Wednesday, October 31, 2012

CHINA: GROWING MENACE

India must fight fire with fire

Many attribute Pakistan’s strong decree against the US to the strong backing of China along with some Middle Eastern countries. China refuses to recognise the deadly ULFA as a terrorist group and also rblocked Indian attempts to label JuD as a terrorist group in the UN thrice. An article published recently by the Chinese Think-tank, the China International Institute for Strategic Studies also vowed that China can divide India at any moment. It can give political support to its neighbors like Bangladesh. It can also fuel caste politics and regionalism inside the country by supporting separatist groups like ULFA, as per the report.

And the most recent issue has been China’s unwarranted initiative to offer separate visas for Kashmiris. India needs to stop playing down the dragon’s growing audacity. Instead, we need to give them a taste of their own medicine. We could start, for instance, by issuing separate visas to Tibetans & Uighurs when they visit India!


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

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Tuesday, October 30, 2012

The fear of losing count

The fear of losing count of all that one counts on, might just temper down thanks to a new research…

A recent Cardiff University research (largest ever study of Alzheimer’s) has uncovered two genes (CLU and PICLAM) associated with the disease, which is giving scientists hope for a much clearer course to develop new treatments. Professors, who are a part of the research, can not contain their excitement after learning about the protective effect of these genes on the brain and at being able to fathom Alzheimer’s disease in an entirely new way. Until now, only one gene (APOE) related to Alzheimer’s was known and that too, the one that stimulates the ailment.

Inheriting any of this gene’s four mutated forms is known to cause Alzheimer’s genetically. This gene releases harmful proteins that get deposited in the brain and these deposits are known as amyloid plaques. While CLU produces a protein that clears these plaques deposited in the brain, the PICLAM gene produces protein that aids nerve cells to form new memories…

This research paves way for a whole new set of inventions, from medicines to equipments. Scientists plan to track the changes in these genes to interpret disease development before it gets too late for those who run the risk of getting the disease. Now, patients will be able to hold on to their memories for longer... unlike the man I mentioned in the beginning, who wasn’t an engineer but a bureaucrat...


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Monday, October 29, 2012

THE STRATEGIC LESSONS FROM INFOSYS!

LIVE AND EXCLUSIVE:INFOSYS TOP BRASS TALK TO b&e ON LIFE AFTER DEATH AND ON THE ROAD AHEAD. deputy editor virat bahri GIVES THE INSIDER ON THE STRATEGIC LESSONS FROM INFOSYS!

Kris prefers believing there’re many empty glasses that could have been filled up by Infosys, and that it hasn’t succeeded in doing so. Kris comes from a world, where Infosys – under Murthy – was used to comfortably growing at rates close to, and sometimes beyond, 100%. Even Nilekani sailed around the 50% figure for long – iconic growth in any context. Compare that to the fact that Kris ended last year with 29.5% growth. “In good times, high repeat business is a very good strategy; in bad times, bad!” says Kris on a Monday afternoon to us, “So should I architect a new sales strategy? We need a lot more hunters (who get newer businesses) than farmers (who maintain current businesses).”

The first quarter of FY 2010 hasn’t been too kind and has only supported Kris’s contention. Infosys’ revenues actually fell 2.9% quarter on quarter, in rupee terms. For the same quarter, as per Angel Broking, “Infosys’ IT Services Business was largely flat in US dollar terms on a sequential basis, while on a yoy basis, a fall of 2.8% was witnessed.” Further, onsite volumes declined 2.1% qoq (0.6% decline yoy) and offshore volumes slipped by 0.6% qoq (but grew by 9% yoy). The report mentions that in offshore volumes, this was the second consecutive quarter of sequential fall; and in onsite volumes, it was the third consecutive quarter of sequential decline.

To say that Infosys has been caught unprepared for this is to put it completely wrongly. In fact, the top management at Infosys has been preparing double time for the economic slowdown since the 15/9/2008 debacle, when Lehman collapsed, and when Bear Sterns collapsed much earlier in March. “I predicted the collapse of Bear Sterns six months before it actually occurred,” says Chief Financial Officer, S. Balakrishnan (Bala, for friends). And once Lehman collapsed, the world – as Kris tells – changed for Infosys.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Saturday, October 27, 2012

INFLATION: FOODGRAINS

For the middle class families, rising food prices have proved to be killing and the steps by government are a big joke, say Vikas Kumar and Niharika Patra

Those are not just the normal day to day food items that are wreaking havoc on middle-class family budgets. Thanks to the largesse doled out by the Sixth Pay Commission, the amount of money they have to pay as school fees for their children has virtually doubled – often with retrospective effect. And unlike their luckier ‘government employee’ counterparts, an overwhelming majority of those working in the private sector have not seen a pay hike for more than a year. Says Rajarshi, “I have two sons and their school fees have now doubled. I don’t know how will I pay all this.” Rajarshi and her husband really don’t know how to tackle this situation. So, middle-class Indians like Sadhna and Rajarshi who used to save about Rs.5,000 per month have now seen their savings dwindle to literally nothing.

There is more bad news for them in store with the monsoon being far from normal. Says JP Malik, Department of Economic Analysis and Policy at RBI, “It is simple economics. The problem is because of the supply-demand gap which has happened because of the trouble in monsoons. Pulses and cereals have suffered more because they are more dependent on monsoon water”. But poor monsoons alone cannot be blamed for the incredible rise in prices. There is something rotten in the supply chain related to food products in the country. The farmer in the village still gets less than Rs.10 for every kg of cauliflower that he can harvest and sell. By the time you buy it from the market, it costs at least Rs.80 per kg. This is a clear sign that the trader and the middleman are making hay while the farmer as well as the consumer suffer. Add to that the complete absence of modern cold storages in rural areas despite many pious announcements from myriad policy makers.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Friday, October 26, 2012

NARESH GUPTA, MD, ADOBE india

I realised... if I pay them the ransom, my son would be back...

B&E: What was your first reaction when you discovered that your son Anant was kidnapped?

Naresh Gupta (NG): Obviously, it wasn’t a very happy moment for me or my family. Infact when the incident happened, I was in Hong Kong for business purpose. I immediately flew back and after some discussions with some of my close associates, we decided to hire an expert from Philippines. That was my first reaction and the first step I took. I didn’t want to compromise on anything and we decided that taking expert opinion and consulting was the best way to get out of the situation and get my son back, safe.

B&E: How were the state of affairs at home? You being the head of the family, did you get into that assurance mode that all would be set right?

NG: Of course not! I was as worried as they were, and I simply told them to handle their own tears. I had to be practical and had to keep my mind off all the grief and think clearly. I had to spend more quality time thinking about what can happen rather than waste time in grief, thinking about what happened!

B&E: So how did the family come to know about Anant’s kidnapping? 

NG: The family received a phone call stating the obvious. Then the police was immediately involved and I openly decided to involve the media as well. We were very open about it and hoped that telling the world would make it easier for us to nab the kidnappers. There were people telling me how two men on a motorcycle had picked up my son from where he would catch his school bus everyday. He was just in the pre-nursery standard then, and it would have been a rather easy task to kidnap a kid, who was totally unguarded, totally unarmed or forewarned.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Thursday, October 25, 2012

India’s incredible future potential

In an exclusive interview to B&E’s pathikrit payne, Sir Richard Stagg, British High Commissioner to India speaks about India’s incredible future potential and the positive impact of its outsourcing business...

B&E: Many Indian companies are trying to takeover companies in Europe especially in UK. So what is the mood over there about that?

RS: We are very positive about it and we in fact, encourage companies to come and takeover companies in UK. Even in 2008, ONGC bought a very big UK based oil & gas company, HCL bought a very big UK software company and we are very keen to help them do that as we think these Indian corporate owners are good owners. They are going to help in developing the business. They are good investors in terms of bringing money into our economy and helping to create jobs. So, we have lot of dealings with these investors both before they decide to come to UK, and later when we offer them after carriage support package and try to ensure that they flourish in UK environment. And most of them do. As you must have read in the newspapers that the CORUS and JLR brands are going through difficult period because of the cycle and the sectors they are in. But there are many others in other sectors in UK who are doing very well and have a very happy experience of investment. So we think that it’s a good thing for UK economy and also a good thing for these Indian business houses.

B&E: Is UK lagging behind US and Russia when it comes to high profile defence deals with India?

RS: There is quite a lot going on in this field. The Hawk Advanced Jet Trainers have arrived and we are very much involved with the proposal to provide Indian Air Force with VIP helicopters. We are also interested in selling new artillery, which is something involving a JV with Mahindra & Mahindra. We are keen to sell the Eurofighter Typhoons to your Air Force. In terms of aircraft carriers, I think the experience that India has had with the Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Ghorskhov, may make some of those involved, in the longer run look elsewhere for future supplies. So we think we are good partners because we sell equipments in general, which the Indian Army is familiar with and I think we have good understanding of what India requires.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Tuesday, October 23, 2012

INTERVIEW: IRANIAN AMBASSADOR TO INDIA

Iran has come through a lot and is now looking at the future with dreamy eyes. And now its relations with India matter
 
That’s why for more than 20 years, we have challenged each other. But at present, we want change. We want peace. For that they have got to trust us and we both have to respect each other. In public they say, they want close relations with Iran and will change their policy, but at the same time they impose economic sanctions against us. Iran has always tried its best to maintain good relations and spread peace and prosperity in the region, in other countries like Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan and Tajikistan.

B&E: Despite organisations like the Arab League or Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), Islamic countries continue to be a divided lot. What role can Iran play in uniting them.

SM: Iran is already a member of a number of international organisations like OIC, Shanghai Cooperation Organization and SAARC. But one must understand that it is not only the Islamic countries which need to be united.

Infact, the whole of the Asian continent needs to be together and work together. This century belongs to Asia-not only because of the enrichment of their natural resources but also because of a vast pool of young and talented population. Many of the European countries, with negative growth of population are inviting our people to their countries. So in short, we have to share and support each other to make a broad Asian institution which will benefit both.

B&E: Israel and the US say that Iran interferes in Lebanon’s internal politics through Syria. How do you defend yourself?

SM: See, Lebanon has its own government. Some part of the land is occupied by Israel and the people of Lebanon are trying to get it back. Getting their rights back is the truth. If you go through history you will understand that Israelis came from outside and that they have no right to occupy the land. Now the Lebanese need justice and giving back the land to them is the truth.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Monday, October 22, 2012

US: EMISSION REGULATIONS

Obama’s new emission standards will only add to the woes of the already dying US auto industry

However, complying with current regulations will prove to be the Achilles’ heel for some of the beleaguered auto firms. Competitive foreign brands – particularly from Japan – already possess the technology and vehicles to match the new standards and as they are still on a stronger plank financially, this won’t be a cause of concern for them.

On the other hand, except for Ford, which possesses the EcoBoost Powertrain, other US automakers don’t have the latest technological capabilities to overhaul their production costs. Hence upfront investments would be high, which are estimated to be to the tune of $21.8 billion and funding options are near zero.

So we all agree that the Obama administration ‘can’ frame policies and enforce laws that are noble and game changing. But the complications with the Green law lie in its implementation. But can the auto makers? Obama may know soon enough, as it is, the US government may take ultimate control of GM in June!


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Saturday, October 20, 2012

Anticipating Nazism

Revengeful allies laid the base for WW II

The Treaty of Versailles, signed in 1919, was the agreement which officially ended First World War and in many ways it was mistake that sow the seeds of Second World War. The contents in the agreement were so lopsided against Germany that it created wave of resentment in Germans. Victorious nations forced Germany, the loser, to pay $33billion to allied powers. It had to give its provinces of Alsace and Lorraine to France. Great Britain had pie on many colonies of Africans to Great Britain. If this was not enough, the Rhineland Province of Germany was completely demilitarised. This led to a disgrace of a nation and its people. Germany protested that the treaty was unfair and unjustified, but it was forced to sign on it.

It was a great blunder on the part of allied powers in the sense that their acts did not punish the rulers, but inflicted misery on the innocent people of Germany. It seemed that allied powers were merely interested in increasing the territory and military might and were not interested in principal aspects of treaty. When Hitler stood against the unfair treaty; people rallied around him. In direct contravention of this treaty, Hitler sent the German army into the Rhineland in 1936. In many ways, Hitler, in order to test the patience of great powers particularly Great Britain and France that humiliated Germany after First World War sowed the seeds of revenge.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Friday, October 19, 2012

INDIAN AVIATION: BOOM TO DOOM

Aviators in India, in their race to get ahead, fell way behind

Common sense tells us that an annual traffic base of 7.7 million is never enough for launching LCCs, whether it’s Europe, US, India or the Cook Islands! But Gopinath expanded his fleet and offered cheap tickets (even for Rs.3, Rs.2, Re.1 – indeed, ‘cheap’!). Never did it make money (in fact, experts estimate that on an average, it lost Rs.50 crore everyday), and is today extinct! He wanted to capture market share and play the long-term game, but he forgot the science behind ‘breaking-even.’ Binit Somaia, Regional Director, CAPA comments, “Firstly, it was tough for management to keep control of operations given the pace of expansion, this resulted in service deterioration and poor punctuality with a negative impact on the brand. And secondly, capacity grew so far ahead of demand that the options were to either fly with half empty planes or to discount heavily, both are commercially unsustainable.”

In fact, a host of other names spent a mammoth Rs.1 trillion in buying aircrafts during 2006 alone, out of which, Rs.408 billion was accounted for by the LCCs! The count of domestic passengers travelling by air increased to 37.4 million by 2008-end, but the sector ended up making a terrible Rs.700 million in losses for the year! Many names committed many such blunders – Jet bought the zero-asset Air Sahara for about Rs.1600 crore and Kingfisher acquired Deccan (we call it Kingfisher Red today). CAPA experts opine, “Jet’s defensive strategy to prevent Sahara being acquired by another competitor has not paid off. The integration has proven to be extremely expensive.” The sector had suddenly become a hunting ground for prodigal acts of entrepreneurships, acts that make the case for our list quite easily!


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Thursday, October 18, 2012

Three hours from Manhattan...

...is a town dreaded by some, understood by few, and remains unknown to most...

Quietly nestled in the woods, Islamberg is situated at the foot of the Catskill Mountains. It’s a mysterious 70-acre compound, hidden in an isolated area off a primitive dirt road. In this secluded area more than 100 Muslims live in isolation. Founded in the 1980s by a radical Sufi cleric Sheikh Syed Mubarik Ali Shah Gilani, Islamberg was established primarily for black Muslims who left New York City in order to escape from the clutches of crime, poverty and racism. According to the beliefs and teachings of Islamberg’s founder, the Muslims came here with an aim to lead a simple and holy life. “Islam propounds simple life and purity of thought,” says Wasi Ahmed Nomani, Advocate, Supreme Court and Secretary of India Islamic Centre. To support the cause, the 40 Muslim families, which came here initially, developed a small grocery store and provided for other basic amenities. They have been aware of their dynamic surroundings and very well know about the latest technological developments, but they also know where to draw a line between good and bad and what to adopt and what not to. “Several such Islam-dominated villages also exist in remote locations of China. Islamic teachings and their cultural bonding is so strong that the Muslims are well connected to their roots,” says Wasi Ahmed Nomani. And this is why Muslims have such a wonderful close-knit community.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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A cut above the rest of it!

A latest research claims that circumcision has more benefits than earlier thought. Not only does it lower risk of HIV infection but also cuts risk of herpes and human papillomavirus!

Sex rarely gets a mention without stirring up a controversy, perhaps because no other subject captures the imagination of so many – across cultures and across geographies. But what has possibly caused the greatest noise around the world, apart from the issue (rather the non-issue) of virginity, is the alarming incidence of HIV and AIDS, a killer disease that inflicts millions and kills thousands across the globe each year. While sex itself has been the subject of much deliberation, thanks to the numerous beliefs (cultural and religious), associated with it, there is another controversial area which has the world divided about its pros and cons, with many who swear by it, and those who oppose it and dismiss it, and that is – circumcision. Circumcision for long has been touted as a potential prevention tool against the spread of HIV as well as other Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs); but a new study claims that circumcision might, in fact, diminish the chances of contacting two more common incurable STDs. The study (two randomised controlled trials), in which 5,534 men were involved in Uganda, claims that those who were circumcised as adults were 25 per cent less likely to get the herpes infection and as much as 30 per cent less likely to catch human papillomavirus (HPV) than their uncircumcised peers. It should be noted that researches conducted earlier have concluded that circumcision can reduce by as much as 60 per cent a man’s chances of catching an HIV infection.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Filmmakers chase the ‘Long Tail’

Reaching out to the perfect audience in newer ways…

Typically, the months leading up to summer are quite dry at the box office when it comes to new films. Studios and producers are busy devising strategies for the big budget summer releases and rarely, if ever, look at the mass audience during this time. Of course, independent movie makers, a kind underrepresented in India but quite a force out west, look to make the most of the opportunity. So, last week you had movies like Nandita Das’ Firaaq, Raja Menon’s Barah Aana or Little Zizou, Sooni Taraporewala’s little Parsi flavoured oddball before that. Director Samir Karnik, who had made Heroes, is confident about the movie theatre’s future, “People still love going to the cinemas and like watching movies on the big screen.” But in the same breath he says, “It’s not easy for everyone to afford a movie in the theatres, that’s the reason they find the easier way and watch movies on the net or otherwise.” That begs the question: Are there ways other than the silver screen to reach out to the targeted audience?

Of course, there are the usual rounds of the festivals and even direct to DVD releases but in this age of media driven by people power (think YouTube, Facebook etc.,) shouldn’t filmmakers, producers, studios and distributors be also thinking of ‘alternative’ channels of reaching out? Even if in limited numbers, they actually are. Director Wayne Wang (Maid In Manhattan) premiered his film The Princess of Nebraska in 2008 in the ‘You Tube Screening Room’ whereas Steven Sorderbergh plans a simultaneous video-on-demand release for Che


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Tuesday, October 16, 2012

That tall claim left, right and centre

The UPA government would like all of us to actually believe it did much for rural India, but Rajan Prakash disputes that tall claim left, right and centre

Sharma’s point is supported by the statistics of NSSO. It states that the average monthly income of an average farmer family is Rs.2,115. The average family comprises five members and two cattle. The UPA government lent a deaf ear to the pains and ordeals of farmers in Vidarbha and Bundelkhand for four years, but when the media made a hue and cry about the issue, the government reluctantly started paying attention. Hastily, a tour by the Prime Minister was arranged. People thought that happy days were in the offing. However, they soon had a reality check. The government announced a package of piffling Rs.37.5 billion that only included waiver of loan in six districts and restructuring of loans in the rest. In reality, government only waived the interest on the loan and not the principle. The government then patted its own back by claiming that farmers can take fresh loans easily now without the liability to pay the last one. In short, the government did not attack the cause. It just waived off the medicine fee.

The interest on the loan amount in the six districts is to the tune of Rs.7.12 billion. It is important that people get their loan amount on time. That is precisely why the RBI has directed the subsidiary banks to earmark 40% of the loan amount for the primary sector, of which 18% has to be left exclusively for agriculture. But statistics tell a different story. In the last five years, banks have only disbursed 11-12% in loans to this sector. Instead of pulling them up for not meeting the target, the government has shamefully ensured that the interests of the banks are served. Whether the farmer wins or loses, the bank always wins. Farmers have to return the loan within the agriculture year. However, in the case of calamity or loss of crop, it becomes practically impossible for the farmers to pay the loan back. They do have the provision to take crop-insurance. However, because of limited awareness about the program and red-tapism, most of the needy farmers fail to do so. And so the interest keeps on increasing. The same happened in Vidarbha.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Monday, October 15, 2012

Can Obama ‘barrack’ racism?

Believe it or not, the world will witness the resurgence of a new era of racism than the end of it...

Obama’s win in the US Presidential election and his swearing in as the first African-American President was predicted to be a case study on the beginning of a new era But perhaps history doesn’t want it to happen that way. And thus even before the euphoria over his historic swearing in has settled down, the dark side of the American racism has started raising its dirty head. And for some it was not absolutely unexpected either. And the more unfortunate thing is that even Obama’s charisma and his incredible campaign for nearly one and a half years could not bridge much of the deep divide that run deep between the Whites and the Blacks of the US.

President elect Barack Obama himself was skeptical about it. His confession at a civil rights group’s convention stating – ‘our work is not over, mere electing me President doesn’t mean our work is over, we got more work to do’ to the NAACP bears testimony to it. In fact, the ugly aspect of racism was blatantly evident in the presidential election result itself. The voting pattern between two presidential candidates- John McCain and Barack Obama was biased and discriminatory. A closer scrutiny at the voting pattern reveals that McCain won greater support in white dominated counties of states like Arkansas, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Northern Texas. For example, about 80% of the voters in Arkansas are Whites and 70% of them unanimously voted for McCain. The same was witnessed in case of Obama who equally gained greater support from Blacks and minority groups. Research reveals that 67% of Latinos and 62% of Asian voters voted in favour of Obama. It wasn’t a surprise that 88-95% of Black voters who comprise 13% of total the US population unhesitatingly supported him. Well, even the most die hard optimist who would love to find a silver lining in it would accept rather grudgingly that if this does not exemplify racism then nothing else perhaps does. However, moving further, what was a little more horrifying than this was the fissures among the Democrat leaders. Reports state that when Obama was to take oath, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was busy convincing Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and other Democract leaders to replace Obama’s vacancy at the Senate by any of the two White women (Veteran Affairs Chief Tammy Duckworth or Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan) and rejecting the three potential Black candidates namely Jesse Jackson, Jr. Danny Davis and Emil Jones.


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Saturday, October 13, 2012

Now pay for what you “don’t” eat

Indian politicians make us proud again; we pay for unused moneys

The Hayashi Ya Japanese restaurant on the upper west side of Manhattan (857 9th Ave; no, we haven’t been there) is quite amusing in that it charges patrons for any food they leave on the plate. They have no idea how close to aping them are the World Bank and ADB. While a majority of India Inc. is facing problems of a huge credit crunch, India is also shockingly having to pay ‘obligation charges’ to the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank for unused sanctioned foreign assistance – India is sitting idle on nothing less than $15.6 bilion (Rs 78,000 crores).

Despite the Comptroller and Auditor General’s various frailties, thanks to the agency that media and even our so-called policy makers have come to know about this ignored amount. The government has had to pay Rs.124.54 crores to the World Bank and the ADB as commitment charges.


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Friday, October 12, 2012

Link-ups and break-ups…

Link-ups and break-ups… it’s all happening on the Internet.

One could praise this tech-creation for forging new relationships, but the same can also be the culprit of broken relationships. A space where youngsters log on to find that special ‘someone’, also has those who enter the cyber world to get away from his/her someone. The hit Facebook fad has seemed to catch on to all, young and old. If you’ve watched the movie, Mitr, you’ll know that there are circumstances in life which can make one resort to an alternate source of companionship, to which agrees Deepti, who has been married for seven years. “I have an account on Orkut and Facebook and there are times when I’ve added strangers from a common interest community to chat at times. Though I haven’t been attracted to anyone, it still, is addictive,” she giggles and adds that she wouldn’t find it surprising if someone gets intimate and perhaps even “romantically involved” through such sites. Priyanka, not a very net savvy woman, shares, “My husband is very fond of on-line chatting and keeps in touch with friends through Facebook. Sometimes, when he surfs for long hours, it makes me slightly insecure and although I shouldn’t, my mind still forces me to peep into his laptop and check on him!

Social networking sites, being a rather recent trend in India, haven’t been the reason for as many break-ups and link-ups as compared to the West. Pranav Akhauri, a student in New York says, “Facebook is almost like a ‘life-update wall’ for most people here. Many hearts meet and many hearts break on Facebook, and the world gets to know about it.” When asked about his opinion on this, he sums it all up saying, “Years ago, connections were made and broken through letters, then came the telephone, and then the SMS. It has all been developed to facilitate communication… Today it is the Internet and tomorrow there will be something else… and life will go on!”


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