Movie Review: The Reluctant Fundamentalist

The Pakistani Dream

Based on a novel of the same name by Mohsin Hamid, The Reluctant Fundamentalist is everything and perhaps more than what you would expect from a Mira Nair film.

The political thriller begins with the kidnap of an American professor in Lahore, and after that there is no looking back. The entire film is set over a conversation between Changez (Riz Ahmed) and American journalist Bobby (Liev Schreiber).  The story unfolds through a series of flashbacks that are non-linear (and sometimes predictable) in which we see Changez’s journey from living the great American Dream to his return to Lahore after 09/11 attacks and his search for the Pakistani Dream.

The film is quite different from the novel when it comes to the story, and at times you feel it drags on. But where it scores high is the use of soundtrack. It began with a Qawaali sung by brothers Fareed Ayaz and Abu Mohammed which set the mood of the film. Apart from this, the presence of Om Puri and Shabana Azmi, however short their roles were, also helped in giving the film its distinct flavour.

Riz Ahmed has done a good job. I wouldn’t say brilliant as he lacks emotions at times when it is needed the most, but it was decent. Kate Hudson plays his love interest and could have well been forgotten if not for the lovemaking scenes. Liev Schreiber has a few comment s here and there, but other than that he is just the listener. In other words, what holds the film together is Mira Nair’s storytelling style rather than the performances. As in her other films, the settings blend in perfectly with the theme – from Wall Street to the typical teahouse at Lahore.

To conclude, the plot is superb, the direction is good, and the acting is good enough.

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

and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles

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

ExecutiveMBA

Divided we fall

Instead of taking on Sheila Dixit, Delhi BJP leaders are busy settling scores. Anil Pandey reports. 

With Delhi assembly poll bound in November this year, the state BJP's tall claims about pulling down the 15-year-old Congress regime may be just that - claims.

Early indications suggest that there is no strategy – let alone a clear cut one – to take on the might of well entrenched Sheila Dixit and the Congress party in Delhi. With polls about six months away, the Delhi BJP presents a dismal picture of infighting. No district or block-level committees have yet been formed and the question of booth-level workers is plainly out of sight.

Even though the new president of the Delhi BJP, Vijay Kumar Goel, has announced his new organising committee after three-month-long messy deliberations, the new panel has left out well known party names in Delhi; instead what is in place are a host of unknown politicians, which leaders say, is is designed to demoralise party workers and ultimately take heavy toll on their election prospects.

“When the most basic committees are not in place, where is the question of the list of party candidates for the assembly elections? There is a lot of anger against corruption and inflation, as well as water and the power supply situation in Delhi. The mood is anti-Congress but the point is who will exploit it,” questions a BJP leader.

There is a reason why the Delhi BJP is unable to act: it is in the grip of vicious infighting and Goel who was nominated as the state chief on February 15, has not been to put an end to it. In fact, factional fights, if anything, have multiplied since his elevation.


In such a situation, Goel's own attitude has not helped. On May 14, he called a media meeting at the Constitution Club. Among the invitees were Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj but those left out included the cream of Delhi BJP; Harshvardhan, veteran VK Malhotra, Vijay Jolly, Jagdish Mukhi and a host of other leaders.

Says one senior leader, “It is a bit surprising that in an election season, members of the party national executive are invited but not the state executive. It is tantamount to insulting senior leaders.” Such acts have earned Goel the epithet of SPS – a self projection schemer.

On the face of it though, party leaders say that given the mood against the Congress both at the centre and the state and the number of scams that are tumbling out by the day, Delhi will certainly see a BJP government this time. “Given Sheila Dixit's performance, we are returning,” exults BJP leader Vijay Jolly.

Such sentiments within the party have triggered off the race for the chief minister's chair; instead of helping matters, it has heightened the divide inside BJP. Says analyst Suvrokamal Dutt on Goel's organising committee: “It is good to introduce new faces within the party but in an election year to leave out trustworthy leaders who are well known, can be politically damaging. Vijay Goel has kept out all those agitating against the Sheila Dixit government.”

Among those ignored include Pravesh Verma, son of influential Jat leader, late Sahib Singh Verma, former party president Harshvardhan, ex-Delhi finance minister Jagdish Mukhi, veteran Mewaram Arya, popular leader Kirti Azad (even though he is an MP from Darbhanga in Bihar) and his wife Poonam Azad. It remains a formidable list of those who have neither been given any party work nor assigned any role in the elections.

In Delhi, Bihari and eastern UP votes plus Jat votes account for the maximum number of seats; of Delhi's 400 villages, 300 are dominated by Jats. Here Pravesh Varma would have played an important role but his claims have been overlooked. In east Delhi, youth leader Kuldip Singh Chahel, said to have influence among the young voters, has been marginalized. Similarly, 40 lakh voters from Bihar and eastern UP – known as purabias or easterners – could influence decisions in close to three dozen assembly seats in Delhi but they do not have a single representative in Vijay Goel's coordination committee.

In contrast, Sheila Dixit has gone out of her way to woo the purabia voter who in the last assembly elections was instrumental in getting the Delhi chief minister her third term. Dixit's team – in addition to herself – has many known faces. SK Walia is a force to reckon with in east Delhi while Arvinder Singh Lovely, despite the Congress loss in the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Committee this year, has his vote bank among Delhi's Sikh voters intact. Central minister Krishna Tirath and Delhi's Raj Kumar Chauhan are solid Dalit leaders in their own right.

It is not as if there is no factionalism in the Congress: there are stalwarts like Sajjan Kumar, Jagdish Tytler, Ajay Maken and former DPCC chief Jayprakash Agrawal, all of whom are at odds with the chief minister. But Congress displaying more maturity, has refused to buckle down under one or the other faction, keeping everyones' interest in mind.

Rahul Gandhi during the course of his meetings has stressed on Congress workers ending their petty fights and putting up a joint front in the elections – those not doing so have been threatened with action by the party high command and it has worked. Says Subrokamal Dutt: “this is what Rajnath Singh should have done. After all, if BJP were to win back Delhi, it will be a great shot in the arm for the NDA in General Elections 2014.”

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

and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles

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

ExecutiveMBA

Robert Pirosh to Hollywood

When copywriter Robert Pirosh landed in Hollywood in 1934, eager to become a screenwriter, he wrote and sent the following letter to all the directors, producers, and studio executives he could think of. The approach worked, and after securing three interviews he took a job as a junior writer with MGM. Pirosh went on to write for the Marx Brothers, and in 1949 won an Academy Award for his Battleground script.


Madison Avenue, November, 1934

Dear Sir:

I like words. I like fat buttery words, such as ooze, turpitude, glutinous, toady.

I like solemn, angular, creaky words, such as straitlaced, cantankerous, pecunious, valedictory.

I like spurious, black-is-white words, such as mortician, liquidate, tonsorial, demi-monde.

I like suave "V" words, such as Svengali, svelte, bravura, verve.

I like crunchy, brittle, crackly words, such as splinter, grapple, jostle, crusty.

I like sullen, crabbed, scowling words, such as skulk, glower, scabby, churl.

I like Oh-Heavens, my-gracious, land's-sake words, such as tricksy, tucker, genteel, horrid.

I like elegant, flowery words, such as estivate, peregrinate, elysium, halcyon.

I like wormy, squirmy, mealy words, such as crawl, blubber, squeal, drip.

I like sniggly, chuckling words, such as cowlick, gurgle, bubble and burp.

I like the word screenwriter better than copywriter, so I decided to quit my job in a New York advertising agency and try my luck in Hollywood, but before taking the plunge I went to Europe for a year of study, contemplation and horsing around.

I have just returned and I still like words.

May I have a few with you?

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

and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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Movie Review: Aatma

Fear isn't the key

Stylistically speaking, writer-director Suparn Verma’s paranormal thriller Aatma is anything but conventional. But in terms of substance, it is in the firm grip of the ghoul of the horror genre’s intrinsic limitations.

A dead dad, who was once an abusive husband, returns from the world yonder to lay claims to his angelic six-year-old daughter, and the harried mother fights tooth and nail to protect the girl from harm. That, in a nutshell, is what Aatma is about.

Trouble is that the film isn’t half as scary as it is meant to be. With the screenplay placing all the key cards on the table upfront, the possibility of genuine shocks and surprises are taken out of the equation.

The disgruntled aatma of the title – played by a suitably nonchalant Nawazuddin Siddiqui – turns into a ruthless serial killer, bumping off anybody who threatens to come between him and his daughter.

Aatma looks and feels very different from a run-of-the-mill Bollywood horror flick, thanks to the atypical camerawork and lighting by DoP Sophie Winqvist. If only it had a storyline that match the innate visual energy of the film.

The director resorts to familiar tropes to generate fear. The dialogue, too, tend to get stilted as an effort is made to explicate the strange occurrences around the household.

Inexplicable reflections in the mirror, a rocking chair that sways under an invisible weight, telephones that begin to ring without a warning, a rubber ball that bounces of its own accord and suchlike may suggest the presence of the unknown but do not serve the purpose of sending shivers down the spine.

Apart from the high-quality cinematography, the acting all around is the highlight of the film. Bipasha Basu, Bollywood’s jaded queen of horror movies, makes the most of the limited opportunities that the script offers.

Nawazuddin, too, has little to do except smirk eerily from the shadows. It is a cakewalk for him. Debutante Doyel Dhawan is a promising child star.

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

and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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War And Doom!

The economic bane of dual wars on the US and its allies

An influential section of the commentariat believes that the current economic slump in Europe and the US owes its genesis to, at least partially, to the effect of the twin wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. They have sucked up precious resources that could have been otherwise used for bolstering and beefing up the strengths of these embattled economies. According to Brown University’s Watson Institute, a mindboggling $4-6 trillion was spent by the US government on the two wars! The figure is 60 per cent of the entire size of the national budget for the period between 2001 and 2012. One only needs to join the dots to figure out why the country’s spending limits on education, health, infrastructure and R&D, among others, was severely crimped during this period.

The war funding, following the policy of the George Bush administration, was mostly supported through external debt. That has now ballooned to $16.7 trillion (as of March 2013), triggering concerns of a sovereign debt default by America. There are already flying insinuations across the US that the nation could be headed straight for a debt crisis, like so many of its counterparts in Europe. In fact, Europe is in even deeper hock. In terms of external debt, Britain is second-in-line to the US, with $9.8 trillion (as of June 2011). As of June 2010, the British exchequer had been drained to the sum of 20 billion pounds on account of the dual conflicts. In a clear demonstration of the war obsession, as against the obsession for furthering the public good, a paltry 557 million pounds have been earmarked for the nation’s development this year.

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

and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles

2012 : DNA National B-School Survey 2012
Ranked 1st in International Exposure (ahead of all the IIMs)
Ranked 6th Overall
Zee Business Best B-School Survey 2012
Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri’s Session at IMA Indore
IIPM IN FINANCIAL TIMES, UK. FEATURE OF THE WEEK
IIPM strong hold on Placement : 10000 Students Placed in last 5 year

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Movie Review: Special 26

Gameplay, conmen style!

Clever. Very clever. Director Neeraj Pandey, in only his second prominent Bollywood undertaking, takes the audience for a nice little ride with this intricately executed low-budget heist-drama. While Special 26 may drastically differ from his first, A Wednesday!, in theme, look and morality, it employs the same formula of masterful storytelling.

Set in the 80s, Special 26 is based on real events from the same period.

Ajay Singh (Akshay Kumar) and PK Sharma (Anupam Kher), along with their accomplices and the assistance of Sub-Inspector Ranveer Singh (Jimmy Shergill), conduct a CBI raid at a minister’s house. They insult, slap and threaten the minister while they confiscate his cash and belongings.

Only, they are conmen and SI Ranveer among those conned! In steps (genuine) CBI officer Wasim Khan (Manoj Bajpayee). What happens next? I guess there is only one way to find out…

The seasoned actors are all memorable. The heroine (Kajal Aggarwal), although marginalised, delivers when called upon. Add humour, emotion and enthralling background scores and the ride is well worth it.

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

and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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The new nuclear age

The emergence of a multipolar nuclear power system is disturbing. New rules for diplomacy and arms control are needed to control this threat

North Korea’s launch of a long-range missile in mid-December was followed by a flurry of global condemnation that was almost comical in its predictability and impotence. But the launch underscored a larger reality that can no longer be ignored: the world has entered a second nuclear age. The atomic bomb has returned for a second act, a post-Cold War encore. This larger pattern needs to be understood if it is to be managed.

The contours of the second nuclear age are still taking shape. But the next few years will be especially perilous, because newness itself creates dangers as rules and red lines are redefined. This took at least 10 years in the first nuclear age, and this time may be no different.

In the Middle East, South Asia, and East Asia, old rivalries now unfold in a nuclear context. This has already changed military postures across the Middle East. Part of the Israeli nuclear arsenal is being shifted to sea, with atomic warheads on diesel submarines, to prevent their being targeted in a surprise attack. Israel is also launching a new generation of satellites to provide early warning of other countries’ preparations for missile strikes. If Iran’s mobile missiles disperse, Israel wants to know about it immediately.

Thus, the old problem of Arab-Israeli peace is now seen in the new context of an Iranian nuclear threat. The two problems are linked. How would Israel respond to rocket attacks from Gaza, Lebanon, or Egypt if it simultaneously faced the threat of nuclear attack by Iran? What would the United States and Israel do if Iran carried its threat to the point of evacuating its cities, or placing missiles in its own cities to ensure that any attack on them would cause massive collateral damage?

Pakistan has doubled the size of its nuclear arsenal in the last five years. Its armed forces are set to field new tactical nuclear weapons – short-range battlefield weapons. India has deployed a nuclear triad – bombers, missiles, and submarines – and in 2012 tested an intercontinental ballistic missile, giving it the ability to hit Beijing and Shanghai. India almost certainly has a multiple warhead (known as a MIRV), in development, and has also launched satellites to aid its targeting of Pakistan’s forces. In East Asia, North Korea has gone nuclear and is set to add a whole new class of uranium bombs to its arsenal. It has rehearsed quick missile salvos, showing that it could launch attacks on South Korea and Japan before any counter-strike could be landed.

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

and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

 

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles

 

2012 : DNA National B-School Survey 2012
Ranked 1st in International Exposure (ahead of all the IIMs)
Ranked 6th Overall
Zee Business Best B-School Survey 2012
Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri’s Session at IMA Indore
IIPM IN FINANCIAL TIMES, UK. FEATURE OF THE WEEK
IIPM strong hold on Placement : 10000 Students Placed in last 5 year

BBA Management Education

The saffron leadership finds itself busy dousing in-house fires

At a time when it should ideally have been gunning for the UPA government’s head for its failures, the saffron leadership finds itself busy dousing in-house fires. With just over a year left for the big elections, the BJP leadership looks surprisingly bent on giving the Congress another term on a platter.

Voices of dissent from senior party leaders like Yashwant Sinha, Ram Jethmalani and Shatrughan Sinha have added to BJP’s woes. At the forefront of the campaign to oust Gadkari from the president’s post, Jethmalani today stands suspended from the BJP for indiscipline. When Jethmalani, a former senior Supreme Court lawyer, entered the Rajya Sabha in June 2010 as a BJP candidate, it was said that he was being rewarded for taking up the case relating to former Gujarat home minister Amit Shah’s bail. Contrary to the party’s claims of morality, the party’s decision to show Jethmalani the door shows its reluctance in taking a moral stand. “The BJP is clearly not as strong a party as it was, say, 10-15 years ago. This is what has probably kept the BJP leadership from taking any decisive stand on the allegations against the party president and also take a clear position on corruption,” says political observer Suvrokamal Dutta. He believes that if Gadkari had decided to step down on moral grounds, it would have led to a huge gain of credibility among the masses for the BJP. However, in the absence of any such move, BJP is in no position to level any corruption charges at the Congress. Insiders tell B&E that action against the party president has been deferred in view of the elections in Gujarat and that once the results are announced early next month, there is a possibility that Gadkari could face the music. However, other than the central leadership that is reeling under charges of impropriety, there are several BJP-led states that have also been accused of corruption charges. Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh are the biggest examples where the BJP leadership has failed to act or take a clear stand on corruption. And the weaknesses of the opposition party have definitely emboldened the Congress. “The BJP is the only political party in the country with two sitting national presidents accused of corruption. But in this too, the BJP’s double standards were exposed. Bangaru Laxman, who was from the tribal community, was immediately removed and side-lined. But the same party, along with the RSS, stood like an impenetrable shield when Nitin Gadkari’s corruption was uncovered,” says Madhya Pradesh Congress leader Ajay Singh, adding that the BJP’s double standards on dealing with its corrupt politicians are in the open for all to see.

Despite all its promises, the BJP has also been unable to reach the masses to campaign against corruption under the Congress leadership. Since it was caught napping on occasions such as the CWG scam, Coalgate and several others, BJP has wasted some wonderful opportunities to gain political mileage. And with the current state of affairs, it looks destined to waste quite a few more in the coming months. Consequently, a party that looked headed for victory as the other logical alternative to lead India a few months ago may be really headed towards returning the privilege to UPA yet again.

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

and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

 

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles

 

2012 : DNA National B-School Survey 2012
Ranked 1st in International Exposure (ahead of all the IIMs)
Ranked 6th Overall
Zee Business Best B-School Survey 2012
Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri’s Session at IMA Indore
IIPM IN FINANCIAL TIMES, UK. FEATURE OF THE WEEK
IIPM strong hold on Placement : 10000 Students Placed in last 5 year

BBA Management Education

India’s National Solar Mission is helping create conditions for the rapid scale-up of solar capacity and technological innovation. But although it appears to be going great guns in some states like Rajasthan and Gujarat, it will need greater push and deployment across the country in order to meet its overall objective.

In fact Rajasthan alone, which is expected to be the leader in setting up solar plants, can meet India’s total power needs by covering a fraction of its desert with solar panels. The state’s dry and sunny climate, ideal for setting up solar projects, has so far attracted 722 companies for setting up of solar power plants of 16,900 Mw capacity. Rajasthan and Gujarat have attracted the largest investments as their geography and climate are conducive for solar energy radiation. Out of a total 1,100 Mw new project allocations, Rajasthan received a lion’s share of 80% through competitive bidding in the first phase of the National Solar Mission.

But of late, Gujarat has proved to be more than a match to Rajasthan in setting up solar projects in the state. The world’s largest solar power station and a cluster of 17 thin-film solar PV systems, is situated in a single park at Charanka village in Patan district in Gujarat, which already has nearly 200 Mw of solar power generation capacity, according to SunEdison, one of the global solar leaders that has set up plants in the state. Other states too are taking the lead. For instance, Tamil Nadu has announced the creation of 3,000 Mw of solar power generation capacity in the state over the next three years. The state government proposes addition of 1,000 Mw of solar power generation capacity each year for the next three years by creation of solar power generation facilities.

What is it that is goading state governments and private players to create incentives for driving up the scale for solar energy production? In the words of Inderpreet S. Wadhwa, CEO, Azure Power, “Considering the acute power shortage that the country is facing, solar energy has really high prospects in India. In the days to come, you will only see the scale of production going up, improved distribution and the final cost going down.” According to the draft of the 18th Electric Power Survey of India, India’s power shortage during peak consumption hours—between 8-11am and 5-8pm—will surge from 124,995Mw now to 199,540Mw in 2016-17 and 283,470Mw in 2021-22. The power shortage situation is all the more alarming considering that the country’s per capita electricity consumption, at 700 kilowatt/hour, is less than one-third the global average; yet it faces a 10.2% shortage during the peak hours.

Under the circumstances, ramping up solar power capacity appears to be the best bet for bridging the country’s yawning power deficit. India’s demand for primary energy is expected to leap from 400 mtoe (million tonnes of oil equivalent) to 1,200 mtoe by 2030, by which date the per capita consumption of electricity is expected to have tripled from its current 660 kWh/ to 2,000 kWh. Currently, 75% of this electricity is generated from coal and lignite, among the dirtiest sources of energy. In contrast, solar energy has the estimated physical potential for meeting 94% of India’s additional electricity needs by 2031-32. And with advances in solar technology, the cost of solar energy is becoming comparable to or less than that of electricity from coal and oil fired generating stations once their externalities and current subsidies are factored in. Three years ago when the National Solar Mission was launched, the price of every unit of solar power was Rs.18, which has now come down to Rs. 7 per unit. A KPMG India estimate believes that price of solar energy will further come down at a pace of 5-7% per year for the next three to four years.

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

and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

 

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles

 

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

ExecutiveMBA

“It’s like killing two birds with one stone”

Dr. Partho Mishra, VP & GM, Service Provider Access Business Unit, Cisco India, discusses how Cisco leverages the benefits of dual-use technologies

B&E: How relevant is reverse innovation for India at large and for Cisco’s R&D operations here in particular?
Dr. Partho Mishra (PM): The potential for engineering and technology in India is immense in the last 10 years, and the analogy I can give is this. In the 1960s, Japanese manufacturers had these el cheapo cars. In the 1970s, they started developing small but best in breed cars. By the end of the 1980s, the Japanese were dominating the US market with models like Lexus and Infiniti. Reverse innovation is a part; there is a huge opportunity for India out there in terms of IT, telecom, computing. If you look at our capabilities, there is capital available to fund the development, and all the information required to develop a product is readily available, as compared to 20 years ago. We should capitalise on all that. At Cisco, reverse innovation is only a part of our agenda, which is to solve problems specific to emerging markets, because we believe that as the GDPs of these countries grow, we will benefit. For instance, look at the Smart Connected Communities idea. If we can build on that, and make people cross a certain threshold, it opens up new possibilities, like being able to provide services on that infrastructure like telemedicine, remote education, et al. If you can replace poor physical infrastructure with great virtual infrastructure on top of that, you can enable things.

B&E: How do you qualify a reverse innovation opportunity?
PM: Even if there is no opex/funding constraint, the reality of the situation is that we have more work to be done than there are people. When we have situations where we are able to have du-al-use technologies (which we are designing for emerging markets, but can sell to other markets), we can kill two birds with one stone. There lies the engineering challenge – how can you design a product that can scale up and down? It’s something like what car manufacturers have started doing in the last 10 years. They build a common chassis and skins change. We approach it in a very similar way. Like for the ASR 901, we have different SKUs, but we took the various scale, features and power consumption requirements into account when we were developing this product.

B&E: You are optimistic on India’s R&D potential. Are there critical need gaps that need to be filled?
PM: Intellectual capital and seed capital is available, and so are global commercialisation opportunities. But we need technology leaders who will say, “Five years down the road,that’s what’s coming, and that’s what we should be building.” In India, we still have a services mentality. Let me go and develop x software and y hardware. It is so incremental and risk averse. If I were to dedicate 500 engineers to doing this, I am going to get a very predictable ROI. The other thing is that if you go to the core of any start up in Silicon Valley, you may have 100-200 engineers. In addition, they also have 3-4 system architects. They are the brains, who know everything about how everything works together there. There are too many of them at Silicon Valley. In fact, if you walk into a Star-bucks, you’ll find such people there. That’s a critical piece missing in India, but it is fast coming up.
 

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

and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

 

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles

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Moving towards a turnaround mode

The telecom sector in India is passing through a rough patch as the industry grapples with cost and regulatory issues. Amidst the plethora of problems facing the industry, Bharti Airtel is looking to drive growth by tapping into the demand for data and premium services.

The Indian telecom juggernaut, which had chugged along at a fast pace in recent years, is now facing strong headwinds from several quarters. Between 1998 and 2010, when the industry scorched gangbuster growth rates – witnessing an unprecedented boom of more than 700% in subscriber base, from just 1 million subscribers to over 750 million – the idea of any imminent slowdown would have been laughed out of court. But intense competition in the sector over the past few years has dented the profitability of operators and affected their earnings. From just 3-4 operators competing in any particular service area till a few years ago, there are now many more competing for the pie in any given circle now. Not surprising that the industry could generate revenues of just Rs.1131.8 billion in FY12 compared to Rs.1141.3 billion a year ago, dragging it back some 0.83%. Although the results were in line with the trend of decelerating growth in the sector since 2010, the industry never expected the top line to slide into negative territory.

If the market has been morose, the industry has also been at the sharp end of regulatory uncertainty over the past few months. This has led to depressed investor sentiment for the sector. In February this year, the Supreme Court struck down licences of 122 telecom operators, dealing a body blow to the sector’s prospects for the future. Another shocker followed soon after when the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India set a stratospheric reserve price for the auction of 2G spectrum – at almost twice that 3G’s. Even global investor rating agency Fitch noted recently that regulatory risks such as such as an one-time charge for excess spectrum, spectrum re-farming and imposition of high spectrum renewal fees are high for the Indian telecom industry compared with other markets in Asia-Pacific.

But while the industry scenario is hardly inspiring, the number of mobile subscribers in the country has continued to grow at a healthy clip. According to the latest data from industry regulator TRAI, the number of mobile subscribers stood at 952.9 mil

lion as on June this year. Bharti Airtel, India’s largest telecom operator by both revenue and subscriber base, which is ranked 13th on this years B&E’s list of Most Profitable Companies, commands a market share of 27.34%, and has a total subscriber base of 185.30 million, as per the latest data given out by the Cellular Operators Association of India. For the month of May alone, Airtel added 2.01 million new users to its bulging subscriber base.

However things are not as rosy as they look. The company is bleeding, both in its domestic and international operations, and in most of its business areas. In May this year, the company reported its ninth straight quarterly profit decline, hit by higher amortization and interest costs on its 3G network investments, as well currency fluctuations and higher tax provisions. For the fourth quarter of the last fiscal consolidated net profit fell to Rs.10.06 billion from Rs.14 billion a year earlier.

The company reported foreign exchange losses of Rs. 1.82 billion in the quarter. However, the results also offered a glimmer of silver lining. Despite the burden of high costs, the company’s total revenue was up 15% to Rs.187.29 billion. The company also reported improvement in key performance indicators, including minutes of usage, subscriber additions, average revenue per minute and average revenue per user.

Read more.....

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

and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles

 

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

20 years of change after Rajiv Gandhi

Known as one of the brightest stars in Indian politics, Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination shook up the foundation of the Congress party. A documentation of how his death reversed fortunes of the party, and dramatically altered the Indian political scenario...

Twenty one years ago on May 21, 1991, a bomb explosion killed Rajiv Gandhi, while he was campaigning for the Congress party in Sriperumbudur, about 40 km from Chennai, on the second day of the 10th Lok Sabha elections. [Rajiv who had served as the PM of India between 1984-89 (at the age of 40 – he was the youngest ever PM of India) is till this day regarded as perhaps the most charismatic figure that ever took the stage of Indian politics.] The sudden, premature demise of Rajiv not only shocked the world, it also marked an end of an era that saw India being led by the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty for all but five years since independence.

Though nobody took immediate responsibility, the attack was blamed on Rajiv’s arch enemies, the LTTE, that was fighting for a separate homeland for the Tamils in Lanka. Rajiv could not contain the political problems afflicting India, and found refuge in international entanglements and commitments. He committed the so-called Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) to Lanka in July 1987 in an endeavour to help the government there to eradicate militants agitating for a separate Tamil homeland. [The IPKF had to be withdrawn in 32 months.] His period in office was marred by scandals and allegations of corruption on so huge a scale that he undoubtedly lost the election of 1989 partly on account of public perception. The Congress suffered an electoral defeat. His successor, V. P. Singh, could not hold office for long, and Rajiv started campaigning in earnest in 1991. But then, his assassination put an end to his half-finished political career.

Most people remember Rajiv as a visionary who encouraged foreign investment, a freer economy and rejuvenated his own party. “People had sympathy for Rajiv. He was not aware of the problems of the people at the grassroots level. However, he was a very dynamic person,” recalls Mohan Dharia, a former Union Minister who had served in the Indira Gandhi cabinet, but resigned on his differences with her ideologies. He remembers Rajiv as someone who wanted to modernise India.

When US denied to give India the technology of supercomputing, it was Rajiv who encouraged the creation of the indigenous Param Super Computers. Agrees Dr. M. P. Narayanan, former Chairman of Coal India (1988-91), who says that with the demise of Rajiv, India not only lost a visionary, but a receptive and encouraging human being. “His leadership style was such that would even allow mid-level officers to walk up to him and he would listen to their ideas. I wonder if subsequent PMs have ever found time for that,” he says.

Rajiv’s vision for India was that of a modern nation that takes full advantage of technology. We’re living his vision today. Says political observer Suvrokamal Dutta, “Many people believe that it was Narasimha Rao that initiated the globalisation process. However, it was Rajiv who created the ground for that process. He was also working on various missile treaties with Western countries.” Rajiv’s other revolutionary move was to lower the voting age to 18 from 21 years in India. Having said thus, it is important to note that Rajiv’s political career also became mired with allegations and scandals. The Bofors scandal is an unsettled blot on his otherwise glorious career. It cost him three-quarters of his MPs.
 

Read more.....

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

and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

 

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles

 

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

“We will exit any business that we cannot be a leader in”

In this exclusive interaction with B&E, Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani deliberates on the group’s strategy to grow as an integrated infrastructure company and also take its business global, and also on how the group is tackling the current challenges that it faces from environmental groups and regulators

Ahmedabad-based Gautam Adani, Chairman of the $6 billion conglomerate Adani Group, is on a growth path to rapidly expand presence in the global and domestic market with its focussed business interests on sectors such as power, ports, coal; which have less competition. The group’s three listed companies have grown at a brisk pace, which places it among the top10 private business houses in India. By taking the total generation capacity of the Adani Group to a massive 4,000 MW in line with its vision of achieving 20,000 MW by the year 2020, Adani Power has become India’s largest private sector power generation company. However, the group, which is exiting its real estate business, is also facing significant hurdles in terms of regulatory and environmental challenges. Adani talks to B&E’s mona mehta on the group’s domestic & global plans. Some edited excerpts:

B&E: Amidst economic upheavals, how do you see the opportunities emerging in the global market and what is your strategy to grow your business presence in the infrastructure sector within and beyond India?
Gautam Adani (GA): On the business front, Adani Group is strongly thinking and acting global and planning to invest over $6 billion in global expansion. The group has successfully commenced its mining exploration programme in the Galilee Basin in Queensland through Adani Mining Pty, the Australian arm of the Adani Group. This marks the culmination of the first phase of its foray into Australia. The Adani Group is the single largest Indian investor in Australia in coal mining, creation of dedicated railway infrastructure to transport the coal to ports and dedicated coal terminals such as Adani Abbott Point Coal Terminal. Besides, we have synchronised another super critical unit of 660 MW at our state-of-the-art power plant in Mundra in the Kutch district of Gujarat, thus taking the generation capacity of the Adani Power to 3,960 MW.

These achievements will mark the beginning of another illustrious chapter for the Adani Group in the days and years ahead. Additionally, Adani Enterprises has also commissioned India’s largest 40 MW solar power plant in the state of Gujarat, thus taking the total generation capacity of the group to a massive 4,000 MW. In line with its long term vision of achieving a capacity of 20,000 MW by the year 2020, Adani Power has now become India’s largest private sector power generation company.

B&E: You are currently involved in a bid for Gujarat Gas. How confident are you of your prospects?
GA: Adani group is keenly interested in bidding for British Gas’ (BG) stake in city gas distribution company, Gujarat Gas. Currently, the due diligence process of BG’s stake in Gujarat Gas is going on. Adani Group is interested in evaluation and the process of evaluating it is on. We will be able to divulge more details at the right time. Actually, British Gas has decided to exit from the business in which it has 65% stake. If the acquisition comes through, it will have synergies with its own gas distribution business. The company will have to fight off many suitors who are known to have shown interest in the business like a consortium of public sector oil companies, Gaz de France-Suez, German power company E.ON, and a few private equity players.

B&E: Where do you see Adani Group in the next 10 years and which businesses will contribute the maximum to the group’s revenues?
GA: Power, ports and mining business are expected to contribute the maximum to Adani Group’s revenues and profits to the tune of 80% of the Group’s profits.

B&E: How are your expansion plans in the power sector progressing? What hurdles do you see in your path towards achieving 20000 MW capacity?
GA: Currently, in the overall power sector, which is facing hurdles of fuel supply blocks, Adani Power is also facing issues with regards to its power purchase agreements signed with two states – both Maharashtra and Gujarat. As for the Tiroda power project, Adani Group has signed a power purchase agreement based on the Lohara mines, which was cancelled by the environment ministry, as it is close to tiger reserves. However, Adani is not seeking to terminate the power purchase agreement with Maharashtra. In fact, we have recently approached the government and asked them to re-adjust the terms since the mine is not available.

Read more......

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

and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles

 

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

International

Fuel price protests

If the international market is any indicator, fuel prices are set to rise again in India. Trouble seems to be coming in from another African nation, this time Nigeria, that may lead to a spurt in international crude oil prices and is most certain to have a knock-on effect on domestic fuel prices of most countries. Hit by a continuing strike by major labour groups, there has been a constant worry about oil supply disruptions from Nigeria. The country is Africa’s top oil producer and pumps out 2 million barrel-per-day. Already, the worry seems to be reflected in the West Texas Intermediate crude price, which rose by by 3 cents for February trade. Brent North Sea too saw a spike in its crude prices by 37 cents, reaching $110.81. The labour protests, which are the main cause behind this international worry, are in response to the Nigerian government withdrawing the popular fuel subsidy provided by it to its citizens. These protests have, of late, morphed into nationwide protests and have become an outlet for thousands to vent their grievances against what they see as a venal ruling political class and an incompetent government. While the government has not yet withdrawn it’s decision, it has agreed to slash fuel prices. Following this announcement, several labour organizations withdrew their strikes and urged the public to go home but resentment continues to simmer.

Ford recalls suvs

The American multinational automaker Ford is recalling nearly half a million minivans and SUVs because of mechanical issues. The Michigan-based automaker is recalling 539,000 sport utility vehicles, including Ford Escape, Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey minivans in two separate recalls. The first recall involves 286,000 Ford Escape SUVs manufactured during 2001-02, which have been found to have defective anti-lock brakes module. The second recall involves 253,000 Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey minivans made during the 2004 and 2005 model years, which are reported to suffer from a torque converter malfunction.

Read more.....

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

and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles

 

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

“We are a boringly consistent company”

Saugata Gupta, CEO, Marico, Consumer Products Group

B&E: Recently there was a profit warning from your side to the investors. What were the reasons?
Saugata Gupta (SG): First let me clarify that it was not a profit warning but a guidance. We believed that with inputs costs having doubled, our earnings growth will not be in line with the expectations on the stock from analysts and the market and therefore we gave out a guidance. And we continue to stand by it. We are saying that over the immediate time horizon, given the kind of cost structure and input costs, and the fact that we have chosen to grow consumer franchises and get more consumers on board, along with volume growth, perhaps, the earnings growth will be a little muted in the immediate and near term.

B&E: Are you contemplating any price hike on any of your products given the inflationary pressure?
SG: We haven’t taken any price hike in the past 6-7 months. But as I said, if the need arises, we will go for it, but it will be very marginal in nature. We don’t foresee that in the immediate term, unless there’s more inflationary push, so no major price hikes.

B&E: Are you looking at any tweaks in the production chain to manage costs, due to the price pressures?
SG: We are obviously concerned about cost management, but at the same time, we’re not sacrificing in terms of investments, innovation and talent. Like any other company we will continue to explore opportunities for cost management.

B&E: You have gone ahead to explore new business opportunities in the personal care and food space, so any new product launches we can expect?
SG: We just recently diversified into the skincare category with Parachute Advanced, so its too early to talk about the category. We also have men’s grooming products in most of our international markets. It’s a category that is growing. We have launched a couple of new categories this year, so we are focusing on investing and growing these categories. In the food space too, we have got into the Oats space with Saffola (we are already the number three player), and are also test marketing a savoury oat. So as I said, we have enough on our plate, we believe in focus, investing in one or two products/ categories, and focus on growing them rather than going into multiple categories. At the end of the day if you have to create a strong franchise you have to focus on investing in fewer ones, rather than entering every space. Health foods is one category where we see a lot of growth opportunity. Our Oats product is available mostly in modern trade nationally and retails in the southern markets. And we are still in the process of further scaling it up.

B&E: You have forayed into international markets quite aggressively, how is the business doing for you? Any plans to enter more markets globally?
SG: Our internal business is currently contributing 23% of our top line and we will continue to focus on emerging markets, where there is long-term potential for growth and significant population with low penetration of categories. That will be our international business strategy. When it comes to acquiring more companies, our strategy is that as we grow (nationally and internationally), our growth will be a mixture of organic and inorganic and, as and when opportunities come, we will explore. In India, opportunities for acquisitions are much lower, and also the price earning multiples of earning is on the higher side compared to international markets, where more opportunities can be found. Also, in most international markets, we don’t have a presence and inorganic gives you a mass and a foothold to start.

Read more....

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

and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

 

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles

 

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

Truth lies further west

Hyundai is fast ramping up the numbers due to its momentum in third world markets. But metamorphosing itself into a premium brand still remains work in progress

While the journey for Hyundai Motor Company started as a unit to assemble cars for Ford Motor Company back in 1967, it was a matter of just few years before its founder Chung Ju-Yung started harbouring dreams of making a cut in the global automotive circuit. After the initial run, the years that passed attracted huge investments from the company for developing technological capabilities & since then, there has been no looking back. At the end of 2010, Hyundai stood tall at fourth place with sales of 5.74 million units along with its partner Kia Motors, ironically overtaking Ford, which managed to sell 5.31 million units even after a string of profitable quarters. Also, Toyota (which Hyundai used to follow), is still busy streamlining the production after the onslaught of the tsunami and several episodes of vehicle recalls.

With an employee base of about 75,000 people across the globe, the company is present in 193 countries through over 6,000 dealerships and showrooms worldwide. For the first three quarters in 2011, Hyundai filed an 18.2% growth in revenues and 34.1% growth in net income as compared to the same period in 2010. In unit sales, Hyundai has managed to register a growth of 11.7%, selling 3,024,000 units worldwide as compared to 2,707,000 units sold during the same period last year. At a time when the industry is facing a situation of squeezing margins, Hyundai has been able to take its net profit ratio to 10.7% compared to 9.4% in 2010. Undeniably, the chaebol has done a commendable job of making its presence felt among the biggies across the globe, and is looking desperately for ways to make its image more upmarket globally. But is it really managing to do so?

After the launch of its new brand slogan ‘New Thinking. New Possibilities’ at the 2011 North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January, the company has declared a new focus area. “Our goal is not to become the biggest car company. Our goal is to become the most-loved car company and a trusted lifetime partner of our owners,” said Euisun Chung, Vice Chairman, Hyundai Motor Company, at the Detroit Motor Show. The company is planning to expand its production capacity from 3,620,000 units at the end of 2010 to 4,320,000 units by 2012. The company will be producing more units in its plants overseas (2,050,000 units) as compared to its production in Korea (1,820,000 units) at the end of 2011 for the first time in its history and is planning to bring in higher efficiencies in its manufacturing process. From a situation of having no integrated platforms at the end of 2002 out of the total 22 platforms (producing 28 models), the company is expecting to reduce the platform count to 6 and integrate all of them, resulting in the production of 40 models. With a view to bring its products at a faster pace to the market, Hyundai is planning to reduce the model development time to 24 months by 2013 from 40 months in 2002.