From Quaid to Bana

Profiles of two JAK LI men who helped capture a Pakistani post in India’s final quest for Siachen

It was at the icy heights of Siachen in 1987 that a young JAK LI soldier, Bana Singh, achieved what till then was considered unimaginable. He was part of the 8 JAK LI’s Special Operations Group (SOG) completing its glacier tenure.

To launch an assault in oxygen-depleted rarefied air is considered near suicidal but the Quaid post – situated at an altitude of 21,153 feet - was strategically important to observe nearly 80 km of territory around it. It gave Pakistanis, its then occupants, an edge of not just preventing supplies to other Indian posts but also of interdicting any movement with precise firing.

Its capture, therefore, became important for the Indian Army. Naib Subedar Bana Singh, hand-picked for this challenging assignment, led the last attack along with riflemen Chunni Lal, Laxman Das, Om Raj and Kashmir Chand. A force of 62 people participated to the final operation; two officers, three JCO’s and 57 jawans.

Remembers Bana Singh, "we were losing friends every day, some of them just a few days after their induction into the force. Our Commanding Officer and all of us were determined to throw the Pakistanis out, whatever the price.’’Two decades after his inspired heroism in those chilling heights, Subedar Major (Honorary Captain) Bana Singh, Param Vir Chakra (PVC), has sent his son to defend the frontiers in Kashmir.

Born in 1949 in Kadyal district of Jammu, Bana Singh was awarded the Param Vir Chakra, the highest wartime gallantry medal in India, for conspicuous bravery and leadership under most adverse conditions.

“Operation Rajiv” as this operation was named, resulted in various awards: one Maha Vir Chakra (for Subedar Sansar Singh), seven Vir Chakras and one Sena Medal, besides the PVC. Bana Singh later declined an offer of Rs 25 lakh, 25 acres of land and a pension of Rs 15, 000 a month if he decided to settle in Punjab. Singh’s belief: as a proud soldier of Jammu and Kashmir, he could not leave the state, no matter how strong the allurement.

The other hero of the party that took Quaid was late Naib Subedar Chuni Lal, winner of Ashok Chakra, Vir Chakra and the Sena Medal.

Chuni Lal was born in Doda’s  Bhadarwah tehsil in 1968. He joined JAK LI in 1984. Within three years of his service he earned a Sena Medal for his death-defying act in capturing Bana Post alongside the legendary Bana.
Not the one to sit on his laurels, in 1999 while serving with his unit in the Poonch Sector during ‘Operation Rakshak’ he and his unit were instrumental in beating back an attempted intrusion by the Pakistan Army and for this act of gallantry he was awarded the Vir Chakra.

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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

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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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

Is the government setting it right for illegal miners?

The mining ban in Karnataka, transport bottlenecks in Orissa, and a rising pendency of applications awaiting action from various state governments have not augured well for the Indian mining sector. Although the reopening of a few mines in Karnataka could bring some reprieve, issues related to the regulation, taxation and fiscal policy are bound to further stress miners
 
Over a year after the Supreme Court (SC) imposed a complete ban on all mining operations in Karnataka, on environmental grounds, mining is set to partially resume in the state after the SC-appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC) accepted the reclamation and rehabilitation plans for some of the mining companies. The SC, in its order on April 20 this year, had allowed mining to partially resume in the state. About 20 mines, which fall under category ‘A’ (where no illegalities were found by the CEC), were accordingly approved. In the next six months, it is expected that around 50 mines in Karnataka with an annual output capacity of 15 million tonnes (MT) could restart operations.

In FY2011-12, the mining sector witnessed a negative growth of 0.9% as against a 5% growth a year before. “Worldwide, production is rising, but in India we seem to be moving in the opposite direction,” says H. C. Daga, Senior Vice President, Federation of Indian Mineral Industries (FIMI). In fact, overall production during the current fiscal year is likely to fall to 140 MT from 169 MT recorded in FY2010-11. In April this year, when the mining sector registered a growth of -3.1%, India’s industrial output grew by 0.1%.

While steel mills continue to import iron ore (imports stood at 3 lakh MT in FY2011-12), exports, which stood at 96.93 MT in FY2010-11, fell to 60 MT in FY2011-12. Lower exports have in turn prompted miners to slash overall production as domestic steel makers lack the technology to utilise iron ore fines or inferior grades. “Iron ore exports will likely fall to no more than 40 MT this year from about 60 MT last year,” says R. K. Sharma, Secretary General, FIMI.

The mess in the mining sector, which prompted the apex court to take some harsh measures, can largely be attributed to the ease with which unbridled corruption was allowed to flourish. The complete absence of oversight and connivance at every level invited such wrath of the SC that it has now taken a serious toll on the entire industry. “The CEC survey team has found that 18 mines had not carried out any violations. SC closed all mines, good or bad,” says Sharma of FIMI, adding, “You can’t brush everyone with the same broom.” Former Karnataka Lokayukta Justice (Retd.) Santosh Hegde, who had recommended the Karnataka ban to the SC, believes that it is a price the industry and its stakeholders have paid for the crimes of a few greedy mining firms, which flouted every rule in the book to make a quick buck at the expense of genuine people. “The state government should change the mining policy to ensure the natural resources are not exploited for profit trading and exports but mined for value-addition by manufacturers through transparent bidding process,” he says. The ban on mining in Karnataka came after a report prepared by Hegde recommended an immediate halt on private mining. The SC was later told that mining was being done in a reckless and irresponsible manner with the prime objective of over-exploitation of iron ore for purely short term private gains.

“Illegality is a matter of governance. If the government wants, nothing illegal can take place. It’s just not possible. At every stage, there is a government machinery involved. Ultimately genuine mine owner gives way to mafia,” argues Sharma, pinning the blame of Karnataka’s mining mess on the governance machinery. A case in point, according to him, is the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Janardhan Reddy, who was recently reported to have offered crores in bribe to a judge for bail. “Till the political bosses and bureaucrats join hands, nothing illegal can take place. We have all regulations you can think of, but what good is a regulation that cannot be implemented,” says Sharm

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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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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

“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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There’s much to fix between the piers

A raft of infrastructure issues is affecting the growth and prospects of our ports. In the face of capacity constraints, lack of connectivity and inadequate mechanization, ports are burdened with excess traffic they can’t handle.

India’s vast coastline, stretching around 7,500 kms, is home to 13 major ports and around 200 non-major ports. These are spread across the nine maritime states that stretch along the country’s western and eastern corridors. Considering that about 95% by volume and 70% by value of the country’s international trade is carried on through maritime transport, ports in India are expected to demonstrate efficiencies to sustain the demands of growing international trade. Even otherwise, modern seaports the world over play the role of logistic hubs in the global transport system, integrating the supply chain and offering a competitive edge to exporters and importers.

Historically, ports were measured on their ability to accommodate ships and other modes of transport effectively and efficiently. Contemporary developments in transportation, however, dictate that emphasis shift to the ability of ports to fulfill new roles in the logistics era in the context of operating within integrated global supply chain systems. Ports are therefore expected to demonstrate efficiencies that help to cut total logistic costs and improve the overall competitiveness of exported and imported products.

Unfortunately, even in the wake of India’s growing maritime trade in the world market and the unprecedented growth in bulk commodities and containerized trade, major ports in India have failed to expand capacity and develop facilities commensurate with the growth in trade. In the fiscal year 2011-12, Indian exports accounted for $303.7 billion, logging an annual growth of 21%. Meanwhile, imports grew to $488.6 billion, a 32.1% growth. This rapid growth in trade can be sustained only if the port infrastructure keeps pace with the increasing volumes of cargo. Indian ports, over the past decade, have seen a sharp surge in traffic, which has almost grown four-fold to 9.7 million TEU (One TEU represents the cargo capacity of a standard intermodal container, 20 feet long and 8 feet wide) in 2011, from 2.4 million TEU in 2001 - a growth of 395%.

But our port-handling capacity is way short when compared to the throughput of major ports globally. Even the 9.7 million TEU handled by Indian ports last year represents just 8% of the global benchmark ratio for economic output and one-twelfth of global container traffic averages. Given that the Indian economy grew 7.8% for fiscal 2012, ports in India are in urgent need of capacity augmentation in order to meet the country’s growing economic needs and also to grow our share of international trade.

Over the last decade, our average annual growth rate of port cargo volume has been about 10% and container traffic is projected to grow to 40 million TEU by 2025. But India’s ports are ill-equipped to meet this surge in demand as they have not been able to significantly ramp up their capacity and efficiency. As a result, our ports are congested and lack cutting-edge facilities. Till date, no Indian port is capable enough of handling large container vessels. Thus, most of international cargoes are off-loaded at Colombo or nearby ports and then transported to India in bits and pieces. This very incapability robs Rs.10 billion from traders. Even the custom clearance at ports increases the transport time by an average of 84 hours. Not surprising that the World Bank has ranked India’s port infrastructure at 3.86 in 2010, where 1 stands for extremely underdeveloped and 7 for well developed.

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

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.

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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
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.