After Modi, who?

If the Gujarat Chief Minister moves to Delhi after 2014, there are a number of contenders for his job in the state but for the moment, they are quiet. Arnold Christie draws up a list

In the throes of his victorious Long March more than six decades ago, China’s great helmsman Mao Tse Dung was richly aphoristic “a great revolution requires a great party and many first rate cadres to guide it… we must purposefully train lakhs of cadres and hundreds of first rate mass leaders…….,” he said.

What he said about revolutionary principles applies to political parties in a parliamentary democracy – a well organised cadre is a sine qua non for a party seeking to broaden its base and stay afloat.

But trust Narendra Modi to turn things on their head. Such has been his dominance in Gujarat in the course of his decade-long rule there that there has been virtually no need for an organised cadre or second-in-command. No leader can claim proximity to the BJP strongman, who is tipped as one of the strong contenders for being Prime Minister when the country goes to elections in 2014. The main question on every Gujarati lip is this: who will succeed Modi in the state in the eventuality of his elevation to Delhi? While there are several claimants to his legacy, no one is willing to hedge their bets – as yet – as most of them are too fragile to get into Modi’s bad books.

Political analysts say that in 2001, when Modi took over the reins of Gujarat BJP, his overall attempt was to cut down to size any opposition from the BJP ranks. Slowly, but steadily, powerful Gujarat BJP leaders were defanged: Keshubhai Patel and Suresh Mehta were left rudderless, Haren Pandya was mysteriously murdered while powerful backward leader Kashiram Rana passed away, leaving the field open for Modi. Today, former chief ministers Keshubhai Patel and Suresh Mehta are not even part of BJP. After demolishing the first line of BJP leadership, there is only the second line of BJP cadres left in the state who are quite willing to do Modi's bidding.
While there are a youthful bunch of BJP leaders in the fray like Nitin Patel, Amit Shah, Purushottam Rupala, R C Faldu and Saurabh Patel, they lack Narendra Modi’s charisma and gumption.

While there is a lot of gossip on who could succeed Modi, the Gujarat Chief Minister has everyone, including members of his kitchen cabinet, guessing. None of the leaders mentioned wants a mass base of his or hers own - they would rather be close to Modi.

Such a situation suits the Gujarat Chief Minister who has deliberately created this confusion so that his iron grip on the state remains even if the NDA loses. In three consecutive assembly elections, he has proved that without him the Gujarat BJP cannot win the state. The deliberate posturing of being a one-man army has proved beneficial; it is not the BJP but Modi who is a box-office hit. So far, all speculation has centred on Anandiben Patel, said to be the unofficial second-in-command of Gujarat BJP and also Modi’s successor if he moves to the centre. Insiders in the state BJP say that Modi has been grooming Anandiben to take over from him.


An indication of that has come in the way she has conducted meetings and even presided over portfolios which are not under her jurisdiction. For instance, unofficially, Anandiben has guided the destinies of the party over the significant poll issue of the Narmada Dam project in a drought-stricken Gujarat.

But health may not be on side of 71-year-old Anandiben. In which case, Modi favourite Saurabh Patel – a MBA from US - can consider himself in the run. Saurabh’s ministerial responsibilities of energy, finance, industries, petrochemicals and minerals and civil aviation give him a direct line to the country’s biggest corporate houses.

With both Patels as his closest lieutenants, Modi has in a sense, secured both his past and the future. With key aide Amit Shah entangled in encounter cases,  Modi has been keen to promote 54-year-old Saurabh Patel. He was reportedly instrumental in getting Saurabh a `safe’ seat during the 2012 assembly elections.

Another possible contender is former Finance Minister Vajubhai Vala, the man who holds the record of presenting the state budget 14 times and his successor Nitin Patel. Nitin, a Patel leader from Mehsana, is also in Modi’s good books and holds important portfolios like health, medical education, family welfare and transport. These days, he is the unofficial representative of the Gujarat government on places where Modi cannot make it.

Member of Parliament Purushottam Rupala too is said to be in the race but recent developments in BJP’s internal politics indicate that Rupala is out because of differences with Modi on allotting seats during the assembly elections. They say that Rupala’s non-inclusion in the new Team Rajnath in Delhi is a sign of this changing equation.

Read more.....

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2013.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri

and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles

IIPM’s Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri – A Man For The Society….
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM makes business education truly global
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman

ExecutiveMBA

Nature under siege

Murali Nagapuzha is one of Kerala’s most exciting new generation painters. His latest work was on show in an exhibition in the national Capital recently. In a conversation with the artist, KS Narayanan delves into the impulses that imbue his canvases photos by sujan singh

Protests over pollution, seminars on environmental degradation and global summits on climate change have become a daily routine. We may dismiss these events as part of public posturing of a world on the edge of destruction. But for those who silently suffer due to the onslaught of the development-at-all-cost model, these campaigns are a necessity, as it is for those who constantly hammer at the need to revive an “almost lost world”. Murali Nagapuzha, a self-taught painter like the French post-Impressionist Henri Rousseau, is one such man. With his vibrant colour palette and his magic brush, he seeks to put enchantment back into a world of reality. He creates poetry on the canvas with his lyrical, other worldly imagination.

Nagapuzha demonstrated his innate qualities in a series of 50 paintings, titled An Almost Lost World, which was exhibited in the Visual Arts Gallery of the Capital’s India Habitat Centre last week. Nagapuzha’s paintings narrate tales from memory, are steeped in nostalgia and reflect the wonders of the everyday, all of which are fast diminishing in the world around him.

Flowers, plants, birds and beasts are metamorphosed from ordinary to extraordinary in Nagapuzha’s work. K Satchidanandan, a well-known poet and critic, in the curatorial note on Nagapuzha’s An Almost Lost World Series, echoed a similar point of view. “Here the real stretches its arms towards the surreal, everyday things turn into objects of desire, we once again reach that childhood world of wonder and fantasy where everything looks new, everything brings pleasure to the senses.”

Murali Nagapuzha’s paintings remind us of the picturesque locations and beautiful scenery of Kerala. Through the artworks that showcase the rich flora and fauna of the region, the artist inspires people to conserve our natural wealth.

On his paintings, Murali says, “We all know that Kerala is one of the most beautiful places on this earth. But the natural beauty is fast being eroded.  The natural wealth of Kerala is getting affected by the commercialisation of the place and an increase of waste and pollution. Just imagine a scenario when we will get to know about flowers and plants only in the books, or about the animals only on the Internet. People are not realising the importance of nature. They are just treating it as a commodity and are taking the natural wealth for granted.”

Most of his paintings are set in his birthplace of Muvattupuzha, a village in Kerala. Strongly influenced by colours of nature, Nagapuzha bring the scenic beauty of Kerala alive on the canvas. Declining any special fondness for the colour green, Murali says he is depicting life as it is. “Kerala is all lush green. It is all vanishing. There is pollution, deforestation and what not?” he fumes and quickly adds, “It is the same story elsewhere”.

Hear what Anita Nair, another well known writer from God’s Own Country, says about the style of Nagapuzha’s art? “As with the cadences of a new dialect that builds itself on the solid syntax of a much-used language, Murali Nagapuzha’s work has the resonance of familiarity. We think we know and that we recognize it. Only at first, Nagapuzha uses the familiar to entice the eye. Then it is Nagapuzha’s world we are privy to”.

A second later, the self-taught painter who studies the works of Bhupen Kakkar and Ghulam Mohammad Sheikh confesses his paintings are all about the Kerala he grew up in and not the one in which he ‘resides’. “In a highly polluted and contaminated environment where even a lung-full of air is a rarity, I try to depict the innocence typical of a bygone village in Kerala.”

“I am not able to see any Palamaram trees or other flowering trees that I grew up with as a child. It is all lost due to increasing urbanization and environment pollution,” Nagapuzha laments. You feel his sense of loss.
Asked what it is like to be a self-taught? “I don't belong to any school. I am self-taught and self-made. So, I follow only my inner voice. I need not rebel and or adopt a particular style.” As the contemporary art scene is vulgarised by facile repetition, Nagapuzha holds the secrets of life between his brush strokes opening up the new frontiers of adventure, nature, fantasy and facts of life to art lovers.

Unable to come to terms with a personal tragedy during the Emergency when he lost many friends and comrades, Nagapuzha forced himself into the interior villages of Kerala. He took solace in books, rural folks and their rich folk arts. The custodial death of Rajan continues to stir the conscious of the nation. Similarly, the young Nagapuzha, who was then in college, endured many personal sufferings. And he continues to be pained by those events till today.

“I protested and demanded fundamental rights. On several occasions, the police raided our house, threatened my parents, brothers, sisters and relatives. They arrested my friend, Aziz, who used to help me design and put up posters. He died a week after his release from unofficial police custody,” narrates Nagapuzha. In the same breath, the painter lashes out at the rising sexual assault on innocent children across the country.

Former editor of a popular children's magazine in Malayalam, promoted by the Desabhimani daily, Nagapuzha is at present a freelance painter. He has also been bestowed with several honours, including the first Raja Ravi Varma award, instituted in 1998 and the Kerala Lalit Kala Akademi honoured him with the State award in 1993 and 1997.

“Flowers and animals teach us a lot of things. They sacrifice for each other and protect their community. I want to tell people that we should learn from them and try to bring some change in our attitude,” says the painter, who during graduation in Zoology did hundreds of drawings on the flora and fauna of his land.

All the artistic motifs in his paintings are drawn from a landscape that is now part of every tourist brochure. Without being banal or kitschy, Nagapuzha’s artistic terrain marvels at the Kerala colours and makes it his own.

But to understand Murali Nagapuzha we need to fist look at Kerala, where every day is a painting. Waiting to be absorbed, distilled and captured.

Read more.......

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2013.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri

and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles

IIPM’s Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri – A Man For The Society….
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM makes business education truly global
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman

ExecutiveMBA

Movie review: David

Tri-Try

Bejoy Nambiar’s 3 in 1 stylistic thriller tries to be more than it is, which not necessarily a bad thing, can sometimes turn against you and bite where it really hurts.

David stops just short of biting but does take it in the mouth. Beginning really well in french noir fashion with dark scenes and Neil Nitin Mukesh’s stubble glinting in the low light of the high end production sets, it keeps going and keeps trying but ultimately underwhelms.

What the film doesn’t lack is energy. There is always things happening on the screen and even though the director could have reined his leash a bit tighter and made the film shorter, it does keep you entertained throughout. David tells the tale of 3 “Davids” in 3 different places, in 3 different eras. No, this isn’t even slightly similar to any of Tarantino’s and the film does draw a bit of his style. It would also remind you of Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas, without the witty dialogue or any of Scorsese’s customary skills.

Where the film misses on dialogues though, it makes up with its catchy soundtrack which could easily be one of the best you would hear this year. Overall the film is raw, visually appealing and backed up by some good acting but that doesn’t do enough to cover up the feeble plot.

Read more...

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2013.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri

and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles

IIPM Global Exposure
IIPM Best B School India
IIPM B-School Detail
IIPM Links
IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face

BBA Institute

Family fissures

Power is a dangerous enemy. But as a friend it is probably worse for it can tear asunder close ties and bury time honoured beliefs. As his less than a year old government hits road bump after road bump, this is one unwelcome lesson that Akhilesh Yadav must be learning as whispers about the widening chasms within his family grow.

The latest example was served a few days back when his uncle Shivpal Yadav, Minister for Irrigation, Flood Control, Cooperatives and Public Works, largely regarded as the number two in the government, said that he was no party heavyweight. While Shivpal is not exactly known for his elegant use of words, elder brother and Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav is also snapping at his son’s government, having made vocal his displeasure with the functioning of the ministers, fuelling gossip about a growing distance between father and son.

Juhie Singh, the party’s state secretary, traces that speculation to a natural difference between the party organisation and the government. “During the elections, party leaders and workers saw Akhilesh as one of them. The sudden transition to CM is perhaps something they were not prepared for. They cannot make the distinction between his two roles. Hence, small lapses get magnified and much anger against the government is vented at party meetings. Netaji can see both sides and acts as the buffer,” she says.

Mulayam’s periodic critique of the government might be serving another purpose: it helps keep intact in the public mind the distinction between the party and the government such that the failings of the government do not reflect on the party while its achievements can be claimed as its own in the next Lok Sabha elections. Finger pointing at slow implementation of schemes for instance could be blamed at inadequate support from the Centre bolstering the party’s bid for a larger role on the national stage.

Arvind Singh Gope, Minister for Rural Development and the CMs senior by just a couple of years, says that the rifts and heartaches are being imagined by people who do not know the family well enough. “This is one of the most close-knit and well-behaved political families of India. There is immense respect for each other. The CM has a free hand to function and when he turns to the elders for advice, it is not a sign of subversion.”
Gope illustrates with the example of Shivpal’s earlier mentioned statement that had he been a political heavyweight, he would have been the chief minister.

“It was a light-hearted quip to dissuade a reporter who was pressing for the inclusion of a local MLA in the council of ministers. Shivpal laughed it off and said that appointing ministers was the CM’s prerogative, not his. The media however clung to only part of the statement, ignoring the context and tone,” emphasises Gope, who was present during the exchange.

Among the party’s fresh faces, which became one of its drawing powers during the Assembly elections, there is however the growing belief that the young CM has been deliberately hampered. “He is an energetic man with fresh ideas, surrounded by an obsolete team. This is not what we had hoped for,” says a first time MLA who admits to a growing frustration. More than one party insider insists that even if speculation about a growing chasm between father and son is unfounded, there is definitely substance to the conjecture that Shivpal is growing more disgruntled and can become a liability.

“The 2009 elections were guided by Amar Singh. In 2014, Ram Gopal Yadav (Mulayam’s cousin and party MP from Sambhal) will be the party strategist. This has resulted in a growing resentment in Shivpal,” insists a party old timer from the Yadav bastion of Etawah.

The last year has been littered with clues of Shivpal’s unhappiness. For instance, in August last year when the CM threw open the Yamuna Expressway, Shivpal who heads the public works department and had even been arrested during the course of demanding better compensation for farmers during the previous government, was miffed at not being in the picture.

The sacking of the party’s national spokesperson Mohan Singh last January in the run-up to the 2012 elections was seen as an indirect attack on Shivpal, who was in favour of the return of muscleman DP Yadav (staunchly opposed by Akhilesh). Later, when a decision was taken that only select senior leaders would talk to the media, Shivpal’s name did not figure.

Shivpal also held out till the very end when Mulayam proposed Akhilesh’s name as CM – a post he had hoped would come to him as the elder brother lay claim to a larger role in national politics. Even the dream of an enhanced role as guide to the new CM was undone when Ram Gopal forced himself into the role and started to have a big say in the functioning of the state government, limiting Shivpal’s power to his portfolio alone.
Also while Ram Gopal’s son Akshay has been given the party ticket to contest from the Farukhabad Lok Sabha seat (once held by Akhilesh), Shivpal’s son Aditya, who lost the zila panchayat elections in 2010, has been advised to work his way up and not depend on the family name.

Read more....

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2013.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri

and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles

2012 : DNA National B-School Survey 2012
Ranked 1st in International Exposure (ahead of all the IIMs)
Ranked 6th Overall
Zee Business Best B-School Survey 2012
Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri’s Session at IMA Indore
IIPM IN FINANCIAL TIMES, UK. FEATURE OF THE WEEK
IIPM strong hold on Placement : 10000 Students Placed in last 5 year

BBA Management Education

B&E This Fortnight

INTERNATIONAL
BUSINESS, ECONOMY & FINANCE
Zero job growth!
America’s gold plated standards in political and economic leadership have become a laughing stock. And President Barack Obama – also being dubbed as “President Zero” by the Republicans is at the receiving end of this phenomenon which has engulfed America. In fact, the dust from the debt ceiling drama hadn’t even settled when the government report on jobs released on Friday became a more pressing concern for the Obama administration. Apart from narrating the pathetic state of unemployment, the report revealed that there was zero job growth in August – an indication that the economy has come to a halt and that further inaction by the administration might be lethal. As a result Obama has devised a $447 billion job growth package and the proposal has been sent to the Congress for approval. Half the budget comprises tax cuts. The rest would be allocated towards improving infrastructure to keep people on the job. Further, measures include easing stringent environmental emissions (which supposedly hamper employment). With elections round the corner and Obama’s approval rating dropping to an all time low, it is increasingly becoming difficult to imagine how the President who came into power with hopes and mass hysteria will repeat history once again.

Carol Bartz fired!
“I am very sad to tell you that I’ve just been fired over the phone by Yahoo’s chairman. It has been my pleasure to work with all of you and I wish you only the best going forward.” It didn’t take much time for Carol Bartz, the outspoken former CEO of Yahoo! to take out her iPad and write a mail to the company’s 13,000 employees informing them that she had been fired. Bartz’s two year tumultuous stint at the beleaguered web giant came to an end on September 07. One of the most celebrated entities of the Web 1.0 era, Yahoo! struggled to cope as Google took over the world wide web by storm. When Bartz took over as CEO, she had cut jobs, outsourced its loss making search business to Microsoft and attempted to streamline operation. She was partly successful in mobilising the stock at around $13, however, investors were uneasy and could not wait to see the impact of the fixtures Bartz had introduced. Moreover, she ended up publicly alienating Jack Ma, Group CEO, Alibaba (Yahoo’s key Japan ally) who in turn spun off the payment too, Alipay (one of the company’s most profitable asset) without compensating for Yahoo’s share. Further, the company missed second quarter revenue targets. Whatever the reasons were, investors didn’t like it and Bartz was fired. However, instead of cutting deadwood, Yahoo’s board should contemplate breaking down the business and selling it off. In fact, they goofed up when they turned down Microsoft’s acquisition offer three years back.

Read more....

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri

and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles

2012 : DNA National B-School Survey 2012
Ranked 1st in International Exposure (ahead of all the IIMs)
Ranked 6th Overall
Zee Business Best B-School Survey 2012
Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri’s Session at IMA Indore
IIPM IN FINANCIAL TIMES, UK. FEATURE OF THE WEEK
IIPM strong hold on Placement : 10000 Students Placed in last 5 year
IIPM’s Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri – A Man For The Society….
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM makes business education truly global
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman
IIPM B-School Facebook Page
IIPM Global Exposure
IIPM Best B School India
IIPM B-School Detail
IIPM Links
IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face
IIPM – FLP (Flexi Learning Program)

INDIAN AVIATION SECTOR: FARE HIKES

The Last Time Domestic Airlines were allowed to decide fare levels, They went into a Hand-Wringing war to death. This time, The Government has intervened. But the Players Aren’t Amused. Steven Philip Warner Answers Why.

Not to forget, the pleading lot this time too, is the same, which went about illogically doling tickets at throw-away prices some years back (which resulted in the state of the domestic sector that is today), forming cartels, requesting relief from the government on all possible fronts and begging for deadline extensions on the billions of rupees due on jet fuel payments. [As on December 3, 2010, Jet & Kingfisher still owed Rs.10.50 billion in fuel bills.] So why is their lot requesting the government to stay home this time? The answer lies in understanding that these preachers of “Free-market Economics” desire to make every inch count. For them, this is the chance to garner windfall profits, and in unbelievable quick time.

Count the maths. Given the improved conditions of demand in recent months, which have proved a setback for LCCs to an extent, even if we assume that a 200% increase in fares across the board, leads to a 50% fall in topline (considering 0% change in op. expenditures & ATF bills for the players), at the H1, FY2010-11 levels of topline, depreciation and interest on loans, Jet would have reported a net profit of a massive Rs.31.73 billion in the remaining two quarters of FY2010-11 – wiping out the nightmares of Rs.11.20 billion in losses garnered since FY2007-08 and lighten its existing debt burden by 91.33% over the next six quarters! Kingfisher, on the other hand, would have reported profits of Rs.52.13 billion during H2, FY2010-11 – enough herb to soothe the Rs.42.04 billion burn accumulated in five years, and wipe clean its total debt by Q2, FY2011-12. Given that the airline has never made profits since it began operations in FY2005-06, it clearly viewed the fare hike as an apt redemption from the societal pressure of not having broken-even yet. It wasn’t to be.

For now though, the government has put its foot down, to restrain the worst of corporate behaviours. It has already set up a tariff analysis unit to monitor route-wise fares of airlines, and the fares across various routes have already fallen by upto 70% since the DGCA made its intentions clear. As for the domestic aviators, they would do themselves good, even if they try and imitate the act of American LCC SouthWest Airlines (SWA) – the only airline that has never made losses in the past three decades! Even in 2009, while “all” airlines in US reported negative bottomlines, it made $99 million in profits. SWA has made money by no wizadry. It plays with volumes (not price-hikes), offers just what a stripped down LCC aircraft can, and operates its fleet of 550 aircrafts only on profitable routes. Today, Indian carriers which deploy about 70% of their fleet in the budget model (as of October 2010), are close to getting it right. And some like CAPA has even forecasted profits to the tunes of $300 million this year. Says Greater Manchester-based David Bentley, Joint MD, Big Pond Aviation, to B&E, “There is a demand for competitively priced tickets in US. The same is the case in India. India is not physically as big as the US but there is the opportunity to follow the same path...”

Read more......

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri
and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles

2012 : DNA National B-School Survey 2012
Ranked 1st in International Exposure (ahead of all the IIMs)
Ranked 6th Overall
Zee Business Best B-School Survey 2012
Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri’s Session at IMA Indore
IIPM IN FINANCIAL TIMES, UK. FEATURE OF THE WEEK
IIPM strong hold on Placement : 10000 Students Placed in last 5 year
IIPM’s Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri – A Man For The Society….
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM makes business education truly global
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman
IIPM B-School Facebook Page
IIPM Global Exposure
IIPM Best B School India
IIPM B-School Detail
IIPM Links
IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face
IIPM – FLP (Flexi Learning Program)

“I see no reason why Middle-East conflict can’t be resolved”

In an exclusive conversation with Akram Hoque and Sayan Ghosh, H.E. Mohamed Ali Daher, the Ambassador of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan talks about Middle-East peace process and democracy in Jordan

B&E: Jordan has a very balanced relations with US, Israel and the Arab nations. How does it maintain the status quo?
H.E. Mohamed Ali Daher (MD): It’s true that Jordan enjoys a very good relationship with all its neighbours. We thought establishing peace with all the countries in the area and Israel would give an extension to channel our resources for development. The urgency of establishing peace has always been there and it’s a global phenomenon that peace has its own rewards. Now, the question is what have we achieved? We are aspiring for better understanding for peace as we say in English that it needs “two to tango”. So, we also need the other side to understand the value of peace and help in establishing permanent peace in the region.

B&E: Establishing peace in the Middle-East region is very much possible. Do you agree to this?
MD: I see no reasons why not. After all, we can’t live life of agony and state of restlessness for all of our life.

B&E: Who will be playing the most critical role in the Middle-East peace process?
MD: Indeed, it’s Israel and the Palestine. Because they have to sit together and talk about peace. Otherwise, the problem between these two countries will not only be a matter of concern for the Middle-East region, but also for the whole world. At present, the US is playing a good role as an inter-mediator to resolve the issue. They have a special envoy George Mitchell, who is shuttling around in the entire region. Jordan is also a key player in the peace process due to its closeness with these countries. However, Jordan don’t play any role away from the rest of the Arab world. As you probably know that in the last Arab summit conference that was held in Beirut, the Arab leaders universally adopted peace plan and it is still on the table. But I am afraid that we have not received any encouraging reaction from Israel. I don’t know how long that would be on the table. Hopefully, it will be implemented. This really reflects how much the world community is emphasising on establishing peace in the region.

B&E: Despite being ruled by the Royal family, Jordan ranks first in the Arab Democracy Index. How do you rate democracy?
MD: For this, we first have to understand the meaning of the word “democracy.” Democracy is so much under the influence of certain social structures. There is no general norm for democracy. Democracy, in my understanding, is that people are not oppressed, they enjoy their rights without any obstruction and they do their duties for the country. These are all integral and essential elements of any democracy. Considering this, I will say, we are enjoying democracy in Jordan and as you mentioned it correctly we are doing well in the index. His Majesty King Abdullah II has always emphasised that democracy is an essential part of the whole process of development and upliftment of the country’s economy. Moreover, like other democratic countries, we have a parliament and it is elected in a very democratic way. As a matter of fact, the country will see its next general election sometime in November this year. Now talking about how some of the western society preview democracy, I am afraid that we have difficulty in understanding western definitions. Democracy in our country is basic necessity and is based on our religion Islam. You cannot say that the Arab world lacks democracy.

I don’t see any Arab country that has a military rule or martial law. Thus, democracy can be tailored according to the need of the people and we are proud of what we are now. We are enjoying all kinds of freedom.

Read more.....

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri
and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.

2012 : DNA National B-School Survey 2012
Ranked 1st in International Exposure (ahead of all the IIMs)
Ranked 6th Overall
Zee Business Best B-School Survey 2012
Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri’s Session at IMA Indore
IIPM IN FINANCIAL TIMES, UK. FEATURE OF THE WEEK
IIPM strong hold on Placement : 10000 Students Placed in last 5 year
IIPM’s Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri – A Man For The Society….
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM makes business education truly global
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman
IIPM B-School Facebook Page
IIPM Global Exposure
IIPM Best B School India
IIPM B-School Detail
IIPM Links
IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face
IIPM – FLP (Flexi Learning Program)

... but then, so do outsiders!

Paul is an outsider (a non-TCS), and sometimes it is safer to hire a top executive from outside

In technology, IBM holds the gold standard on how to undertake succession planning. Potential candidates were selected early on in their careers and then fast tracked through jobs, so that there was always a deep pool to choose from whenever an executive spot became available. From these top executive spots the new CEO was generally chosen with the exception of Louis Gerstner, who was brought in to turn the company around in the late 80s. While not as robust a process, Tata Consultancy Services does appear to show some similarity in the apparent grooming of Ramadorai into the role, which is now followed by N. Chandrasekaran, who now appears competently capable of taking on the mantle as the chief executive of TCS. You look for consistency in a process like this because you can draw conclusions from prior successes to anticipate future results. Ramadorai’s success implies that Chandrasekaran will be successful as well in this role.

This is a sustaining transition. In other words, TCS is in a relatively good shape in an ugly market and this typically means that the management wants a sustaining manager, who will continue with what has been a successful strategy and not a disruptive change agent. This is what they will most likely get with Chandrasekaran. With him, TCS appears to showcase both strong succession planning and good grooming for the intended new top chief executive.

The second contender for the top job is Vivek Paul. Undoubtedly, Paul has a great personality and has lots of experiences also. Paul is more competent, but less likely to take the job actually. I think he is a very strong player, but probably too wealthy and smart to take this position. Government interference will be high and the effort, even without that, would be very difficult. He is smart enough to know that the personal risks of this job probably significantly exceed the personal benefits. Paul is an outsider (a non-TCS), and sometimes it is safer to hire a top executive from outside, for an outsider is more likely to take actions that need to be taken that an insider would avoid.

Read more.....

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri
and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.

2012 : DNA National B-School Survey 2012
Ranked 1st in International Exposure (ahead of all the IIMs)
Ranked 6th Overall
Zee Business Best B-School Survey 2012
Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri’s Session at IMA Indore
IIPM IN FINANCIAL TIMES, UK. FEATURE OF THE WEEK
IIPM strong hold on Placement : 10000 Students Placed in last 5 year
IIPM’s Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri – A Man For The Society….
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM makes business education truly global
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman
IIPM B-School Facebook Page
IIPM Global Exposure
IIPM Best B School India
IIPM B-School Detail
IIPM Links
IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face
IIPM – FLP (Flexi Learning Program)

Eight points which must be followed

Sompal Shastri puts eight points which must be followed if something has to done

The investment required for this is estimated to be around Rs.400,000 crores. States alone, however, are not in a position to mobilize such resources. The central government should share it equally with them. Secondly, there has to be a land use policy strictly prohibiting conversion of fertile land for non-agricultural purposes, except in rare cases.

Thirdly, thoroughly researched models of integrated nutrient and pest management based on use of organic matter and biological controls have to be promoted through out the country.

Fourthly, a comprehensive livestock and biodiversity policy aiming at conservation and improvement of native breeds and varieties through selective breeding must be put in place and form part of the integrated farming systems.

Fifthly, the price policy, which has so far been favouring only a few crops such as wheat, rice, sugarcane and cotton, and neglected the coarse grains, that are more nutritious and can be grown with lesser water, needs to be redesigned to make their cultivation equally profitable, if not more. Terms of trade for agriculture too warrant a correction.

Sixthly, all restrictions on trading, stocking, financing, movement and processing of agricultural products must be removed forth with to make India as one integrated market. Seventhly, the numbers dependent on agriculture have to be reduced by creating alternative job opportunities in rural areas and establishing facilities for technical and vocational education for enhancing skills and employability of rural youth.

And lastly, the multiplicity of Indian agriculture must be protected at all costs. We must be self sufficient in almost every item. Food security has to be an integral component of national security. Use of food as a weapon in international politics is not an unknown phenomenon. Our own experience tells that whenever we have deficit, prices in international markets go up.

On the international trade front, we must remain firm that unless the rich countries remove subsidies of all types to their agriculture, we shall continue to insulate our farmers against unfair foreign competition.

Read more.......

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri
and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
2012 : DNA National B-School Survey 2012
Ranked 1st in International Exposure (ahead of all the IIMs)
Ranked 6th Overall
Zee Business Best B-School Survey 2012
Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri’s Session at IMA Indore
IIPM IN FINANCIAL TIMES, UK. FEATURE OF THE WEEK
IIPM strong hold on Placement : 10000 Students Placed in last 5 year
IIPM’s Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri – A Man For The Society….
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM makes business education truly global
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman
IIPM B-School Facebook Page
IIPM Global Exposure
IIPM Best B School India
IIPM B-School Detail
IIPM Links
IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face
IIPM – FLP (Flexi Learning Program)

PARITY: HEADS OF THE STATES VS ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE

Comparisons of national GDPs with respective salaries of heads of state reveals some interesting facts

Singapore is quite an aberration though. It pays a whopping $3.14 million (nearly 8 times that of the US President) to its President and $2.47 million to its Prime Minister; while the size of its economy is just $182 billion. Though there are debates over the high salary among Singaporeans, the Government defends it vehemently, on the logic that Singapore compensates its heads of state on the basis of parity with corporate leaders! Perhaps the most striking example would be that of India. The President of democratic republic of India gets a mere Rs.18 lakh annually. The basic salary of the President was a pitiable Rs.120,000 annually prior to 1998 while India emerged as the 6th largest economy in the world with GDP in PPP worth International $1,702.7 billion. This was revised to Rs.6,00,000 ($12,000) in 1998. Later in late 2008, the salary was raised to its current level, while the country witnessed rapid growth and the GDP crossed the trillion dollar mark. That was when India became the 4th largest in terms of GDP in PPP terms and the 12th largest economy in terms of nominal GDP. The PM of India, who is the actual functional head, has an even lower salary of Rs.15,00,000 per year ($31,250).

In UK, the Prime Minister gets about $2,79,000 annually, while its economy is the 6th largest in the world with a nominal GDP of $2.68 trillion. Tiny Hong Kong pays $516,000 (more than the US President and 13 times that of the Indian President!) to its Prime Minister annually, while it has nominal GDP of $215.35 billion, 1/65th of the US economy and 1/5th of the Indian economy. Japan, the 2nd largest economy in the world with a GDP of $4.91 trillion pays $243,000 to its PM annually. Similarly, Australia pays $2,29,000 annually to its PM while it is the 14th largest economy of the world with GDP of $1.013 trillion. In addition, Canada, Germany and France with nominal GDP of $1.499 trillion, $3.673 trillion and $2.867 trillion respectively pay their PMs $2,46,000; $3,03,000 and $3,18,000.

Read more....

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri
and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
2012 : DNA National B-School Survey 2012
Ranked 1st in International Exposure (ahead of all the IIMs)
Ranked 6th Overall
Zee Business Best B-School Survey 2012
Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri’s Session at IMA Indore
IIPM IN FINANCIAL TIMES, UK. FEATURE OF THE WEEK
IIPM strong hold on Placement : 10000 Students Placed in last 5 year
IIPM’s Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri – A Man For The Society….
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM makes business education truly global
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman
IIPM B-School Facebook Page
IIPM Global Exposure
IIPM Best B School India
IIPM B-School Detail
IIPM Links
IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face
IIPM – FLP (Flexi Learning Program)

US: PRIVATE SECURITY FIRMS

Where are the PSC regulations?

Although Erik Prince resigned as Blackwater’s CEO in March 2009, he remains the Chairman and sole owner. The company has received millions of dollars in government contracts and despite Iraqi government’s protests, the US State Department – disregarding various ongoing investigations by their own departments against the firm – renewed Blackwater’s contract in 2008 (the Iraqi government refused the renewal).

The problem goes deeper. In UK, around 11,000 non-EU nationals acting as quasi-PSCs are guarding sensitive sites. Recently, Afghan authorities had shut down two private security companies (as they were charged under murder and robbery). Marouane Bourannane, the security guard who protected Gordon Brown at the Labour Party conference, was held travelling on a fake French passport after being actually ‘vetted’ by his security firm. We wonder, why in heavens aren’t nations passing structured regulations on the PSC industry if it’s now not just a question about guarding people, but of guarding nations and their leaders?

Read more.....

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri
and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.

2012 : DNA National B-School Survey 2012
Ranked 1st in International Exposure (ahead of all the IIMs)
Ranked 6th Overall
Zee Business Best B-School Survey 2012
Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri’s Session at IMA Indore
IIPM IN FINANCIAL TIMES, UK. FEATURE OF THE WEEK
IIPM strong hold on Placement : 10000 Students Placed in last 5 year
IIPM’s Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri – A Man For The Society….
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM makes business education truly global
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman
IIPM B-School Facebook Page
IIPM Global Exposure
IIPM Best B School India
IIPM B-School Detail
IIPM Links
IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face
IIPM – FLP (Flexi Learning Program)

Let’s not think ‘small & medium’

DSE’s SME exchange is worthy of applause, but they have to avoid becoming OTCEI

It was like a dream come true for many of the small and medium enterprise (SME) owners whom we came across when they heard that Delhi Stock Exchange (DSE) is planning to get back to business with focus on specialised services for SMEs (subject to SEBI approval). And why not, for this can provide them with a much needed platform to raise capital, their biggest problem so far in their vision for a dream enterprise.

But then, they should be warned by history. A similar concept was introduced in 1990, named OTCEI (Over-The-Counter Exchange of India). Today, it writes (very proudly) in its website, “As a measure of success of these efforts (introduction of screen-based nationwide trading, market making and scrip-less trading), the exchange has 115 listings.” Superb! 115 listings in 19 years. Perhaps, that’s why many don’t even remember that OTCEI still exists!

With a live example of disaster, why is DSE interested in setting up a SME exchange? Answers B. K. Sabarwal, Director, DSE, “A recent survey has revealed that 92% of unorganised enterprises in India do not receive financial assistance from banks or from any other source... An exchange is the best way to make them competitive.” Moreover, DSE is not only looking forward to the opportunity present in India’s 13 million (approx.) SMEs; it has adopted the model of London-based Alternative Investment Market (AIM)). Certainly a great idea, considering that it has 3,075 listings and raised $104 billion since its inception in 1995. But, only by following AIM, the job can’t be done successfully.

Read more......

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri
and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.

2012 : DNA National B-School Survey 2012
Ranked 1st in International Exposure (ahead of all the IIMs)
Ranked 6th Overall
Zee Business Best B-School Survey 2012
Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri’s Session at IMA Indore
IIPM IN FINANCIAL TIMES, UK. FEATURE OF THE WEEK
IIPM strong hold on Placement : 10000 Students Placed in last 5 year
IIPM’s Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri – A Man For The Society….
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM makes business education truly global
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman
IIPM B-School Facebook Page
IIPM Global Exposure
IIPM Best B School India
IIPM B-School Detail
IIPM Links
IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face
IIPM – FLP (Flexi Learning Program)

The concept of a PLC

Global case studies of struggling brands show that similar to the concept of a PLC (Product Life Cycle), revival strategies must depend on the stage of life cycle that the brand is in as well as the real reasons why it has lost its connect with its customers. When properly applied, brands can survive many PLCs

Brands that face decline typically would fall into two categories – those that carry a huge legacy and those who don’t. American Airlines is in the first, and it’s trying hard to win back customers. It’s AAdvantage Mystery Miles program achieved huge success on Facebook initially with 210,000 fans within 54 hours of launch, and is a welcome step towards engagement. But besides getting seats filled quickly, the airline needs to ensure a far improved service. Similarly, Sony and Nokia are now perceived to be far less innovation and customer oriented than before. Departmental store chain Sears is said to have suffered due to poor focus on store upkeep, lack of a clear positioning & a disdainful approach to merchandising, while the likes of Wal-Mart and Target galloped ahead. Jaguar’s target audience aged over time. Jean-Noel Kapferer, Professor at HEC Paris, cites the instance of Mercedes in his book ‘Strategic Brand Management’, which faced a decline in brand perception over 10 years back and lost its aspirational tag to the Toyota Lexus. It was being perceived as an old brand, and Jean asserts, “The event that revitalised Mercedes was the launch of the A-Class... It departed from the traditional Mercedes image on two counts – it had a front-wheel drive and a completely different design. However, it still had the interior space of the C-Class and the safety of the E-Class.” It also attracted a younger clientele with an average age of 37. Typically, legacy brands attempting rejuvenation tend to balance the old and the new.

On the other hand, a brand like Yahoo! has problems of a different nature. It doesn’t have that kind of legacy by its side, and may actually be long gone before it does! It started off in 1994 by positioning itself as “David & Jerry’s guide to the World Wide Web”, after the Stanford students who started it. Within three years, Yahoo! had the largest audience on the internet. But later efforts at being the customer’s window to the web appeared quite misguided. Moreover, the company lost out to Google on search, which made the latter the preferred window to the internet world, even though Yahoo! still retains a more interesting, informative and nicely segmented web portal. It’s not just search that it missed monetising on. It acquired Broadcast.com for $5.7 billion in 1999 to capitalise on multimedia on the web, seven years before Google acquired YouTube. However, they failed to gain popularity. Besides, Yahoo! missed out on the social networking bus as well as the movement of masses of customers to mobile phones. BlackBerry faces problems of a similar nature globally. Though its messaging service has a huge fan following, the company’s products have lost their edge amidst the Android and Apple wave. Such brands, that face rejuvenation issues so early in their life cycle, have to be more open to drastic measures. They may need to radically reposition themselves through proper communication to attract new audiences. But Ramanujam Sreedhar, noted brand consultant and CEO, brand-comm, also cautions, “Before you go for a brand repositioning, you must analyse if the product itself has become irrelevant.”

Read more....

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri

and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.

2012 : DNA National B-School Survey 2012
Ranked 1st in International Exposure (ahead of all the IIMs)
Ranked 6th Overall
Zee Business Best B-School Survey 2012
Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri’s Session at IMA Indore
IIPM IN FINANCIAL TIMES, UK. FEATURE OF THE WEEK
IIPM strong hold on Placement : 10000 Students Placed in last 5 year
IIPM’s Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri – A Man For The Society….
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM makes business education truly global
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman
IIPM B-School Facebook Page
IIPM Global Exposure
IIPM Best B School India
IIPM B-School Detail
IIPM Links
IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face
IIPM – FLP (Flexi Learning Program)

The new rules of 2012: Engage, Empower, Entertain, Educate, Enrich.

How advertisers are redefining the 5Es of advertising

“Brand advertising seems to be on its way out.” Al Ries, Chairman, Ries & Ries

“Advertising’s role in this new world becomes not just a demand driver but also a counterbalancing force to price as the main determinant of consumer choice.” Gian Fulgoni, Executive chairman and co-founder, comScore, Inc.

When it comes to building and leveraging brand equity, the advertising discipline itself has come into serious question in recent years. While Ries argues that brands cannot be advertised as before, Fulgoni talks about the new role of advertising. And these are not isolated instances. Advertisers in India and globally are well aware of how debated this domain is today. The reasons range from rising clutter to evolved consumers to the proliferation of consumer touch points, particularly the rise of internet and social media.

The relative importance of advertising can be gauged if one looks at how one wrong move affects brands in this networked age. Take for example, an ad released by group discount website Groupon last year. In February 2011, Groupon broadcast its first ever TV commercial during the Super Bowl. On the same day, CEO Andrew Mason wrote a blog stating that they had trouble figuring out who to work with as an advertising partner. “Our peculiar taste in humour made it really hard for outside agencies to come up with concepts we liked. This time around, we had better luck with ad firm Crispin Porter + Bogusky,” wrote Mason. One of the ads in the series opens up in what seems to be a restaurant based in Tibet. Academy award winning actor Timothy Hutton is sitting on a table. When the waiter arrives with the food, Hutton says, “The people of Tibet are in trouble. Their very culture is in jeopardy. But they still whip up an amazing fish curry. And since 200 of us bought at Groupon.com, we’re each getting $30 worth of Tibetan food for just $15 at Himalayan Restaurant in Chicago.” A voiceover ends the ad stating: Save the money. A lot of great deals in your town. Groupon.com. Now the creative was humorous, but it rubbed many netizens the wrong way. Add to that the reaction from the Chinese, who are a key market for Groupon and the fact that the restaurant owner himself went on to criticise the ad and you had a sure shot recipe for disaster! Mason, who was very upbeat about CP+B, soon fired the agency and went on to publicly berate them in a Bloomberg Businessweek profile where he said that he had put too much trust in the agency. “We turned off the part of our brain where we should have made our own decisions. We learned that you can’t rely on anyone else to control and maintain your own brand,” said Mason. Clearly, differentiation has become a tricky terrain.

Read more.....

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri

and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.

2012 : DNA National B-School Survey 2012
Ranked 1st in International Exposure (ahead of all the IIMs)
Ranked 6th Overall
Zee Business Best B-School Survey 2012
Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri’s Session at IMA Indore
IIPM IN FINANCIAL TIMES, UK. FEATURE OF THE WEEK
IIPM strong hold on Placement : 10000 Students Placed in last 5 year
IIPM’s Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri – A Man For The Society….
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM makes business education truly global
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman
IIPM B-School Facebook Page
IIPM Global Exposure
IIPM Best B School India
IIPM B-School Detail
IIPM Links
IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face
IIPM – FLP (Flexi Learning Program)