaders have all the reasons to get jittery.

Let''s take the case of Citigroup. Vikram Pandit recently exploded by announcing a lay-off of 52,000 employees. Did Pandit have no other option in hand while dealing with the issue? Bart Narter, Senior VP, Banking Group, Celent told B&E, “Citi, faced with growing losses and declining confidence in the future of the bank, had few choices: take money from the government, shrink, cut dividends, cut heads, et al; their answer was all of the above.” Narter goes on to add, “(At the back of the economic downturn), compensation will go down at the top level and everywhere else too. It will be more closely tied to performance. Also stock options in a down market have little value.” Pundit, who currently draws a compensation of $250,000 along with other long term compensation of $323,813 (Business Week), is now facing the wrath of stake holders (see related story on Page 36). The question being asked is, "What is the point in getting such a hefty package if you cannot lead a company ably?"

Another perfect example of a leader who brought his company to the docks is Jerry Yang of Yahoo! (ironically also one of the founders). After cruelly crumbling the hopes of the company by failing to seal a deal with both Google and Microsoft, Yang, ''fazed'' by criticism, decided to step down. And during his reign at the online major, he drew a total compensation of $688,242 (Forbes). Such is the condition of Yahoo! that now that the Yang has quit the company, the board at Yahoo! will again go back to Microsoft, who will now lay its own terms and conditions.


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

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Saturday, December 01, 2012

India's Calling

With movies like The Darjeeling Limited and Slumdog Millionaire acknowledging India as a subject for international cinema, is India the next Africa for Hollywood?

For generations, Bollywood was considered as the humble cousin of Hollywood, with nothing original about it. Scripts, dialogues, scenes – everything would be ‘inspired’ from English movies frame by frame. However, not many know that the Hindi film industry came into existence with a short film in 1899, some 11 years before Hollywood’s first biography melodrama in 1910. Raja Harishchandra, the first silent feature film, directed by Dadabhai Phalke, followed in the year 1913. The first Indian musical talkie Alam Ara was released in 1931 and from those days till today in 2008, the Hindi film industry has grown from releasing a mere 200 films per year to around 1,000 films, and has now a worldwide audience of three billion. Hollywood, meanwhile, still produces 500 films per annum and has an audience of 2.6 billion around the world. So, could anyone consider the Hindi film industry a poor cousin of Hollywood even to this day?

Times surely have changed, and movies symbolic of this shift includes the film winning great reviews at international film festivals these days, Slumdog Millionaire. Directed by English director Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire has Indian actors and also has India as the backdrop. India, often referred to as the land of the snake charmers, has charmed and intrigued international audiences not only for the ‘Indian rope trick’ but even for its lifestyle and culture. Despite having a mass reach and being the largest film producer in India and one of the largest in the world, the Hindi film industry was not acknowledged only until recently. Hollywood, which is known to have people from different ethnicities and cultures, didn’t have too many Indians in their movies.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Friday, November 30, 2012

Creative Capitalism missed the mark...

Nobel Laureate Dr. Yunus debates on why his previously published views on Creative Capitalism missed the mark... A B&E exclusive

Another question I am repeatedly asked: Are you opposed to profit-maximising businesses? When I talk about social business, people assume that I am opposing the profit-maximising business. I am not. I am talking about a two-business market, not a one-business market. Both will work side by side. Many things which are missed by the first type of business will be picked up by the second type of business. When social business can demonstrate that a new opportunity for profit-maximising business has emerged, they may become attracted to the new business. Sometimes I have expressed it by saying that profit-maximising business is the “means”, and that social business is the “end”. Both are linked. It will be ridiculous to think about the business world without the profit-maximising businesses operating in full vigour. Whatever problems they have we can address them through “creative capitalism” and similar other innovative approaches.

Does a profit-maximising company like Microsoft impact on people’s lives, including the lives of the poor people? Of course, they do. Information technology has revolutionised the world we live in. Many dreams (like e-healthcare, e-banking, e-marketing) have now become reality because of this technology. Microsoft as a company has played a very strategic role in bringing about this revolution.

ompanies, healthcare companies, technology research companies, educational companies have all played a fundamental role. Smaller companies played a subsidiary role in the transformation of the world. Nobody should be against profit maximising companies. What we worry about is the excesses committed by profit-maximising companies. Today these excesses have given rise to blanket accusations against capitalism ¾ such as, casino capitalism, irresponsible capitalism, limitlessly greedy capitalism, insensitive capitalism - all of which caused agony to millions of people around the world. Hopefully, we will find solutions to these problems. But this is not to deny the role played by profit-maximising companies in shaping the destiny of world. Social business is an exclusively designed mechanism to bring many more solutions to the world’s problems in the fastest possible way. It is time to give it a serious try. I thank you in advance for printing my letter so that your readers are not confused about my views.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Everyone loves cop bashing

Allegations echo from Delhi blasts and Jamia shootout. Is India losing the communication war?

Did Inspector M. C. Sharma, Delhi Police’s sharp shooter, kill terrorists in Jamia Nagar on September 19 before being shot? You would have thought the answer to be a resounding yes, but be slightly confused with the number of counter claims that have come up since that fateful day. While Sharma is pretty much a martyred figure in the memory of many colonies in Delhi, the 'other' view puts question marks on the concept of policing – and perhaps the Indian state itself.

K. P. S. Gill, former Punjab Police chief and doyen of anti-terrorist operations in Punjab put it succinctly on TV: “In Inspector Sharma’s death, Delhi Police has been saved the blushes.” In other words, Sharma had to pay for his life to make the encounter genuine otherwise the police’s claims could be pooh-poohed outright. So is India losing the propaganda war? Is the country losing the battle of hearts and mind? Throughout the week of light and sound, one thing which emerged distinctly was that the country has to contend with twin scourges: the natural cynicism of the dyed-in-the-blue intellectual who will turn his nose to anything that is remotely official, and the questionable conduct of the police, during and after the blast. Both issues are inter-linked.

To take the view that a corrupt and criminal police force is operating on its own without the props of a degenerate political system – a system in which other sections of society are necessarily models of piety and truthfulness – would be to put the cart before the horse. There is a crying need for reform and change in the government’s Police policy.

Consider the following. The National Police Commission created by the government in 1977 had submitted eight detailed reports during 1979-81 with comprehensive recommendations covering the entire gamut of police work. None have been implemented to date.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Tuesday, November 27, 2012

REFORMS: EDUCATING THE REGULATORY BODIES FOR A CHANGE

B&E’s Managing Editor Sutanu Guru wrote on this literate dilemma two issues back; you missed it, he knew it, we’re re-running it... diligently!

Report after report and study after study has revealed the tragic truth that while India churns out millions of graduates and hundreds of thousands of doctors, engineers and managers, most of them simply do not have the basic skills required for the demanding job opportunities that 21st century India is creating. In short, India is spawning leagues of unemployable literates. The key is for the higher education system in India to ‘produce employable’ youngsters. And what better a strategy than promoting the entry of foreign institutions, already at the cutting edge of globalisation and education benchmarks that are extremely pertinent to the new world.

At the heart of the problem are lack of resources and role of UGC and AICTE, the two bodies that are supposed to regulate higher education. Admits former NCERT Director J.S Rajput to B&E, “It is a fact that the government does not have requisite resources to maintain standards in higher education. So, the role and responsibilities of private educational institutions become critical.”

Experts comment that though UGC and AICTE could have moved mountains in improving India’s higher education framework, both of them currently face a crisis of quality, and to a certain extent, credibility. Says Dinanath Batra, Convener of the Shikhsha Bachao Andolan, “Now, the PM places more trust on reports of the Knowledge Commission.” According to the President of Centre for Civil Society, Partha Shah, the basic problem with UGC and AICTE is that they have not changed with the times. Clearly, instead of acting as change agents and effective regulators, they continue to adhere to rulebooks that have grown old beyond what today’s demanding higher education sector requires. It is not that the UGC and AICTE were set up with the objective of stopping the growth of education. In fact, these two institutions were once upon a time not so long back seen as perpetrators of processes and structures in the education sector that could have radically transformed the promised growth into higher figures. Unfortunately, somewhere along the line, transformation got replaced by ‘regulation’, a factor that now seems to be stifling higher education to a point of death.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Monday, November 26, 2012

Investing a dime, well in time...

Major auto manufacturers are on a prowl for the ideal location just as India becomes the best place to bet on. There are mind-boggling investment figures involved here, B&E’s Pawan Chabra investigates...

Today, we stand at a cross roads, where we all stand witness to India being reckoned as the country which has become the repertoire of the best automotive technologies available. As economic development percolates wealth into the Indian economic hierarchy, people now have access to the best of motoring experiences. The somewhat fresher economic outlook has coaxed the government to replace the erstwhile underwhelming driving experience with faster and safer roads, and supporting infrastructure. What better way to do this than to allow private-public partnerships and to smoothen the process by removing red herrings. This is directly inline with the ambitious AMP (Automotive Mission Plan), an actuating vehicle which by 2016 will allow the automobile industry to contribute nearly 10% to India’s GDP and play on a mind numbing turnover of $165 billion. According to Dillip Chenoy, Director General, SIAM, “Earlier the government thought that the AMP was a bit conservative. However, as far as the target is concerned, it is well on track and I think the 10% (as part of the GDP) mark is achievable.” This not only means goodies for the Indian consumer but for the manufacturers as well, lined up with big ticket investments.

In the last two years, we have already seen many reports emphasising the fact that real estate and retail were the two primary sectors which attracted attention in the country, but recent announcements by various auto majors have put the sector into the lime light as well. With such a vast market and now a supportive Indian government, India is well on its way to become a hub for small car manufacturing. Auto guru, Murad Ali Baig explains the reasons for India being chosen as a preferred destination, “The huge potential of the small car market is the biggest factor in attracting these auto players into India and making it a hub for small cars.” Speaking along similar lines, Vaishali Jajoo, auto analyst, Angel Broking further states, “The growth in domestic sales is quite slow at this point of time but the growth of export is high. Therefore, making India an export hub for small cars makes sense for the auto players.” As domestic sales is forecasted, there is bound to be a win-win situation for the auto sector. Interestingly, even though cost of raw materials are on an upturn, it is still lower than compared to that in western countries, thereby guaranteeing better prospects for the future of Indian manufacturing.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Saturday, November 24, 2012

Henry, put that cheque back on the table...

...and teach all Fed officials to do just that. Your ‘proactive’ revival might just work for sometime, but it isn’t enough to clean-off the mortgage mess! Right, Henry?!

“Big Daddy” has done everything possible... from rate cuts & bailouts to granting a $168 billion stimulus package to contain the conflagration which is currently devouring the US housing and financial markets; how successful it’s been, is however questionable. First, the $30 billion Bear Stearns bail-out occurred. And then, the Northern Rock & IndyMac Bancorp disasters happened. Now, two mortgage giants – Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are facing a common problem showcased in a unique wrap – both suffer from liquidity crunch (like their troubled predecessors) but at the same time are entities too big to fail, and collaterally, too big to rescue for the US Fed! To deal with this fiasco, the Fed expressed its willingness to follow a three-pronged approach [increase credit volume to government-sponsored entities (GSEs), authorise Fed to buy stakes in troubled companies, and finally, give Fed more authority to keep track of GSEs] to ensure reduced number of disasters in the future.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Friday, November 23, 2012

When captive manufacturing counts; opportunities unbound!

J. Suresh, CEO, Arvind Brands & Retail shares his present stance and future plans. A B&E exclusive...

The $27 billion domestic prêt-a-porter market which is growing fiercely at 12% and is extrapolated to reach a sprawling $55 billion by 2015 (according to KSA Technopak Analysis) witnesses the entry of at least two new players every month. Does this tantamount to the end of duopoly of Arvind and Madhura? Such being the milieu, it’s no surprise that the leading apparel player Arvind Brands is trailing the two sure success mantras of the Indian haute couture industry – investing in front-end like retail and the second is to join the bandwagon of grabbing the exclusive marketing right for global brands. In a free willing conversation with B&E, J. Suresh, CEO, Arvind Brands & Retail shares his experience and reveals his future game plans.

B&E: The new millenium saw the entry of many global brands. Do you think franchisee ties with foreign brand still gives a competitive edge against Indian players who have started creating own brands?
JS: Indian consumers always have a liking for global brands and over the past three years, there has been a rise in disposable income and hence the aspiration for global apparel brand has also increased. Our forecast says such a trend will continue. We in Arvind Brands have always believed in offering as many as global brands possible and we will continue to do that...

B&E: But didn’t you create your own brand also, like Excalibur?
JS: We have created four brands like Excalibur, Flying Machine et al but they are for the masses. If you see the entire Indian consumer, it can be segregated into three board categories. Other than the ones in the bottom of the pyramid, which is 50% of the population and the middle income group, like 30-35%, the remaining is the higher income group. We wanted to make sure we are present in all segments, so we focussed on creating our own brands. 


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Thursday, November 22, 2012

Wrapped in plastic, it’s fantastic

Presenting the new male every Barbie doll will love!

Trimmer waistlines, wrinkle-free skin, more hair… that’s what men want these days. More and more men today are opting for cosmetic surgery to help them look younger and fitter. Like their female counterparts, they are recognizing the benefits (both personal and professional) of cosmetic surgery. Men are also increasingly choosing face, neck, and eye lifts, forehead and brow lifts; having lasers and peels to make their skin look younger; re-sculpting their noses; and undergoing tummy tucks to trim away excess amount of fat from the abdomen.

Cosmetic surgery was once primarily a female indulgence, but with the changing times, the looks of men have become increasingly important, and that has led to an increase in cosmetic surgery among men. And just in case you thought that this was an American fad, there are men in India heading to the surgeons in droves in order to enhance their appearance and be more appealing to the women.

There is a lot of glamour entering the lives of people. More men are becoming metrosexual and this is making them line up at the doors of cosmetic surgeons. The most common complaints by men are bulging eyelids, receding hairlines, wrinkles, frown lines and drooping necks, to name a few. Hair transplants top the list of the most common procedures, followed by liposuction, nose surgery, eyelid surgery, protein injections, dead cell removal and chemical peels.

The surgeries may cost depending on the type and the hospital where one intends to get it done. People don’t mind spending on their beauty upliftment surgeries.

Men and women both want an image that goes along with a healthy lifestyle but cosmetic surgery has become increasingly more attractive to men. Due to lesser invasive methods, there are no surgical marks to be covered with make-up and men can quickly return to work due to the short recovery span.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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