Thursday, December 13, 2007

The state(s) of fallacies


IIPM PUBLICATION

Bushwhacked! Gore’s not giving up yet....

ArmchairThe ASSAULT ON Reason - AL GORE critics might be sniffing for another whiff of thick smog from the environmentally conscientious former Vice President of the States, or at least that’s the impression one gets, considering how far all the bushwhacking has taken Al Gore on the road to revival. Anyway, Gore’s ‘An Assault on Reason,’ in a sort of metaphor that mars the American landscape today, promises a structured and intelligently designed – and at times passionately raw – series of arguments impelling one to sit up and notice innumerable questionable and atrocious policy decisions that’s become so very dubiously Dubya’s.

The book is not an invasion. It’s ‘Bushvasion’, but with valid beliefs that are apparently apolitical. And for that, credit is due to Al Gore. In today’s day and age where ignorance needn’t be bliss, Gore presents a rather gory picture of the affaires quotidiennes of American politics and how reality television has been used as a tool against the common citizenry. “What has happened to our country? People are trying to figure out what has gone wrong in our democracy, and how we can fi x it.” Perhaps propagandist to conspired ears, but it is this theme that more or less forms the basis of Gore’s lengthy salutation to democracy, its functions, and its founders. And much like his blunt and piercing ‘Oscar-venture’ documentary on the climatic challenges that lie ahead, Al Gore talks about the dangers of a society without a conscience. A bunch that allows absurd reasons to bypass a war that killed 3,000 of their very own, and ravaged an already miserable nation. A society where newspapers have lost relevance and public opinions imposed by fashionably suited multimillionaire Congressmen who win elections sponsoring 30 seconds spots on TV but without much reason and without any debate. Amidst such ‘typically American trends’, Al Gore professes gloom.

It’s been seven long years since the fateful 2000 elections, following which Al Gore appeared to have pretty much resigned from public life. But that veiled existence was short term. Hanging up Democrat responsibilities, Mr. Gore jumped into the war zone criticising the White House of imposing a ‘spectator’ war on the television-obsessed country. In The Assault... he talks of how the American junta was misled into believing Saddam’s connections with 9/11. “The persistent and sustained reliance on falsehoods as the basis of policy, even in the face of massive and well-understood evidence to the contrary, seems to many Americans to have reached levels that were previously unimaginable,” quotes Al Gore from Robert Byrd of West Virginia, the longest serving Senator in the American Congress.

As much as can be held against the beleaguered Bush, Mr. Gore has summed it all up. From the absurdity of his policies to the ills of ‘secret strategies’ that hover around the White House, he stuck his neck out with facts that scream for global attention. Be the administration’s sudden collapse in times of calamity, as during Hurricane Katrina or the sudden revised medicare benefits, Al Gore warns of a state being run while suppressing reason – the most basic idea behind democracy.

His, however, is not an argument with a lost cause. Perhaps a trifle over-ambitious, Gore pins his hopes on the Internet. His belief in the world coming closer through constant deliberations over blogs and communities does seem a bit farfetched considering Americans spending close to 100 million hours collectively, with each passing week, watching mind numbing reality TV re-runs.

However, in Mr. Gore lies a man with true conviction. For in The Assault on Reason, he comes across as a writer frustrated with a regime that has consistently treated the rest of the world with dangerously dismissive arrogance. And eventually all he asks for is reason…

Edit bureau: Shashank Shekhar

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2007

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit Below....
ARINDAM CHAUDHURI’S 4 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD CHOOS...IIPM :- Cicero's Challenge is going global
The Indian Institute of Planning and Management (I...
After CDMA, will nokia miss the 3G bus ?
Time for Awards at IIPM
STUDENTS AGAINST CORRUPTION & KICKBACKS : SACK
HRIC :- Human Resource Intelligence Cell
Heavy dut(t)y stress Sanjay Dutt Bollywood Actor
The Business of B-School Rankings & The Big Farce
36TH Full Time Programme In Planning & Entrepreneu...
Courtney to quit courting cigarettes!

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Concrete Harmony!


... to put your house in order!


A Concrete Harmony!pleasantly fragrant whiff of air even as you stroll through the lobby; large glass panels, sun rays penetrating through them; beautified walls coupled with light music soothing the senses… Not exactly the setting for a hospital, but if that’s what hospitals were like, healing would become a lot easier & perhaps faster too. Shaking your head in disagreement, are you? Well, it may sound uncanny but the architecture, colours, textures & even shapes affect human behaviour to an extent, that if used effectively, can foster therapeutic healing. . . Concrete Harmony!Healing architecture, in simple terms, can be explained as designing the structure of the building such, that it causes a general feel good mood. And this concept of healing is increasingly gaining prominence the world over, which “till now was ignored while designing a building”, opines Dr. Dharmendra Nagar, MD, Paras Hospitals. While ‘beauty’ forms an indispensable part of such therapy, the structure must functionally be in tune with nature to get that perfect healing touch. “Allowing natural light into the buildings, especially ICUs, helps patients be less prone to depression & reduces the risk of a common problem, Concrete Harmony!‘ICU psychosis’, where patients lose all bearings regarding time & space. . . & therefore quicker recovery,” says Dr. Nagar. A case study at the South Downs Health NHS Trust in the UK revealed that when original architecture of lodgings from a Victorian, brick institution with unusually high ceilings (accommodating 15 patients in one large room) was changed to single wards & its name changed to a more pleasing Mill View Hospital Hove, there was a significant improvement in patients’ recovery, who also seemed extremely satisfied with the Concrete Harmony!treatment as well! Similarly, many places like St. Vincent’s Hospital, Indianapolis & Kosair Children’s Hospital, Louisville, apart from others are redesigning wards to give a personal space for patients, fostering their recovery & instilling in them a sense of inner tranquillity that affected them in ways that’ll perhaps never be known to the staunch believers in medicine & technology!
Edit bureau: Pooja Priyadarshini

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2007

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit Below....
!
IIPM Amaze'07 ! IIPM Rank ! Management School ! IIPM Rank India ! IIPM Education ! Best B-School ! Management School !

Friday, November 23, 2007

The energy gamble


Anil’s presence rests on his energy empire’s future potential


Power Anil’s presence rests on his energy empire’s future potential  corrupts, and absolute power can be a mirage that can faze even the hardened veterans. Reliance Energy is all about power. Not the power that the Ambanis are famed to have exercised over the last few decades. It is about generating and distributing electricity. So far, Anil Ambani has displayed the ‘Ambani’ brand of grand proportions while announcing power projects.

Power generation would be the ticket that could propel Anil into the stratosphere of corporate stardom that is now monopolized by Mukesh. If the plans do pan out eventually, Reliance Energy can become the behemoth that Reliance Industries is today. After all, the Tenth Five Year Plan has projected that India needs to add 1,00,000 MW of capacity by 2012 if power cuts are to become a memory. Even if Anil manages to grab 20% of that, the business would be worth Rs.500 billion every year. Add transmission and distribution, where Reliance Energy already plays a role in Mumbai, Delhi and Orissa, and you get a glimpse of the power house that Anil can create.

Like all fairy tale stories in real life, this one too has a few blemishes. For one, the power projects are dependent on gas that will be supplied by the parent Reliance. Till the brothers were together, Mukesh and Anil could indulge in creative internal transfer pricing to kill any birds with one stone. Now, Anil will need to buy gas from Mukesh at market prices.

More importantly, Anil might find his power ambitions thwarted by politics. Th e eternal hunt for votes has forced major political parties to stall the Electricity Act of 2003. With the reform process in the dog house, bankrupt state electricity boards and massive transmission and distribution losses will mean no serious player will dare to enter the power sector.

The Ambanis are known to pull off miracles. If one particular Rajya Sabha member from U.P. concurs, Anil Ambani can persuade fellow politicians to allow power sector reforms; and then he might just snatch the ‘powerful’ tag from elder brother Mukesh.

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2007

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

For More IIPM Article, Visit Below....
!
IIPM Management Introduction ! IIPM Management ! IIPM Management Courses ! IIPM Centers ! IIPM World !

Friday, November 16, 2007

One of the social initiatives undertaken by JSW – a rural BPO

Furthermore, One of the social initiatives undertaken by JSW – a rural BPOHar Ravindra Lal, AVP - HR, JSW adds, “We have pro-active approach and issues are addressed without much ado. If there’s no union it’s because the management acts as proxy union for them. This ultimately results into high involvement of people in all areas.” The company also undertakes various social& welfare initiatives which serve the company well.

Well, all of this was the real truth which we can marvel at – so much of it, yet so little! We could see the smoke coming out of the plant, as we bid farewell to the grand furnace at Vijayanagar and all that flashed across our minds was that we were witnessing a chronicle of one more global steel behemoth like Arcelor-Mittal, Nippon, Posco et al in the making.

‘Let’s make JSW world class, second to none – Sajjan Jindal’ (as a billboard proclaims). Sure enough, given the pattern in which JSW is painting success, it’s surely a mega-multi-billion dollar global steel corporation in the making! And the only question that now remains to be asked is – how long...?!

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2007

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

For More IIPM Article, Visit Below....
IIPM : The Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM is a best b-school. It is a business school of management. It's full name is The Indian Institute of Planning and Management. ...

IIPM: The Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM's Full time & Integrated programs in National Economic Planning and Entrepreneurship are in a different league. Students are exposed to case studies ...

IIPM BEST PUBLICATION
Lacking the punch to scare us Indians out of our skins iipm are terms like ‘pollution’, ...... IIPM News > News in Media > The Political Criminal Circus ...

IIPM: IIPM : Pas(ay) the Parcel!
IIPM is a Best B-School. It is a institute of business management. Its full name is The Indian Institute of Planning and Management. ...

IIPM Infrastructure : Campus « IIPM
In terms of infrastructure, campus and technology support, IIPM is rated amongst the top institutes of the country. IIPM’s academic campuses in Asia are ...IIPM PUBLICATION: IIPM : Campus Placements IIPM students are winners all the way..." {Source: The Times of India, June 2002} "...the icing on the cake has proved to be the 100% placements of the ...

IIPM MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE On "IIPM - Arindam Chaudhuri - Planman"
And the IIPM, which was founded as recently as 1973, now claims to be the world’s largest business school, with 5000 postgraduate management students in ...

IIPM: The Indian Institute of Planning and Management
All students who undertake IIPM’s Entrepreneurship Programme receive an additional International MBA/BBA Degree from INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE ...

IIPM is a BEST MBA INSTITUTE
IIPM is a premier learning institute to excellence in management research and ... An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and ...

IIPM - The Best B School on Earth: Home
IIPM: Established in 1973; IIPM offers courses in Planning and Entrepreneurship, leading to Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) and Master of Business ...

Friday, November 02, 2007

...outta 4 players!

Adjectives Mama, I just stood 4th are not enough to describe the feeling of magnificence which seeps in while sauntering around the sprawling hi-tech centre of Satyam Computers in Hyderabad. The 100-plus acre campus can easily be regarded as one of the most sophisticated and scenic sites for an IT enterprise in the country, which can loudly boast of golf courses, deer parks, dormitories and training facilities at par with the best in the world. And it all started with a journey that began in 1987, with the young management graduate Ramalinga Raju walking all the way!

Today, Satyam has evolved into a company which operates in 55 countries and has a strong base of 541 active clients. Over the years, Satyam has transformed into a complete IT solution provider with expertise in consulting and enterprise business solutions, integrated business solutions & application development & maintenance services. The global recognition of Satyam can also be judged by the fact that its client list includes 158 Fortune Global 500 giants!

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2007

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

For More IIPM Article, Visit Below....
http://jroller.com/page/info
http://jroller.com/page/SUCCESS
http://my.opera.com/sonu-a/
http://my.opera.com/sonu-b/
http://free-blog-site.com/iipm_publication
http://free-blog-site.com/iipm_2
http://www.seedwiki.com/wiki/iipm_publication/iipm_publication
http://www.seedwiki.com/wiki/iipm/
http://www.seedwiki.com/wiki/iipm_b-school

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Not A Happy Ending Yet


IIPM PUBLICATION

One K. M. Birla and Ratan Tata, fi nally striking it when the metal is piping hot.of the critical success factors for the steel sector will be captive iron-ore mines. Principally because of this highly scarce resource, the sector is magnetising players like Posco & Arcelor Mittal. Both have plans to set up 12 MTPA plants each. But at the moment, the government is refusing to play ball, leaving the players high & dry. Additionally, with more and more foreign players like Sinosteel, Nisshin et al planning to set up steel plants in the country, this battle for captive-iron ore mines will become more malevolent. Besides, energy supplies, hurdles inprocuring raw materials, logistics et al can act as mood dampeners. Sustaining the low cost advantage will be another mammoth challenge.

The story for other metal sectors is not very different. For expansions, most players have taken significant debt and servicing them is difficult task. Currently, the debt/equity ratio of quite a few companies has taken a hit. K.M. Birla admitted on the Novelis acquisition, “The current debt-equity ratio of Hindalco, at 0.2-0.3 will definitely go up.” In future, it could become worse. Most of the metal sectors are now moving past their mid-points in the up-cycle. Overall plateauing of demand is a big threat, considering that these companies rely heavily on operating leverage. If this time the downturn comes up, the impact will be more severe. Are the metal players ready for this eventuality, or will those good ol’ skeptics be proved right once again?

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2007

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

For More IIPM Article, Visit Below....
http://www.fairspirit.com/sonu00/
http://just-look.blogdrive.com/
http://sonu-hh.livejournal.com/
http://sonu501.wordpress.com
http://sonu119.zbloggy.com/
http://dearsonu.wordpress.com/
http://sonu72.tblog.com/post/1969892910
http://surenderlatwal.tripod.com/IIPM-B-SCHOOL/
http://surenderlatwal.tripod.com/IIPM/
http://businessmanagement.jeeran.com/
http://www-management-courses.ebloggy.com/

Monday, October 22, 2007

Aspiring for ‘More’


IIPM BEST B-SCHOOL

AV Birla Group now plans to diversify into retail

WhatAV Birla Group is required to build a spectacular, unfatomable global footprint? The $24 billion Aditya Birla Group should know. The group has 50% of its revenues pouring from its operations across the world. The combined turnover of the group was $9 billion in FY ’07, as compared to $6 billion in FY ’06. Profits were at $1.25 billion in FY ’07, as against $0.73 billion in FY ’06.

The K. M. Birla-led group made reverberations with the entry in the telecom segment by way of Idea Cellular acquisition in 2006. The $6 billion acquisition of Novelis, an aluminum rolling and recycling company, in 2007 showcases a gargantuan appetite for expansion, which is also being seen in the cement & VSF, where the company is making massive expansion plans.

And “Th e Indian consumer today is underserved. Our mission is to change the way people shop...”now, albeit a trifle late in the day, the group wants to enter retail with the brand name ‘More’. Birla reveals, “Our mission is to change the way people shop. We will give them more.” Surely, the investors would not mind ‘more’ either!

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2007

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

For More IIPM Article, Visit Below....
http://iipm-institute.21publish.com/
http://iipm-institute.21publish.com/vidhhyalaya
http://iipm-b-school.blog.ca/
http://www.sonulatwal.9k.com
http://sonuright.bravehost.com
http://docs.google.com/View?docid=dchw675g_19mp6p2t
http://www.freewebs.com/iipm-institute/
http://www.journalscape.com/iipm/

Monday, October 15, 2007

Capitalising gains & goods


IIPM PUBLICATION

The capital goods sector will continue to see robust order intake as economic activity in infrastructure, including power & manufacturing, remains strong


EverCapitalising gains & goods since the planning process started in 1951, the Indian industrial strategy has been centered around the growth of robust engineering. The capital goods sector is the backbone of any developing economy and stronger the backbone, the healthier the growth. This backbone of the Indian economy has seen a splurge of growth for the last few years. Robust order book position, continuing and relatively high order intake, backed by investment growth in the country and strategic moves on the part of the industry constituents in augmenting capacity, upgrading technology, expanding product offering has helped the industry to sustain strong growth on a higher base at both earning and revenue levels. According to FICCI, the sector has grown at the rate of 17.8% in FY07, as compared to 16.3% in FY06 and imports at $54.7 billion, 36.8% higher than last year.

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2007

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

For More IIPM Article, Visit Below....
http://iipm-centers.blogspot.com/
http://placements-iipm.blogspot.com/
http://iipm-web.blogspot.com/
http://iipm-seminars.blogspot.com/
http://original-space.blogspot.com/
http://view-for-you.blogspot.com/
http://respected-business-school.blogspot.com/

Monday, October 08, 2007

Public Interest?


IIPM going global

The State must get over its control mentality...


There Sutanu Guruappears to be a strange sense of déjà vu every time you watch or hear the Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting ‘reassure’ the nation that he is not keen on controlling the content that flows out of the dozens of private news channels across the country. In the same breath, the Minister criticises the news channels for peddling sensational news. Twice in 2007, Priya Ranjan Das Munshi has banned the telecast of two general entertainment channels for having the gall to show obscene visuals to the vast masses of India. In the backdrop of the growing intolerance of the Indian society towards freedom of speech and expression, the musings of the I&B Minister appear even more alarming.

There is no doubt that some news channels are making a mockery of the very word ‘news’. Stories of love affairs between professors and students, of a snake chasing a woman endlessly, of a man forecasting the precise time of his death, or even of a starlet claiming to be the wife of Abhishek Bachchan do stretch credibility. There is no doubt that television news channels in India are sometimes literally going berserk while providing breathless round-the clock coverage of trivia. Yet, it is incomprehensible to even think that the I&B Ministry and the bureaucrats in the ministry start dictating what ‘proper’ news is; and what isn’t. The logical destination of this creeping censorship would be a throwback to the dark days of Emergency, when freedom of speech and expression was trampled upon and destroyed. The Minister must recognise the fact that the freedom of the media is non-negotiable and that he cannot invoke tired old clichés like ‘public interest’ to try and gag the media as and when his whims take over. During the British Imperial rule, the State frequently invoked ‘public interest’ to perpetuate Imperialism and throttle voices of protest. After Independence, the Indian State took over the job of dictating what ‘public interest’ is. The I&B Minister really has no business to tell news channels that they should refrain from using terms like ‘Meena’ and ‘Gujjar’ while covering the recent upheaval in Rajasthan. How will telling it as it violate or disturb ‘public interest’?

Frankly, ‘public interest’ has become a bit of a joke as the term merely provided a fig leaf to hopelessly corrupt bureaucrats and politicians to shield themselves from scrutiny and accountability. That’s why you find bureaucrats not complying with requests under the Right To Information Law by blandly stating that ‘public interest’ is involved. The Minister must realise that bad old days of control and more control are over. A democracy needs a free media.

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2007

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

For More IIPM Article, Visit Below....
36TH Full Time Programme In Planning & Entrepreneu...
On "IIPM - Arindam Chaudhuri - Planman"
IIPM Alliances
IIPM RANKED AHEAD OF FIVE OF THE IIMS
The Business of B-School Rankings & The Big Farce
IIPM ABOUT :- IIPM KNOWLEDGE CENTER
Topic: India – China: A Growth Comparison
IIPM Infrastructure : Campus
HRIC :- Human Resource Intelligence Cell

Friday, September 28, 2007

Who said it has bid adieu?


36TH Full Time Programme In Planning & Entrepreneu...

Apartheid is still openly practised and preached in South Africa...


A Apartheid is still openly practised and preached in South Africa...partheid has been officially over, more than one and a half decade back, but in essence, racism is still rampantly practised. For all the big talks about the efficacy of democracy and how it has brought about a paradigm shift , in reality, things still remain as they were.

The gruesome murder of John Rampuru in August 2000, who was ruthlessly dragged behind the pick up van of his white boss till death, amply vindicates that apartheid is not just present but is violent too. No wonder John Rampuru was just a one-off example of thousands of such incidents that take place every year over there. In another incident, a black teenage girl was covered in white paint by white shop staff who accused her of theft. Shockingly, law keepers do not even consider these cases as racist. Yet on the contrary, South African human rights groups believe that most of the murders (24,000) and attempt to murders (28,000) are racist in nature.

Several reports clearly state that there has always been a history of unequal distribution of wealth in South Africa, where the white minority holds more than 90% of the land. Moreover, the socio-economic status of black people makes them venerable to infections like TB and HIV/AIDS. These blacks live in destitute settlements and more likely to be poor and unemployed. On the employment front, even if black and whites are given the same job titles, the job responsibility and job profile are not same and equal. Studies show that in 2002, the median net worth of coloured households was $7,932 and that of whites was $88,651. South Africa today is the wealthiest country in Africa, and the credit for its modernity, industry and wealth goes to the inevitable sweat of the blacks as much the innovation of the whites. The construction of a true democracy could be framed only by the social cleansing and resurgence as tolerant and accommodative society.

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2007

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

For More IIPM Article, Visit Below....

Monday, September 24, 2007

Suisse’s Enron suit: To pay $61.5 million

Enron Creditors Recovery Corp., (formerly known as Enron Corp.), intimated that Credit Suisse has finally agreed to pay $61.5 million to resolve a lawsuit over the bankruptcy of the former energy trading giant. Enron, entered bankruptcy proceedings in December 2001 after its accounting tricks could no longer hide the billions in debt or make failing ventures appear profitable. This payment will clear all insolvency procedures between the energy major and Credit Suisse. However, Credit Suisse denied of any liability standing to its credit, which is only subject to the approval of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. John J. Ray III, Enron’s Chairman expressed satisfaction over the arrangement and hopes to resolve the remaining equity transaction cases.

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2007

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

For More IIPM Article, Visit Below....
IIPM going global
IIPM Alliances
Warming up for doomsday?
If you have it, flaunt it
IIPM RANKED AHEAD OF FIVE OF THE IIMS
A beach resort… Come for a month, at least
IIPM ABOUT :- IIPM KNOWLEDGE CENTER
Money for nothing...
Topic: India – China: A Growth Comparison
Who says US is on the brink of a recession?...
Thanda karta sabko ek
IIPM Infrastructure : Campus

Thursday, September 13, 2007

Droughts Down under


IIPM BEST B-SCHOOL

The Droughts Down underthreat of global warming is creeping in faster than one can imagine. Rainfall patterns have changed with global temperatures increasing consistently over the last 50 years. The Prime Minister of Australia, John Howard had publicly expressed concern over the anomalous drought situation which has dried up her rich food and crop cultivation areas. The drought that has been on for the past 6 years has sucked dry, once existing water resources. With its warm clime, Australia’s flatlands are more susceptible to global warming. Professor of Natural Resources Science at Adelaide University, Wayne Meyer says, “We are the ones that are going to be at the forefront because we’re less buffered”. The cultivation of fruit products saw an enormous hit due to the drought, pushing up prices. If measures of conserving water resources are not set and followed, the brunt would be borne by the generation very next to this one. Without serious thought and implementation of a sound system of allocation and use of water resources, the drought will not only continue but spread further as well . . .

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2007

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

Monday, September 10, 2007

No rain, no gain?


IIPM PUBLICATION

Will the real insurer please stand up?

Does anyone care if it rains in the first week of June or the third? Obviously, millions of Indian farmers do. As weather conditions become more unpredictable, the chances of not repaying the loan by a farmer are also becoming more evident. And now, most disappointing statistics from the government reveal that while 65% of Indian agriculture is dependent on natural factors, particularly rainfall, any discrepancy in rainfall accounts for over 50% of variability in crop yields. Then there are the most inane insurance schemes set up under the aegis of National Agricultural Insurance Schemes for farmers’ future.

The present schemes illogically settle claims based on actual area yield. Worse, the settlement process is generally delayed, in some cases up to 6-12 months from the occurrence of the event, till which time the farmer is bankrupt many times over. Besides, only notified crops, not all, are eligible for the above crop insurance schemes. Wonder why it’s no wonder that the number of farmer suicides is increasing!

Fortunately, the government has taken a whisper of a logical step in this year’s budget by announcing a comprehensive insurance scheme, the compensation of which will be based on weather derivatives, rather than on making tedious calculations of crop damage. But aren’t derivatives extremely miniscule currently? M. Parshad, CMD of Agricultural Insurance Company, which has been asked to carry out the scheme on a pilot basis in few states, accepted to B&E, “At the moment, weather derivatives take up only a very small fraction of the rural insurance market, but since weather derivative contracts are easier and much faster to settle, we expect it to change.”

Whatever it is, it’s a great start. But the government should now focus on making such schemes compulsorily linked to all crop loans and to attach maximum number of farmers, and even other firms whose fortunes depend on weather, to it. Really, why can’t the thumb rule for Indian farmers one day change from ‘No Rain, No Gain’ to ‘No Rain, No Pain’

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2007

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

Monday, September 03, 2007

Profit motive prevents Bush from caring for the Nature


IIPM BEST B-SCHOOL

ForThanks to him, only `bush'es may remain! Bush, oil means profits & politics. His politics is to build finance capital & his profits are to buy political capital. And he just hates all impediments like environmental concerns, which come in between his profit-maximising march. Emboldened after defeating one of the top American environmentalists Al Gore at the hustings, Bush has been ruthless in pursuing his not-so-green policies with impunity, & sadly with aplomb. On the important issue of environment, the radicalism portrayed by the Bush led Republicans has been mind boggling. Be it the refusal to accede to the Kyoto Protocol or the refusal to obey any international treaty that would reduce American economic growth projections, Bush’s misadventures know no limits. Former Vice President Al Gore told B&E, “The unwillingness to solve the climate problem is not only the result of a lack of political will, but it has also been caused by the emergence of a new political environment, dangerously hostile to reason, knowledge and facts. In the long-term, this poses a threat to the very basis of American democracy.”

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2007

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

Thursday, August 30, 2007

With sound branding strategies and robust profits, Master-Card & Visa look poised for better days ahead...

Plastic With sound branding strategies and robust profits, Master-Card & Visa look poised for better days ahead...may not be good for the environment but it’s surely driving the money market and how! With 59% consumers worldwide nodding with approval to credit cards as a primary means of payment, one can well expect the bonanza of profits that credit card companies are enjoying of late.

Indeed, both MasterCard and Visa are having a ball. An unprecedented gain in profits of 70% for MasterCard in the current quarter has enthralled shareholders. Robert Selander, the company’s president and CEO, stated, “These results continue to demonstrate the strength of our business model and growth in electronic forms of payment.” The boost in this hike comes more from markets like India, China and Brazil.

The two companies have also built a phenomenal branding strength over the years. Talking about branding power of Visa, Michael Beindorff, Executive VP, Visa USA, said, “Rather than promoting their own brand name, banks want to build their house on the foundation of Visa, which is already so powerful and strong”. The positive traits attached to the brand name Visa, are confidence, comfort, high acceptance and reliability. However, with a decline of 56 points in market share for 2006, Visa (market share of 60.29%) announced the launch of “Life Takes Visa” brand campaign (for the first time in 20 years) and talks about evolution of Visa from a top credit card company to leader in electronic payments.

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2007

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

Thursday, August 09, 2007

Vijay Mallya’s new spirits


IIPM BEST B-SCHOOL

FinallyVijay Mallya’s new spirits the wait is over! It’s now confirmed that the King of Good Times, liquor baron Vijay Mallya’s United Spirits has snapped up Scottish whiskey-maker Whyte & Mackay (W&M) for a whopping Rs.48.19 billion. After buying out Shaw Wallace for Rs.13 billion in 2005, and French winemaker Bouvet Ladubay (a subsidiary of Champagne Taittinger) for $20 million last year, Mallya, the Chairman of UB Group is on a high. The company has already informed the Bombay Stock Exchange that it has acquired 100% stake in Whyte and Mackay. “The potential for premium Scotch whiskey in India is enormous and with the acquisition of Whyte and Mackay, we now have a strong portfolio of internationally recognised brands that we will immediately introduce in the Indian market and use our strong distribution muscle fully to our advantage,” said Mallya about the acquisition. W&M has brands like Whyte & Mackay Scotch Whiskey, Highland Malt, Isle of Juara Malt Whiskey, Glayva Liquer and Dalmore Single Highland Malt, John Barr, Mackinlays, Cluny and Claymore in its portfolio. Earlier, W&M had said in a statement: “The business is extremely valuable to us on a standalone basis and we understand why UB group has been so interested in acquiring us, given their additional capability to sell and market our brands in all key growth markets, including India and China.” Here’s to some good Scotch then!

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2007

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

Wednesday, August 01, 2007

Saving the Indian farmer


IIPM PUBLICATION

The Prime Minister needs to move beyond posturing

BeginningSutanu Guru, Executive Editor, Business & Economy with Andhra Pradesh, the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, is launching a tour of various states to assess the unprecedented crisis that confronts Indian agriculture. According to his spin doctors, the Prime Minister is now convinced that something urgent and drastic needs to be done with Indian agriculture before things get out of hand. After all, you cannot really claim to represent the ‘masses’ if farmers commit suicide in their thousands. So while criss-crossing the country, the Prime Minister will be consulting and seeking the cooperation of chief ministers to find durable solutions to this crisis. As the spin doctors elaborate, stagnant and declining productivity levels are a key area of concern, apart from issues like lack of institutional credit, declining quality of soil and the lack of infrastructure that prevent Indian farmers from reaping the fruits of globalisation.

But does Manmohan Singh really need to travel across the length and breadth of the country to find out what ails Indian agriculture. Sitting in his fortified Race Course Road residence, or the even more heavily fortified office at South Block, Dr. Singh, being the good economist that he is, cannot only dissect the crisis; he would also know exactly what steps can be taken to rescue Indian agriculture sector and the farmers from its current state of misery. For that matter, even a college student of Economics, who is even remotely familiar with Indian agriculture, knows what the solutions are. And economists and analysts have been talking their throats hoarse about this issue.

Being the good economist that he is, Dr. Singh would know that Indian farmers, like producers and suppliers anywhere in the world, will benefit immensely if they have better access to markets. Far from ensuring that the Indian farmer can sell across the globe, the government persists with the insanely repressive law that makes a farmer selling his output outside his state, a criminal. Being the decent democrat that Dr. Singh is, he also could not have failed to note the sheer arrogance and anti-farmer stance of his own government when private companies like Reliance and ITC were warned against buying food grains directly from farmers. That’s because the private players were offering much more to the farmer, creating a situation in which the Food Corporation of India was not able to buy stocks.

Why does Dr. Singh need to do a cross country marathon in this searing heat when he knows all this and much more? He could do better by advising his Agriculture Minister, Sharad Pawar, to pay more attention to the farmer and less to the state of Indian cricket. Then again, is he in a position to do even that?

(SMS your views with your name and topic to 0-9818101234)

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2007

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