Hedging MCX?

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“Since markets are not mature and since regulation is not autonomous, getting corporates to participate in the market is a big problem for MCX,” explains an analyst. Admits an MCX insider, “Corporates are as it is not coming to the platform.” For example, in the metals segment, big players like Hindalco, Vendanta, Tata Steel, Jindals, et al, are - as always - continuing to hedge their risks on the London Metal Exchange (LME), instead of coming on to MCX. “The reasons are two fold. One, because LME is more liquid than MCX and two, entry cost is on a higher side at MCX,” says the source. With the Indian government now contemplating an even higher commodity transaction tax – for every 1 lakh rupees, the trader will pay Rs.17 as tax as opposed to the two rupees he shells out now – the entry load is all set to become more expensive for hedgers on the platform. Liquidity and low volume players are a problem too. Even if corporates want to come to the exchange, they are constrained by low volumes. “Thanks to government restrictions, large players like FIIs, financial institutions, mutual funds, banks, et al, are not allowed on commodity exchanges in India, leading to a host of smaller players (dabbling in with minor volumes) on comex bourses, but hardly any big transactions,” says Mathur of Angel Commodities. Analysts say that corporates form less than 10% of the total business on Indian commodity exchanges, as opposed to them constituting over 75% of the total business on global exchanges.

The volumes problem is aggravated by a dearth of a range of products and participants on commodity exchanges, again restricted by government regulations. In a stock exchange, you can trade on nifty, indices, options, as also buy & sell physical shares, but with commodity exchanges, there is only one product offering that is futures. Similarly equity markets enjoy participation from FIIs, Banks, Mutual Funds, HNIs and retail investors, in comexes there are only traders and brokers. Autonomy for the commodities markets regulator – Forward Markets Commission – at present under administrative control of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs could be the way out of this quagmire.

Besides, marketing guys at MCX say that when they make awareness presentations in corporates, sometimes they are blocked out as companies do not want to answer their shareholders (in case of losses at the bourses) about why they were betting on commodity futures at all. Analysts say that because of unawareness, many corporates would even liken it to gambling. Ask Massey, whether linking commodity hedging to gambling was right, and he shrugs. “In gambling, you have one outcome – you win or lose. There’s no scientific basis to it. In this market, it is not win or lose. The market simply helps you in fixing your long term (futures) price in a firm manner; so you can follow your present (physical) strategy independently.”

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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Canon HF 10

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Technical Specification
12x Optical Zoom, 16GB Internal Memory; 2.7-inch widescreen colour, approx, 211,000 pixels; 40x/200x Digital Zoom(Movie mode only); Full HD 1920x1080 Recording
PRICE: Rs.72,995
WARRANTY: 2 Years

Cannon has caught onto the latest trend in HD camcorders. Its Canon HF10 is the solid camcorder in Canon’s current high definition consumer lineup, recording to removable SDHC memory cards and 16GB internal flash memory. For as much as the HF10 brings to the table in terms of high performance and portability, it is ‘the’ device for those who want to capture reality. As this is a high-end model, Canon calls upon its Super Range Optical Image Stabilisation which cuts out vibrations at different frequencies. There are two types of autofocus too! Explains Shunichi Senda, Director, ICP, Canon India, “The new Canon HF10 brings the best of technologies into your palm. The camcorder has also many interesting features to offer ease and convenience to customers.” There is a warning signal though as Rakesh Gupta, a tech analyst adds, “It has all the advanced technologies. However it has to look at its price tag.”

Marketers’ delight: The high resolution and higher image quality offered by this camcorder will win hearts amongst fans who want to capture memories, without any compromise. It offers the brilliance of shooting Full HD video with the advantages of dual flash memory, in a compact stylish package.

Tester’s note: Pros – Without a doubt, the best AVCHD camcorder available in the market. It’s one of the best point and shoot camcorder available in the market at the moment. With its excellent image quality, healthy range of manual controls, small size and keen price, the Canon HF10 is the high definition camcorder we have all been waiting for.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
Now IIPM's World-Class Education... for everybody!!
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Nokia N81 8GB

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Technical Specifications

Display: TFT, 16,000,000 colours; Memory: Practically unlimited entries and fields; Photocall; Battery life: Standard battery, Li-Po 1050 mAh (BT-6MT); Camera: 2 Mp, 1600x1200 pixels, video (QVGA 15fps), flash; Secondary CIF videocall camera
PRICE: Rs.16,379
WARRANTY: N.A.

Nokia N81 8GB has a glossy black finish and careful panel design which gives it a very sleek and stylish look. Being a 3G phone, it also makes use of the Nokia’s S60 Symbian software. “Nokia N81 comes with dedicated gaming keys and offers the ultimate action-packed entertainment experience with rich gaming, music and content,” explains Vineet Taneja, Head-GTM, Nokia India. With its 3.5mm connection, one can enjoy the excellent music player enabled by side mounted stereo speakers. It is also loaded with Wi-Fi, front mounted video-call camera, FM radio and a wide variety of office related functions too. With 2Mp, the camera is a let down in comparison to the other N series products.

Marketers’ delight: It’s another N-Series. Need we say more?

Tester’s note: Pros – Huge memory space – 8GB! Great gaming and sound features. Cons – The phone could be slimmer. The N95 8GB can be a better option with similar storage capacity and more features.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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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Black Gold, Black motives, Black Curse!

Now IIPM's World-Class Education... for everybody!!

The genesis of 9/11 can be clearly traced back to the ‘oil-soaked’ foreign policy of the US. In a Faustian pact, it ignored the excesses of the brutal Saudi regime. It ignored the virulent spread of fanatic Islam to countries Pakistan and Indonesia, primarily financed by the petro-dollars of Saudi Arabia. It ignored the shenanigans of Pakistan. US even launched negotiations with the barbaric Taliban regime of Afghanistan for a oil pipeline that would flow from oil and gas fields in central Asia to Pakistan. The chickens had to come home to roost.

The traumatic events of 9/11 too were not sufficient to change the foreign policy track of the US-oil and gas supplies at any cost. Virtually no effort was made to rein in Pakistan, a nation that everybody now acknowledges as the fountain head of Islamic Terror. Instead, the Bush administration cooked up allegations of nuclear proliferation by Iraq and invaded the country in 2003. Iraq is now destroyed and the events after the arbitray invasion explain why oil touched an all-time high of $115 per barrel on April 17, 2008!

More alarming are noises coming out of Washington that invading intransigent Iran was a good idea. Global markets often work by assuming worst case scenarios and as far as oil is concerned, nothing could be worse than Iran being invaded. No wonder, despite no precipitate fall in the supply of oil, prices have touched such high levels. Global markets also know that a Russia controlled by Putin will not offer any cheap gas to US, nor will Venezuela under Chavez.

There is worse in store. China has emerged as a serious rival when it comes to tying up access to oil reserves. China is pally with three nations on the black list of US – Sudan, Iran and Myanmar. All three have oil and gas. China is very friendly with dictatorial regimes in Central Asia and Nigeria because they have oil and gas. And when US preaches to China about not being friendly with cruel and dictatorial regimes, all the later has to do is point out the strategic alliance between US and Saudi Arabia.

In the first few decades of the 20th century, US consistently elbowed out UK as the nation with the best access to oil and gas reserves. Will China do a repeat in the first few decades of the 21st Century? The Chinese are familiar with their history lessons. Do they remember that when Japan wanted equal access to natural resources for its rapid industrialization, it was annihilated in World War II?

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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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PIYUSH CHAWLA - Success spinner

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PIYUSH CHAWLA
Success spinner

“Line is optional, length is mandatory,” was the advice of the great Indian former test captain Erapalli Prasanna to the upcoming youngsters. And someone who has constantly followed-up with Piyush Chawla’s spells since his U-19 days would be able to tell the reason of this little star’s grand success. At 17 years of age at the 2006 Under-19 World Cup he finished as the highest wicket taker, and hasn’t looked back since.

Born in Aligarh, Piyush thanks the cricket-crazy nation to have instilled in him the thought and interest in cricket. “I have always been around people who spoke about cricket and worshipped the players,” he said. His big leap from domestic to international cricket at an early age was like walking up a dream castle. “The dream of playing for India was etched in my mind since childhood. My parents and my coach played a huge role in encouraging me to think of taking cricket as a profession,” gushed Piyush who felt that he belonged to international cricket after his Test debut against England at Mohali. Piyush had shown promise during the Challenger Series where a beautiful delivery had lead to the dismissal of Sachin Tendulkar. That being the foundation stone to the tower of success that he aims to build, India’s tour to Bangladesh in 2007 came as an opportunity that catapulted his cricket career. Having been a part of the young Indian cricket team where there are few to look up to and more to compete with, Piyush follows a simple motto. “It’s a team, a country that you’re playing for. So one can’t think of competing with the other. The opposition alone is the competitor. I always compete with myself. When I go out there to play, I tell myself to perform better than what I did the last time.”

Though he couldn’t quite make his mark during India’s record-creating ICC World T-20 victory Piyush left no stone unturned to prove himself in the CB Series against Australia. India’s youngest debutant after Tendulkar, Piyush, along with Ishant Sharma promises to give the Indian attack that vital edge.

Touted as a India’s great new spin hope and bowling all-rounder of the future, Piyush closes the conversation by disclosing his dream – “I want to be recalled as one of the most successful spinners of India, if not the world.”

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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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TASLIMA NASREEN - A lesson to learn from

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TASLIMA NASREEN
A lesson to learn from

The pen is mightier that the sword is a cliché known far and wide. But what if your own pen becomes the sword that falls on your neck? Ask Taslima Nasreen, the much criticised and most discussed gyno-turned-writer; a Bangladeshi woman whose first book Lajja shot her to fame, in a manner none would desire. And, you get your answer.

Chased by Islamic groups, who charged her of making vile statements, she flew to Europe. After staying on exile in Europe for almost a decade, Taslima decided to live in India’s old capital – Kolkata, which as she felt was “the closest to home.” But December 2007 saw her being deported to New Delhi where she was supposedly given a “safe house”, or a “house-arrest”, as she reportedly claims. And when India decided to boot her in March 2008, she finally flew off to Scandanavia.

True, she was a Bangladeshi and that her government had more responsibility to deliver her justice. But she remains a lesson in India’s history of when hospitality was confused for house-arrest! She lost. Non-secular, non-democratic India won! But if India has to be the next force this century, it has to remember the Taslima tale and ensure that no Taslima loses next time!

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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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What more infrastructure does India need to become a developed country?

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What more infrastructure does India need to become a developed country? Analyses AKRAM HOQUE & SRAY AGARWAL of IIPM Think Tank

Financial market

Now switching to India’s booming financial market which has yet not reached its peak and matured enough, it has shown lot of promises and will leave significant contributions in its development and glory. Recent available data, about 4% Indians have access and invest in the Indian stock market. Though, the number of people investing in stock market might look greater than the entire US population, as tiny fraction invest in it; the stock market has not become a holistic indicator of India’s growth story. Thus, people’s participation needs to be encouraged to 75% which then will lead to a significant change. It is then the most import aspect, availing banking facilities to every nook and corner of India. Merely, 31% of the Indian population avail banking facilities today, while crores of rupees are in the public hands coming to the rural economy as remittances, profits. There is a need to consolidate big banks and focus more on branch extension. Furthermore, each branch should provide services at par with any stand-alone banks or private banks. In order to increase and encourage entrepreneurship, 75 dedicated specialised venture capital companies should be started across the country in order to encourage budding entrepreneurs. However, bank branches have drastically increased from 10,120 in 1969 to 98,910 in 2003 and the population served by branch decreased from 63,800 to 15,000 during the same period. If India can encourage opening another 75,000 bank branches providing services in rural areas in another five years, it will be like a golden egg from a golden goose.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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VERACITY OF A VILLAIN

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Envied by fellowmen, dogged by criticism but revered for unmistakable and unmatchable courage. Such was the life William Stephen Raikes Hodson chose to lead…

Humayun’s tomb in Delhi is an almost forgotten monument in generation Y’s rat race and has been pathetically reduced to a mere landmark for someone looking for driving directions to Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station. But many pages of Indian History intersect at this very junction, and one such chapter is of Major Hodson of the Hodson’s Horse...

A 23-year-old William Stephen Raikes Hodson joined the 2nd Bengal Grenadiers and played an inconsequential role in the first Sikh War. He managed to be in the good books of his superior, Sir Henry Lawrence, and in 1852 was given the civil command of the Yusafzai. But the rashness in his words and actions never went down well with his compatriots and superiors. Two years later, two grave charges were levied against him. First, was his imprisoning of a Pashtun pathan named Khadar Khan for murdering one Colonel Mackeson, and the second being the embezzlement of funds for his regiment. Lord Dalhousie removed Hodson from his duties with immediate effect. It was later concluded that Major Hodson had been negligent towards government funds but was found innocent on the fraud charge. In the future, various similar charges were also raised against him. Just as he was on the brink of a complete dismissal from India, the mutiny of 1857 broke out. He became a cult figure within East India Company because of his ability to take companies of cavaliers from Karnal to Meerut – a region swarming with rebel soldiers – and back in four days. He undertook this accomplishment with such élan that General Anson allowed him to raise a regiment of 2000 cavaliers called the Hodson’s Horse. On 22nd September, Hodson persuaded General Wilson to permit him to ride with 50 of Hodson’s horsemen to Humayun’s tomb, where the rebel princes of the Mughul dynasty were taking refuge with thousands of rebels. He was to go to their hideout and make the sons of Bahadur Shah Zafar, Mirza Mughal and Mirza Khizr Sultan and grandson Mirza Abu Bakr surrender without condition. He managed the surrender of Bahadur Shah, and returned to the British stronghold without as much as a cry from the rebels.

The following day, he made a return to Humayun’s tomb with hundred sowars to make the princes surrender. And with the level-headedness peculiar to him, he commanded the three princes to lay down their arms unconditionally, which they did, and made them leave in a carriage guarded by 10 of his soldiers, while he stayed back with the remaining 90 to collect the arms of the mutineers. Hodson then caught up with the princes’ caravan near Feroz Shah Kotla Fort. However, while they were still on enemy ground, the rebels became restless as their leaders were taken away. Moments later, they threatened to turn violent and sensing imminent danger, Hodson did what became the blackest page with Major Hodson’s name. He took a musket from a sowar and shot all three princes through their heads; ending thus, one of world’s greatest imperial dynasties. The East India Company came down heavily on Major Hodson, but eventually it was concluded that he would not have been able to bring the princes safely into Delhi had he not done what he did.

La Martiniere, Lucknow, is the only school in the world that has been awarded the Queen’s colours for its service during the 1857 mutiny. Its students tended to the sick and the wounded and parcelled food to where the soldiers’ makeshift hospital was. Its Principal, Mr. Elton D’Souza, says, “Major Hodson’s actions cannot speak for his character. It is hard to imagine one to be in his place. The various other stories are baseless and cannot be established. He was a British Army officer and did what was in the best interest of his establishment.”

On 11 March,1858, at Begum Peth in Lucknow, Hodson ordered the door of a room, where a handful of rebels were holed up, to be brought down. But before the soldiers could bring in the gunpowder bags and blow up the door, Hodson rushed in with the characteristic rashness that was known of him and got shot through the liver. He instantly choked on blood and, to his compatriot, said his last words, “I hope I have done my duty.” Thus, a controversial career of a fine officer and the finest soldier came to an abrupt end. Contrary to the accusations he lived under, Hodson’s wife was left with merely GBP 400. Major William Stephen Raikes Hodson was buried on the grounds of La Martiniere, Lucknow.

B&E edit bureau: Ashish Pratap Singh

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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 divides...

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When will we bridge them?

Francis Bacon said, “Things alter for worse spontaneously, if they be not altered for better.” India is a country where Atomic Age and near Stone Age co-exist in combination. However, India’s tangible developments are mostly in big cities. Since two-third of our population resides in villages, the development of countryside is linchpin to stall lop sided growth and urban-rural divide. The Left Front, by flexing its muscle on ruling UPA Government, has enhanced fund allocation for rural sector considerably.

The funds for Rural Development Programmes has been enhanced to Rs.77,474 crores in the 10th Plan as against Rs.42,874 crores in the Ninth Plan. Budgetary outlay has also increased from Rs.31,444 crores in 2006-07 to Rs.36,560 crores in 2007-08. Further, there are various development plans under Bharat Nirman, which includes rural housing, rural roads and rural drinking water. India is one of the most corrupt nations in the world, which puts a question mark over the proper implementation and appropriation of funds. Investment must also be made in social sector, which will not only bolster our democracy but will also create purchasing power among masses. The Indian dream of becoming a developed and powerful nation will be fulfilled then.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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Cocooned Kiani will soon come out of his shell

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He will never let the primacy of military in Pakistani polity & economy fade away

While it is difficult to deny that Gen. Ashfaq Pervez Kiani, the Pakistan Army’s chief is “patient, diligent & intelligent, one cannot say with confidence that it is only these qualities which have endeared him to the President Musharraf. The biggest factor that worked in Kiani’s favour was that he has preferred to maintain a low profile all this while. Now, his ISI background may have taught him the virtues of silence but to imagine that power would not corrupt this Pakistani army chief, may be a bit far fetched. “Although Kiani has proved his loyalty to Musharraf, but for how long will he continue top obey the dictates of non-uniformed general is a moot point,” says Ajey Lele of IDSA. Whatever the political outcome, Kiani would be working doubly hard in 2008 to maintain the primacy of army in Pakistani polity and economy. To expect him to play ball with Musharraf for too long may be foolhardy.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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Surfing Gold

IIPM’s 36th Glorious Year of Academic Excellence

If there’s something you’ll certainly do at the Gold Coast, it would be to spoil yourself with choices…. What with the vast stretches of languid beaches, the Hinterland Mountains, the lush green rainforest, world-class golfing greens and some of the world-famous theme parks! And that’s exactly what Gold Coast is all about – just about everything under the Sun! Where on the one hand there are surfing boards and sands that beckon, there are tranquil woods endlessly enticing you with their quaint charm on the other. So, as you land on the 6th largest city in Australia that has more water canals than Venice, be wary of its beauty… for it may leave you hypnotised for ever! Although with a year round balmy climate, there’s no best time to visit the place, but November-December is recommended nevertheless, owing to moderate precipitation and (it goes without mention) the summer Christmas! Not just that, the Gold Coast plays host to exciting events, shopping festivals and wildlife excursions all year round… and is home to the largest sub-tropical rainforest remnant in the world, more than 100,000 ha of nature reserves and World Heritage sites! So without further delay, pack your bags and brace yourself for perhaps the most exciting sojourn Down Under – the Gold Coast… an indulgence retreat for sure, if nothing more!

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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Mukesh Ambani plans to sell oil

IIPM’s 36th Glorious Year of Academic Excellence

Added to this is the process issue of landing delays. “Any aircraft, on an average, spends 26-30 minutes in air because of traffic congestion,” Hitesh Patel, EVP Kingfisher Airlines, bemoaned to me when I met him for a tête à tête in Mumbai. In a flight that generally takes cut-to-cut 80 minutes (say, Delhi-Mumbai again), such a landing delay increases fuel costs by almost 33%!

In this Catch 22 situation, there are very limited options left. First is to cut flights: as SpiceJet did by reducing the number of flight from 117 to 100 recently. Second: Change the business model, which Jet Airways is planning to do by announcing a foray into flying freighters in the wake of squeezed margins on passenger flights. Jet plans to use three leased Boeing 737 JetLite passenger planes for its cargo operations. Third: one can learn from business models of international low cost airlines like Rynair. But Jitendra Bhargava, ED, Corp Comm, Air India, disagrees with me, “The Indian low cost model and the Ryanair model is not comparable, as here we do not enjoy any advantage like operating in/out of secondary and distant airports where landing/parking charges are lower. In India, low cost airlines operate from the main airports as no major city has two airports.” Even Maunu Von Lueder, quoting many examples, toed the same line, “The Ryanair model and the likes cannot be copied in the Indian market...”

But the worst part of this story is that unlike Uncle Scrooge, not one Indian LCC has a documented strategy of hedging and locking into fixed oil prices in the past few years to escape the vagaries of oil price increase. Think about it. Southwest Airlines in the US did just that in 2007 by locking into oil at $51 a barrel just before the crude oil’s yearlong run-up. This resulted into gains of almost half a billion dollars just in the first 9 months of 2007. And why haven’t Indian LCCs tried this out? I didn’t get even one concrete answer for any LCC!

Now comes the news that Mukesh Ambani plans to sell oil in the Indian market at $25 a barrel by the next year and save the government’s import bill by over Rs 1.1 trillion. This could give a boost to airlines. But if they thought that Lalu is going to be flustered even one bit, perhaps they conveniently forget, Indian trains don’t run on highly priced buffalo manure. They thankfully run on electricity and coal, both sources owned by the government!

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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Uttar Pradesh

IIPM Ranked No. 1 B-School In Global Exposre - Zee...

It has everything to shake up the veiled historian within you. However, the state’s marketing strategy so far has been limited to just cashing in on the Taj fame. But, it’s time now to break out the old shell and realise its true potential, feels pallavi srivastava...

Strike a conversation about Uttar Pradesh (UP) and the first thing you hear is Wah Taj! And well, you don’t even require a doctorate degree in ancient Indian history to find out that Shahjahan built this wonder of the world in memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. But you do need it when it comes to a lesser popular belief that Taj Mahal was also a display of love of the great architect Ustad Isha Khan (who was the designer of this masterpiece) for Shahjahan’s daughter Jahan Aara. Now, does that shake-up the veiled historian within you? If yes, UP may interest you as a tourist, as it has many such never-told-before stories to unveil!

Already at the top in terms of tourist inflow (117,500,000 in 2007), this vivacious state has everything to entice one’s mood. From the famous Banaras ghats to Bhuddhist Stupas of Sarnath, and from a glimpse of pure nawabi culture in Lucknow to the fascinating Holi of Brij; the state with its rich history and vivid culture can leave you asking for more. In fact, the state earned Rs.95.85 billion, almost 10% of its total revenues for 2007, through tourism. However, till date a major chunk of these revenues keep coming from those who limit their UP excursions only to the Taj Mahal. The reason is simple. The state’s marketing strategy so far has been limited to cashing in on the Taj fame. So, it shouldn’t surprise you if you meet foreign tourists going gung ho on the Taj Mahal, but are clueless about the rest of UP.

However, recently the government has taken some initiatives to market other prominent tourists spots as well. For instance, it plans to spend Rs.17 billion for the development of a Buddhist Circuit at Kushinagar, which includes an international airport. Moreover, the tourism department has a blueprint of a tourism development policy ready, with its focus on developing the Buddhist Circuit, Bundelkhand Circuit, Water Cruise Circuit, Jain Shrines Circuit; and an Eco-Tourism Circuit in the state. But, a lack of district-wise data, aged publicity material and concentrated marketing efforts are few issues that hinder UP’s huge tourism potential. “We need a professional marketing campaign. The state should pull out of accommodation & should pay attention to connectivity. For instance, how do you explain that the capital of this state is not connected to Agra by a proper fast day train or even air?” asks Prateek Hira, CEO, Tornos Tours.

On the other hand, the investment scenario in the state has improved a lot over the past few years. Changes introduced include: stability of tenure for the state’s bureaucrats, improved perception of law and order, reduced cost of doing business, single window clearance, and reforms in public procurement to enhance transparency and competition, et al. “We are committed to greater involvement of the private sector in government policies. Public-private partnerships are being worked out in sectors such as transport where government support is needed. We will merely reduce stakes in such enterprises while protecting the service conditions of existing employees,” avers V. N. Garg, Principal Secretary, Industrial Development, Uttar Pradesh.

Certainly, public private partnership investments have begun to flow-in into the state. A total of Rs.1,311 billion have come into the state during the last one year. This includes Rs.300 billion for the Ganga Expressway, Rs.40 billion for the Taj International Airport and Rs.250 billion for power generation projects, which will add 3,300 MW of electricity generation, thereby making the business environment more conducive. Other initiatives by the state include setting up of a mechanism for third party evaluation of performance, setting up of e-tendering & e-procurement systems, computerisation of land records and web enabled single able systems for SMEs et al to lure investors. Moreover, looking at the inherent potential in the food processing industry, the government has also introduced a Food Processing Industrial Policy. The major objectives of the policy are to minimise wastage of agriculture & horticulture produce, and provide a ‘market’ focus to the entire range of activities involved in the food processing industry. The state government is also planning to provide an interest free loan of Rs.50 million to facilitate working capital in the industry.

On account of FDI inflows though, the state’s performance is not very impressive. Between April 2000 and March 2008 only 58 FDI proposals, worth $73 million were approved for UP. However, the domestic private investments in the state have been pouring in and have touched the figure of Rs.116.63 billion. But these still seem to be concentrated only in Noida, Ghaziabad, Kanpur and Meerut. The government, perhaps, needs to figure out new investment belts to realise the true potential of the state.

In short, the investment scenario may have improved over the year, however, much more marketing efforts are required to boost tourism throughout the state. Else, one would just continue to say ‘Wah Taj!’

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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Jignesh Maniar (34), O&M.

IIPM Ranked No. 1 B-School In Global Exposre - Zee...

Jignesh Maniar (34), O&M. The way in which your life goes is part destiny and part hard-work. For Jignesh, it was his luck as well as his destiny to join the advertising field. While doing his MBA from K. J. Somaiya Institute of Management, he was once caught bunking. He refused to apologise as he had not asked his friend to mark his proxy. The furious principal threw him out of the room. He later wrote a long letter to the principal. On reading his principal said, “It’s highly creative; why don’t you join advertising.” And that day Jignesh knew what he had to do in his life – be a creative guy. And for him, creativity means anything that is being done differently, that is done in a way that has not been done before. After brief stints at Vyas Giannetti and JWT, he has been at O&M for close to eight years now. His work on the Mentos ‘dimaag ki batti jala de’ campaign has caught the eyeballs of all and sundry. A good observer, he loves to create stories out of observing people. The most defining moment in his life was when his Asian Paints film went to the Cannes. Looking back, he now feels that advertising is all that he ever wanted to do in his life. And that is why, this bright lad now plans to bid adieu to his mentor Piyush Pandey and O&M. What was that, you said? Well, Jignesh has sky-high ambitions for his advertising. He plans to soon start his own agency called ‘ON’.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

Read these article :-
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SREI Infrastructure

IIPM Ranked No. 1 B-School In Global Exposre - Zee...

Investee: SREI Infrastructure

Investor: BNP Paribas

Investment Value: $180 mn

Subhash Mohanti, Vice President, Communications & Brand Development, SREI Infrastructure Finance, comments to 4Ps B&M, “The infrastructure sector in India is growing at a phenomenal pace and will require huge financial resources to maintain the tempo. With the government’s focus increasingly switching to the PPP mode, where more and more funding of projects will have to come from private routes, the obvious need is to increase the avenues of funds, and that too at competitive rates. Our association with BNP Paribas will help us access more funds at relatively cheaper rates, which will not only improve our strike rate in the infrastructure sector, but improve working margins as well. Also, the association will give us access to better systems.”

SREI Infrastructure was formed through a JV with BNP Paribas Lease Group (BPLG), which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the French bank. The deal envisages a 50:50 partnership in a new JV, whereby BPLG will bring in Rs.775 crore, of which Rs.375 crores will be utilised towards acquisition of a 50% equity in the new JV. The remaining Rs.400 crores will form the value of the businesses that will be transferred from SREI Infrastructure Finance to the new JV. Also, the entire asset finance division of SREI will get transferred to the new company, which will be held jointly by SREI. The new joint venture will merge the existing insurance businesses of SREI, currently operated under SREI Insurance Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of SREI. The parent SREI will continue to engage in equipment finance. Assets of Rs.15 crores and more will be done by SREI, while those below the Rs.15 crores mark will be done by the new JV with BNP Paribas. This apart, SREI has and will continue its foray strongly in infrastructure project advisory.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

Read these article :-
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B-schooled in India, Placed Abroad (Print Version)
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Cast with care...

IIPM, GURGAON

A peek into the HR initiatives that have helped Parsvnath Developers build sky high dreams, alongside skycrapers!

“iPhone is a revolutionary and magical product that is literally five years ahead of any other mobile phone,” said Steve Jobs announcing Apple’s cellular foray early January. But this small 4.5x2.4x0.46 inch, 4.8 ounce touch screen based handheld has conjured up a storm that could easily weigh down Apple and cause it to lose millions if things go out of hand.

Linksys, under the Cisco Systems’ umbrella, has alleged that Apple has stolen Cisco’s trademark ‘iPhone’ name, under which it retails its net telephone (VoIP) based telephones. In fact, it is alleged that Apple had approached Cisco six years ago, pleading with the networking giant to give the trademark to them. “Cisco entered into negotiations with Apple in good faith after Apple repeatedly asked permission to use Cisco’s iPhone name,” said Mark Chandler, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Cisco, “There is no doubt that Apple’s new phone is very exciting, but they should not be using our trademark without our permission.”

Cisco even alleges that Apple has set up a front company by the name Ocean Telecom Services LLC, to try wrangling away Cisco’s trademark. “It was interesting to discover that another US firm, Ocean Telecom Services LLC Ltd., submitted a trademark application for iPhone as a cell phone in September 2006. And on January 8, 2007 – the day before Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone at Macworld – Ocean Telecom submitted 7 more trademark applications for iPhone for categories such as clothing, entertainment services, periodicals, data storage, communication access services, accessories and retail store services. None of these trademark applications had been granted, but Ocean Telecom appears to have established prior claim to iPhone,” says Roger Grant, President & Chief Brand Strategist, Identicor Marketing Inc.

Apple’s lawyers refuse to comment on Ocean and term the entire lawsuit “silly”, saying that they are separate products and there is no infringement whatsoever. This is, however, an interesting debate from Apple’s end as a company that protects its own trademark even “pod” closely and has known to have insisted that even the podcast term should be Apple’s intellectual property and they would charge royalty for its use.

All the way in Canada, a company by the name Comwave, which has been retailing VoIP phones branded as iPhone since 2004, has threatened to take action if Apple enters the Canadian market.

Experts, however, comment that though Apple may have deliberately wanted to create such media frenzy, but has lost out. “The dispute with Cisco deflected attention away from the merits of the new product and refocussed the story on Apple, needlessly wading into another trademark battle. It costs Apple important marketing momentum in the crucial early days of a product’s life,” comments Grant.

Even so, the iconic company that rewrote the MP3 player industry with iPod, has the creative genius to come out with another one soon. Though the battle has cost the company to have developed a new convergence product name that would have perhaps become the iPod of the cellular industry. Watch this space for more on this battle and future of the Apple’s iPhone.

The real estate giant also lays a great emphasis on its second pillar of support – culture. The culture propagated at Parsvnath is ‘target-based working.’ Dhaka is of the opinion that improvements can only happen if targets are measurable. So everything that anyone is doing should be converted into physical activities and deliverables so that it can be counted and there should be a basis to measure the deviations and thereby take corrective actions. In terms of structure the company believes in following a ‘box-type approach’ that is also prevalent in many organisations.

However, Parsvnath has deviated slightly and has evolved ‘ball-type structure’. States Dhaka, “The advantage of using a ball-type structure is that it does not assume water tight compartments that a box-type structure demands. In this case whether there are two balls, three or ten, there is always a void that allows overlapping & sharing, allows for greater flexibility and chances of getting support from other people is also high.

Flexibility is not the only tool available to the employees of parsvnath. Another hallmark is empowerment. Each employee has the freedom to do his job (that is well defined) as he wishes to do, with only one string attached – the past and the present should not be affected due to this.

Parsvnath operates in an industry where there are no ready to eat cakes available so they need to recruit laterally. As the number of trained people – architects and civil engineers are in short supply, therefore, the company’s mantra to resolve this problem is through OJTs – On The Job Trainees. The HRs job is to identify people in the organisation who are good at what they do and appoint them as mentors. A charter too is floated for every employee every week, where they can express what they want to learn in the following week. This process is then followed up with a facility for employees to obtain those learnings and then a system to monitor how much of the learnings are reflected in an employee’s actual performance. The orientation towards learning is very high in Parsvnath but ironically they do not recruit the best of the people. The anthem for the organisation is to train the best and retain the best. Dhaka in his poetic way puts it as, “Jo mil gaya usse muqadar samajh liya, agar koyla tha to heera bana diya, aur heere ko nagine ki tarah tarash diya.”

Committment towards learning and development is complemented by an emotive style of leadership. Adds Dhaka, “Infusing in people a feeling that they fall in love with themselves gives them the drive to do more.” The mantra to follow is not to motivate each employee but to inspire. However, setting high standards and philosophies in an organisation are not adequate to address the problems that India Inc. is talking about – attrition. Till about a year ago the attrition figures for Parsvnath were 20%, but now they are down to 10%, which Dhaka confirms are healthy. In his opinion, “Attrition is as important as breathing space as it gives the company a change to find a still better person to fill that position.” Just like building blocks help build homes, or a residential complex, similarly each person helps to build a successful organisation. How beautiful the building would be will depend on the precision of these buildings and the technique that is followed to lay the foundation. Well, it just seems that with players like Parsvnath on the scene, the Great Indian ‘Real’ty Show is truly on and ready to convert our dreams into reality.

Edit bureau: Surbhi Chawla

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

Read these article :-
B-schooled in India, Placed Abroad (Print Version)
IIPM in Financial times (Print Version)
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