Suave, Spartan & non-saleable

A product of the student movement, Karat is a leading light in Indian political thought process
Karat, with his “cultivated polished exterior”, “is a king-maker whose kings turn out to be clowns…”, stated an open letter addressed to Karat by a group of party comrades. But despite such innuendoes, he is a respected man because he is not an ordinary politician. He is neither a stylist nor an opportunist. His Spartan lifestyle & his educational background distinguish him from the run of- the-mill politicians. Certain sections of the media say that he is a hard nut to crack, especially when it comes to the issue of India getting closer to America, either economically or militarily. Drawing conclusions from the tough stance Prakash has adopted on the 123 civilian nuclear agreement with the US, his detractors say things like, “His mind (is) the last repository of ideological fossil,” or “He can’t be bullied into moderation.”

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2007

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

Don’t act fresh...

with the infant retail chains in UP
“Power corrupts & absolute power corrupts absolutely”, is an old saying, oft en used to describe the misdemeanours of politicians. It is this very absolute power, which has led the Chief Minister Mayawati to close all standalone retail outlets in UP. And the ostensible reason for this rather bizarre decision is that the retail industry is harming the farmers. Interestingly, the entry of retail giants into the vegetable market has been instrumental in obliterating the middlemen from the system by directly dealing with the farmers. And all that these retail outlets are endeavouring is a win-win environment for all the three players in the business-the farmer; the consumer & the company.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2007

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

Many ‘scar’ves & hair raising experiences...

...finally Abdullah Gül is elected President of Turkey, but is this indeed a new dawn?
In July, the ruling Justice & Development Party (AKP) – the religiously conservative but economically liberal establishment – won a landslide in parliamentary elections called after the military balked at seeing Gül become President. That victory, combined with Gül’s election, confirm the AKP’s emergence as a party of realignment, and that, despite an upsurge of xenophobic nationalism, the Turks indeed wanted to integrate with the EU. Last April, Gül’s candidacy for president had brought about a threat of a coup from the military, precipitating the recent elections in the country. Thus, the electorate also made it amply clear that it no longer wanted the military to remain involved in domestic politics, rejecting the generals’ warnings that the AKP would lead the country into the darkness of theocratic rule.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2007

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

copyrights tomorrow

It is yet too early to tell if Google’s plans for YouTube will be financially successful. Publishing and distribution of creative works is undoubtedly changing. Creative Commons (CC) is a non-profit corporation, founded in 2001. Its mission – to facilitate revision of copyright by providing alternatives to current practices. CC recognises that artists “may not want to exercise all the intellectual property rights the law affords them”, but that some artists may instead want to try innovative business models to make money. CC provides free licenses themselves and soft - ware tools with which to copyright, “tag” & publish their work. Trends show that distribution of content will be much different in future than it is today. If I were a gambling man, my money would certainly not be with the current distribution models of Universal, EMI or Elsevier.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2007


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

Bronze it is. For now!

For starters, Acer, in addition to the $710 million wash-off (paying $1.90 per Gateway share) has to also bear the burden of the $300 million debt clot on Gateway’s balance sheets. Also, Gateway’s stagnating annual revenues – which having hovered around the $4 billion mark since 2000 & which stood at just $3.98 billion during 2006 – and the fact that post 2000, Gateway has lost 98.3% of its total market value are reasons enough to worry. Then, there are other issues of attaining cultural synergy and marketing challenges like positioning and managing mammoth brands like Acer, Gateway, Packard Bell and eMachine under the common umbrella which pose challenges to the vendor. Conclusively, however, this step had to be taken by Acer... and as far as challenges are concerned, it should just prove another game for Acer!

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2007

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

Inviting peril…

…means availing loans in India
Adream car or a dream house is nothing but a loan away, these days. With myriad of loans available at obscure interest rates, indulging in chateaus & coupes that an individual fancies is a thing of the past. Well then, what is the thing of the present? Well, Ahem! The mayhem which is a consequence of the backbreaking burden repayment of loans along with interest. While a reducing interest rate of the past had been a lure enough for the common man to fall in the trap of floating rate of interest, the rising interest rates have made sure that the dream comhome made with such loans become a nightmare, leaving many beleaguered & broke. These days, many end up paying anything between 30% - 50% of their income to the bank as EMIs & eventually paying an amount which could have bought them more such properties for which they had availed the loan. The debt traps, in cloak of malevolent loans, though have helped many to acquire what they fancied, but has vindi.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2007

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

Gap widens!

It’s salary this time...
The gap between the two Ambani brothers widens considerably once again. Not on the personal front, but in terms of salaries this time. When the two were together, they both took home a package of Rs.0.2 billion each from Reliance Industries (FY 2004-05). Anil was all smiles when the two went their own ways but the smile seems to be fading now with Mukesh being paid 10 times more with an annual package of about Rs.0.2 billion as compared to a meager Rs.0.02 billion that Anil gets (FY 2006-07). Well, the other top shots of India Inc. don’t seem behind too. Ahead of Mukesh is Sun TV CMD Kalanidhi Maran & Joint MD Kavery Kalanidhi, with salaries close to Rs.0.23 billion each, followed by Sunil Mittal (Rs.0.15 billion) & K. Anji Reddy (Rs.0.14 billion).

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2007

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

Google’s stake in a Chinese website!

Looks like the salubrious market of China has attracted diversify ed businesses as well! Google Inc. exposed its new plans of getting hold of a stake in a Chinese website, Tianya.cn. This represents a venture into social networking in the world’s second largest internet marketplace. Further details of the deal couldn’t be brought out, although estimates suggest that the probable size of Google’s stake could range from anywhere between less than 10% to up to 60%. Google might also be staring at more acquisitions in China. So what’s the hurry? This is all because Google is speeding up, in order to close the gap with rival Baidu.com Inc.. That subjugated the search market in China in the second quarter with a 58.1% share, this comes from the research firm Analyses International. More such big plans are expected to be revealed!

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2007

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