Showing posts with label IIPM Admission Details. Show all posts
Showing posts with label IIPM Admission Details. Show all posts

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Pupils, you're on your own now!

Whether or not they agreed with his style of working, MPs would surely miss this headmaster in the next Lok Sabha
 
On the last day of 14th Lok Sabha, while MPs would be wondering whether or not they would return for the 15th Lok Sabha; they were certain of one thing – that they will not get to hear the commanding and firm voice of Somnath Chatterjee, Speaker of Parliament, again. Somnath has willingly retired from active politics. And during the emotional farewell when he was given the title of headmaster, he wasn't angry but proud. Now he would be spending his days away from the hullabaloo.

Born on July 25, 1929 in Tejpur, Assam, Somnath Chatterjee completed his preliminary education from Kolkata and then got his post graduate degree from Cambridge. In 1971, he contested for the Lok Sabha elections for the first time from Bolhpur and remained as an MP till the 14th Lok Sabha in 2004. During his tenure as an MP he raised many important issues for CPI (M). A front bencher in the Parliament, he commanded tremendous respect; in fact he used to always get preference during a discussion on any topic. And that is the reason why he was given the Best Parliamentarian award in 1996. In 2004, when Sonia proposed his name for the Speaker's post it was supported even by the BJP. He has been known as the most well-versed person in the guidelines and rules of Parliament and during his tenure as Speaker, he tried to follow the rules to the fullest.

Mostly clad in dhoti kurta at his residence, this CPI (M) comrade loved going to Bolhpur with his family every year to attend every Durga Puja. During one of his visits to Bolhpur, when school children asked him about the activities taking place in Parliament, he had a brain wave; that Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha activities should be telecast. His idea was the base of the 24-hour telecast of Parliament activities. During his tenure as Speaker, he made some important decisions. One amongst them was that even the Zero hour should be telecast, since it is during this time that most of the members actually come up with their local problems.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
 
IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face
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Thursday, October 11, 2012

Insiders make more sense...

Chandrasekaran is perhaps the right person to take over the baton of TCS from Ramadorai

Ramadorai joined Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) in 1972 as junior engineer. He was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of the company in 1996. Later in 2004 he also became the Managing Director of this Tata Group company. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Electronics and Telecommunications from Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and a Masters degree in Computer Science from the University of California. He has more than 36 years of experience and has received Padma Bhushan in 2006 for his contribution towards the development of the IT industry. He has been instrumental in building TCS to a $5.7 billion global software and services company and he is recognised amongst other influential IT leaders in the world.

N. Chandrasekaran, the Chief Operating Officer of TCS is more likely to take over the mantle from Ramadorai. He has leadership qualities needed to ensure success in the global environment, including global aptitude, long-term perspective, skilled communication and literacy in technology. Under his leadership TCS ventured into new markets, including Europe, China and Latin America.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
 
IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face
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Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Reading the future of books and movies...

Most would agree that the art of this age are movies, and since decades writers have made little money from their work. So, is it time for writers to ruminate about the subject of their books in context to their scope of becoming entertaining masala films? Ravi Subramanian, author of books like I bought the Monk’s Ferrari, opines, “Movies are one more viable option for authors to make revenue and get noticed. In Hello, for instance, the only person who benefitted from the movie was Chetan Bhagat. The movie bombed, the producers lost money, its actors didn’t profit much. The real benefit in terms of profile, money, visibility, was Chetan Bhagat. I think writing books with an eye on the movies, is not a bad option because it gives you a fair bit of recognition. The movies go far and deep in this country. In India as they say, only two things sell – cricket and Bollywood. If you can write a book that can be adapted to a movie, or if you can tweak your book to adapt around for a movie, I think you can be fairly successful. Though movie writing itself doesn’t pay you too much.”

Cinema is a medium that has the entire nation hooked. So is it not high time authors tweak their Modus operandi? A strong relationship can be forged between films and books, what remains to be seen is how long this will take to blossom.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
 
IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face


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Tuesday, October 09, 2012

Two wars, none the smarter...

Europe gloated during the meltdown, claiming it would be left untouched. The claims return to haunt a failing Europe

I945: Europe is completely devastated and in ruins after the Second World War. It is also facing the haunting spectre of Communism emanating from the Soviet Union. And yet, Western Europe rises from the ashes and emerges as a powerhouse of economic growth and all round prosperity. The resurgence is thanks largely to the Marshall Plan implemented by the United States.

1957: A handful of European nations come together and form the European Economic Community that seeks a ‘European’ perspective on global as well as local issues. This is the first tentative attempt by Europe to emerge out of the trans-Atlantic embrace with America. Many more nations join by 1967 and Europe starts dreaming of a unified market that can emerge more powerful than America.

1993: The European Union emerges as an actual rival of the United States with 500 million citizens and 30% of the world output. By now, Europe is frequently critical of America and its policies – political, strategic as well as economic. The criticism climaxes after the foolhardy George Bush decision to invade Iraq in 2003 and many start openly talking of EU as a rival to the US and euro as the rival to the dollar.

2008: In the early days after Lehman Brothers collapsed, there is much glee amongst many in Europe. Analysts and hacks point out how Europe has fostered a more ‘responsible’ model of capitalism while America has gone beyond the pale. In a parody that seems inconceivable now, European media praises banks for responsible lending and handling of assets.

That perverted euphoria lasts just a few days. Within a matter of days, it is revealed that toxic assets, bankruptcy, bad debts, collapse and contagion had as much to do with Europe as America. In fact, the ‘star’ economy of the continent Iceland, that had delivered blistering growth rates for a decade, became the first country to go completely bankrupt as a result of the meltdown. The government in Iceland has collapsed and protests have become the order of the day when people wake up from the numbing shock of seeing a ‘market’ disappear into oblivion.

In 1945, Europe was in ruins physically. By the end of 2009, it could be in ruins in financial terms. All the smart talk and looking down at Uncle Sam has vanished as the major economies of Europe start prostrating themselves. But this time, Uncle Sam itself is in such deep trouble that Europe cannot even dream of another Marshall Plan!

The recent events in France are a classic case of disconnect between reality and perceptions. The government still insists that the economy will actually grow despite the meltdown. But workers and citizens in France have a dramatically different viewpoint. In end January 2008, more than one million protestors took to the streets in Paris demanding higher wages and job protection. One shudders to think what will happen when the economy starts actually shrinking in 2009-10 and workers ‘actually’ start losing jobs by the thousands. Then there are the poignant and depressing tales from England about how investors have lost billions of pounds in savings because they gambled on Iceland. Many British citizens started parking their savings in Iceland based banks because they offered higher interest. All that has vanished and hundreds of thousands stare at poverty because their deposits were not guaranteed by any State.

Credit rating agencies are now waking up to the financial nightmare unfolding in Europe. They started by downgrading Spain, Greece, Portugal, Latvia and now Russia. Ireland is next in queue. And don’t be surprised if England follows suit because as an economy, it is even more leveraged than that of the United States. Overall, the European economy is slated to shrink by close to 3% in 2009 – something that has not happened since the Great Depression.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
 
IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face
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Monday, September 10, 2012

UNIVERSITIES: WEIRD RESEARCHES

A number of worthless and frivolous researches are giving the World of science and reason a boorish tinge; we say ban them!

The inane tale continues. The National Institute of Health in the US conducted a study, and spent $500,000 of stimulus money to reveal why men prefer to have sex without condoms! While the objective of the research might still be logical considering the focus on promoting safe sex, the moneys spent to find out the obvious (or is it?) is what is surprising. The University of Florida (ranked 193) spent $325,394 given as stimulus fund, to find how environment affects sex related decisions of women. Thanks to them, apparently we have renewed emancipation of women in our midst.

If it were just about the comic relief, we could have actually chosen not to highlight their achievements. But this is really about how the world’s best universities waste resources and misuse their state-of-art resources in researches that bring in no substantial development to mankind or the planet. There seems to be no clear-cut logic in undertaking research to find out which side a flock of pigeons would turn when faced with a wind draft, or whether good looking people make more money than ugly ones (yes, they do, as revealed by a research by the University of California in 2007).

But then, is it any wonder that such researches do in fact benefit private enterprises? For example, the ugly versus beautiful research could well be a great boost to the cosmetics industry even if a fraction of the population chooses to believe it. The same is apparent in the study conducted in the US last year, which showed that women with bigger breasts were found to be smarter. Lobbies appear to be at work even when contradictory researches keep coming to the fore, like ones that debate on the merits and demerits of tea vs coffee and vice versa.

Sometimes, researches that are meant for serious and genuine issues come up with non-serious and bizarre conclusions. In a scenario where countries, universities and research institution are finding it tough to fund their researches for human development projects and development of drugs that could save lives and uplift lifestyles, it’s criminal that a few universities don’t mind blowing away invaluable capital to take out notably worthless researches. Evidently, one can’t say enough when one implores that such researches should be banned.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.
For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
 
IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face
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Saturday, September 08, 2012

Ready for a divine holiday?

In the hills of Tirupati, nature and man have collaborated to proffer the traveller more than just a holy communion

It was still dark outside. Lord Balaji was being awakened. Slokas were being recited. Tightly packed among the throngs of people offering their orisons, I tried to get a peak of the devotees who were rolling on the ground around the temple, slowly chanting the Lord’s name. Some minutes later we all shuffled in a single file along a long path. In no time I was face to face with the imposing and awe-inspiring idol of Lord Balaji. Five moments later, before I could entirely take in the magnificence before me, I was asked to move along. Roughly 60,000 people come for a darshan of Lord Venkateswara/ Lord Balaji every day to this ancient temple at Tirumala. I’d travelled in a car for some 150 kms from Chennai to reach; pilgrims often abandon their vehicles and climb roughly 4000 steps for a darshan, for their prayers to be fulfilled by Lord Balaji. I had witnessed the Suprabhatam (awakening the Lord) that morning; similar sevas are conducted through the day, where the Lord is given a bath, the Lord is given breakfast, to finally when around 10pm the Lord is put to bed.

3200ft above sea level, the Tirumala Hill comprises seven hills. On the seventh hill is the sacred temple of Sri Venkateswara. Legend has it that Thondaiman, the ruler of Thondaimandalam (present-day Kanchipuram), built the temple after Lord Vishnu appeared in his dreams. Its current grandeur and richness is primarily thanks to the competition among rulers of South Indian dynasties, be it the Pallavas of Kanchipuram (9th century AD), the Cholas of Thanjavur (10 AD), the Pandyas of Madurai, or the kings and chieftains of Vijayanagar (14th-15th century AD), who all attempted to out-do each other in their offerings to the Lord. This tradition especially gained strength during the reign of the Vijayanagar dynasty, and to this day there are people who offer bags filled with jewels to the Lord.

Another offering especially associated with this temple is that of hair. Both men and women completely shave their head as a gesture of sacrifice in return for fulfilment of their prayers or as penance. The temple earns in millions annually through the sale of tonnes of devotees’ locks! Thus through receiving the offerings of hair and people’s wealth, the temple has built a reputation of being the richest temple in the world.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.
For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
 
IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face
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Tuesday, September 04, 2012

Singing his way to fame?

Neil Nitin Mukesh is blessed with singing talent, perhaps inherited from his father and grandfather. While Neil has used this talent before by composing and singing a song for Jail, he now is all geared-up to release his very own album of 12 tracks. The actor wishes to use four tracks for his films and the rest for his album. Still struggling to find a foothold as an actor, we hope his other competence paves way for more success.


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Monday, September 03, 2012

FACEBOOK: FUTURE QUESTIONED

While the world debates over when Facebook will go public and what its worth would be, Mark Zuckerberg is worried about a decision he has to make – sell-off his 24% stake & bid adieu to Facebook or alter the very business model by diversifying. What should he choose? by Steven P. Warner

So will Facebook become a meteoric fad? Louis says it already is: “Facebook is already a fad. I don’t think it is going to grow out of that. It lacks credibility.” Pessimism apart, the giant’s credit notes being reduced to scribbled sheets appear quite a possibility. And the mass market has proven to be a fickle group; Facebook cannot overlook this historical truth. Speaking to B&E from San Mateo in California, Jeremiah Owyang, Partner, Altimeter Group says, “Facebook is at risk. Other social networks became complacent, got sold to larger media entities, or failed to invigorate their talent tools and suffered as a result.”

Debate is also on that Facebook could become larger than Google. Speaking to B&E from Chicago, Andrew Lipsman, Senior Director of research agency comScore Inc., sounds optimistic. He says, “Facebook can eventually becoming the largest web property in the world (currently it is #4). But this would still take a few years. To get there, it would need to get traction in some of the larger Internet markets where it still has a limited presence, such as Japan, S. Korea, Russia & Brazil.” But Sturm doubts it. Says he, “It is unlikely that Facebook will become bigger than Google. It is riding the wave of popular infatuation. Things can go wrong for Facebook. What if some hacker found a way to compromise its security? There are many possibilities!” Facebook also has to move away from relying only on online ads. While Facebook is growing, so is Google. Not content with being the dominant search engine, Google continues to attempt to mean more things to more people. Its latest innovation is Google RealTime. In short, cautious, but deliberate diversification will benefit Facebook, as Owyang of Altimeter says, “Facebook will need two strategies to maintain leadership: Innovate & integrate features at all consumer touchpoints, so it’s no longer just a destination strategy.” This typically implies that Facebook has to look beyond social-networking communities.

The opportunities? First comes “analytics”. Zuckerberg has to better realise the power of 500 million samples across 100+ countries. Facebook can serve research agencies and surveyors who are looking at demographic, psychological or other types of market researches. There is presently no clause that disallows “grouped data” to be furnished to third-parties. The situation is thus – Facebook has a mine it can monetise. Strangely, it is not doing so.

Facebook dreams of becoming the new-Google. But it isn’t doing what Google did on day #1 – it has no credible search business (except people), which is what primarily made Google worth $150 billion today, and forced Microsoft to risk a $47 billion bid for an outdated Yahoo! Search capability enhances the value of a web property and multiplies the revenue inflow manifold. How? Google crossed the $10 billion revenue mark when it was seven years old. Facebook is already six and hopes to cross the $1 billion mark only by 2010-end. Facebook is also missing out on the places where netizens spend most of their time – the Inbox. Facebook’s mailing system is outdated, looks rigid & clumpy and is almost impossible to organise. Mails give the most important dimensions to online networking. Most know this; some don’t. Does Zuckerberg?



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Friday, August 31, 2012

“We’re doing our best to understand India”

He works for a company that makes a billion simply by certifying other companies. Mark Loughead is the COO at Intertek, whose first-half revenue for 2010 rose by 4.9% to £652 million. B&E met Mark up to question him on the future of the certification business by Neha Saraiya

Although Intertek has been operating in India for over a decade across various domains including textiles, food, electrical products, auto sector and chemical industry, it’s only recently – post the global warming brouhaha and renewable energy focus – that manufacturers and even the government in India have realized the benefits of certification and the requirement of syncing their processes with global benchmarks. Intertek has surely done its noteworthy bit – for one, it fast tracked the air-conditioner energy labelling program in India. Development of bio fuel testing standards in the country is being led by Intertek too. B&E met up with Mark Loughead, global COO, Intertek, for an exclusive talk on India, the future of testing and of his firm’s business model:

B&E: Is India up to your standards in terms of certification?
Mark Loughead (ML): The current infrastructure of the country is by and large similar. The issue we face is [transportation and] re-transportation. Our customers want the product quickly after it is designed as in today’s world, time is money. Still, we are doing all possible things to get accustomed to the various conditions in India and to get all the skilled people required by us. Other than that, it is very cost effective to work here. Moreover, with India being touted as the offshoring capital of the world, this gives us an immense opportunity to expand.

B&E: How much importance do you pay to R&D at the corporate as well as at the country level?
ML: It’s extremely important. We always work according to some set standards to get into force. We conduct maximum R&D in our processes stream with an aim to get new technology to help our customers, as it is comparatively difficult to manage them during a business cycle. We take our experts into our research department and help them work independently as this gives us the benefit of a variable cost. We can then test many products and thus, we get high realization rates for our products. Thus, it’s a win-win situation for both. Moreover, when the business cycle gets changed, we get to know the needs of the customers and then we modify accordingly.

B&E: In areas like consumer electronics and automobiles, certification has now become kind of mandatory. But then, there are many industries where certification is not compulsory. How do you develop business in such a situation?
ML: Yes, in areas like consumer electronics and automobiles, certification now plays a pivotal role. But even if we just look at the testing part, only around 10% is compulsory as it is of standard quality and there is no requirement of inspection to be done outside the factories. Still, many companies follow it the other way, as mostly around 80-90% of the products still fall under the non mandatory category. It also translates to a huge untapped market size of almost £200 billion, which is large in itself.

B&E: Which are the basic areas where certification can be implemented?
ML: Traditionally, from the stage of R&D, products would generally be certified at their production stages only. But now, we are working with our customers in a much different way. Right from the product design stage till the delivery stage, we ensure that certification is followed at every required step. This largely stems from the fact that today, our engineers are able to see and monitor the products getting developed from the very early stages. We want to introduce certification from the very early stages not only to satisfy our customers in terms of quality and safety but also to add more value to our product offerings eventually.


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Friday, August 24, 2012

AMIT SRIVASTAVA, COORDINATOR INDIA, RESOURCE CENTER

THE SIGNIFICANT DROP IN GROUNDWATER LEVELS DUE TO COMMERCIAL ACTIVITIES, CONTINUES TO BE THE REASON FOR WORKABLE ISSUES BECOMING JUDICIAL MATTERS

In March this year, a High Power committee appointed by the government of Kerala validated the community concerns. The committee concluded that Coca-Cola was responsible for water depletion and pollution, and applied the “polluter pays principle” in recommending that Coca-Cola be held liable for around $48 million in damages that it has caused in Plachimada, which have destroyed the very fabric of the agrarian community.

In a manner that characterizes the way with which Coca-Cola has continued to operate in India, the company has questioned the very legitimacy of the High Power committee that was appointed by the state of Kerala.

The committee was the highest empowered committee possible to be set up in the state of Kerala, and its members included eminent officials like the state department heads of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Health, as well as regional directors of the Pollution Control Board and the Ground Water Board, along with a number of experts.

If Coca-Cola chooses not to accede to the findings and recommendations of such a high power committee in India, they should not do business in India. Adopting such an adversarial position would be unthinkable in the United States, Coca-Cola’s home country, or even in the European Union. The company’s actions therefore exhibit a double standard – it has more respect for the law and institutions in developed countries than in India. This is not acceptable.

An international campaign is underway, reaching all the way to Coca-Cola’s boardroom in Atlanta, to ensure that Coca-Cola respect the rights of communities and farmers in India and around the world.


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Tuesday, August 14, 2012

WHERE HISTORY SIMMERS...

Spending some moments in an elevator of a hotel during the Jaipur Literature Festival, I say by way of conversation: “I am from your Punjab.” “Which place?” he asks. “Chandigarh!” is the reply. At this he smiles and says: “Chandigarh is hardly Punjab. Punjab is Amritsar!!” Well, he is right and he would be for he knows this city well even though he wrote a book on it, in the context of the days of militancy in the state, calling it Amritsar: Mrs. Gandhi’s Last Battle.

United Punjab of the pre-Partition days boasted of two big cities: Lahore, the cultural centre of Punjab, and Amritsar, the commercial centre of Punjab. However, there is much more to Amritsar than mere commerce. It is Vatican of the Sikhs with Sri Harmandir Sahib, popularly known as the Golden Temple, housed here. True one has not been to East Punjab if one has not visited Amritsar, which literally means ‘the pool of divine nectar’. Interestingly, this Sikh shrine attracts more visitors than does the Taj Mahal at Agra. The temple also has unique and secular tradition architecture. It drew on both Hindu and Muslim architectural styles to represent a unique co-evolution of the two. The foundation stone of the temple was laid by the great Muslim Sufi saint of Lahore, Hazrat Mian Mir, in December 1588 as he was a close friend of the fifth Sikh Guru, Guru Arjun Dev. The temple, its surrounding precincts made of marble and the water in the tank, all appear pure, different and extraordinary. In colonial times a Major Cole called it "an adaptation of Mohammedan styles, flavoured with a good deal of Hindu tradition". Experts say it was inspired by the tank pavilion tomb of Nadira Begum, wife of Dara Shikoh, in Lahore. The city has some interesting buildings in the Mughal-Gothic style like the Khalsa College as well as many structures of the Hall Basaar area.

Myth has it that this was the area of Balmiki’s Ashram where Sita gave birth to Luv and Kush. However, the city was built by Guru Ram Das in 1574. It was to be a city of destiny in many ways for the state of Punjab as well as the country. History, both sad and joyous, is a part of the streets and monuments of Amritsar. The Jallianwala Bagh at Amritsar is an important place of the national movement for the struggle for Independence. On the Baisakhi festival on April 13, 1919, General Dyer and his men blocked the only exit and opened fire on a collection of innocent men, women and children at a peaceful rally here. This incident sent shock waves through the country. Renouncing his knighthood, Rabindranath Tagore stated in a letter of protest to the Viceroy on May 31, 1919: “The time has come when the badges of honour make our shame glaring in their incongruous context of humiliation, and I for my part wish to stand shorn of all special distinctions, by the side of those my countrymen who, for their so-called insignificance, are liable to suffer degradation not fit for human beings...” The memorial of the Jallianwala Bagh is one of the most visited places.

Modern Amritsar is a mix of the old and new and it draws many people every day to the Wagah-Atari border of Pakistan to see the beating of the retreat in the evening. Hundreds of people assemble on both sides as gates are opened for a while and the Partitioned Punjabis stare at one another and there are many number of people who start sobbing at the historical tragedy of the Partition. This very border sees peace activists on both sides singing, performing and lighting candles on the Ides of August.


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Saturday, August 11, 2012

Balram Singh Yadav, Managing Director, Godrej Agrovet, analyses the industry in an exclusive interview to B&E

B&E: How will the concept of Food Technology Parks as mooted in the Vision 2015 for the sector be effective in revamping and unlocking the sector?

BSY: The concept of Food Technology Park is wonderful, but it must be noted that raw material is spread over different geographies. Having Food Parks at one place may or may not work in case raw material supply chains are long.

B&E: What do you feel as a company are the major policy changes required by the government so that potential of the sector can be further opened up?

BSY: The subsidies should be increased for establishment of production units. Currently, subsidies being given are very low. The reason for increasing subsidy is to lower the breakeven for these units as value added food has long gestation period and very thin margins.

B&E: Processed food currently forms a very small percentage of India’s exports. How can this scenario be improved with India’s inherent cost advantages?

BSY: To compete in world market, we need to be competitive in cost and quality and both are also dependent on scale of operations which will come in case we can also make food processing successful for the domestic market.

B&E: As a company, how do you see the future for the sector in a 3-5 year timeline and what are the biggest opportunity areas within the sector ?

BSY: We believe that the Food Processing has a very bright future in the long run as cost of food is going up. This will require very efficient use of agricultural produce which is seasonal in nature and has very small windows of availability. The advent of modern retail and increased per capita income will make availability and affordability better.


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