Taming the Dragon

India needs to subtly tell China where to get off...
One of the most persistent – and valid – charges against the Indian state by strategic analysts, over the years, has been that it’s a ‘soft state’. According to them, India has borrowed generously from Mahatma Gandhi and transformed foreign policy into the art of turning the other cheek whenever there has been a diplomatic slap. The more adventurous and bellicose of these analysts want India to learn from Israel when it comes to an uncompromising and relentless pursuit of ‘national interests’. These pundits would have Indian troops chasing terrorists across the border into Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. Fortunately for India, that kind of jingoism has not replaced hard headed pragmatic diplomacy of the type practised over the last two decades. Along with the spectacular rise in the size and status of the Indian economy since 1991, pragmatic diplomacy, too, has earned many brownie points in the global arena.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2007

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

You've got mail... and the world's got warmer!

Consumers and industry will have to take the eWaste problem seriously, before...
Buy y a PC, plant a tree. Sure, it’s a gimmick, but as gimmicks go, it’s a good one. I didn’t see Michael Dell’s “Plant a Tree for Me” announcement at CES this year, but I was told the auditorium was pretty much empty. That’s too bad, because his programme could go a long way towards solving a serious problem. We live in a culture that never powers down, and all that power that we consume eventually takes a heavy toll on the environment we live in. From now on, whenever you buy a Dell PC, you’ll have the option of donating a few dollars towards planting new trees. And it’s not for nothing. A PC requires electricity, and generating electricity typically involves spewing a lot of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. As Al Gore’s documentary An Inconvenient Truth makes pretty clear, this is a big problem, especially for people living at sea level. New trees can off set some of those carbon emissions.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2007

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

Green is money!

...the new motto of tech-world
Suddenly, the world looks like an enlightened place, where everyone has envisaged the importance of going green. While the moral responsibility to become environment friendly should be compelling enough, it is the moolah that is in fact driving the green spirits of global IT giants. In its quest to save cash (read billions of dollars) on energy costs, IBM has recently announced its decision to invest nearly $1 billion every year in Green Technologies. Christened as “Project Green”, IBM has devised a 5 stage programme that helps IT companies save almost 42% of their data centre energy consumption.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2007

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

An eye on the future...

SAIL is looking seriously towards emerging green opportunities
Steel Authority Of India Limited (SAIL) is quite well known for its rapidly improving balance sheet year on year. The company had yet another stupendous financial year 2006-07 with a turnover of Rs.391.89 billion (growth of 21% y-o-y) & net profit after tax of Rs.62 billion (growth of 55% y-o-y). Chairman S.K. Roongta, while highlighting the inner strengths of the company further reiterated, “We (SAIL) are determined to make optimum use of our resources.” And SAIL has been quite bullish on environmentally sustainable growth for which it recently received a CSR award. In an industry like steel, eliminating pollution becomes difficult even with latest technologies. As R.Sreedhar, steel environment expert, says, “Although the SAIL Bhilai plant has won the CSR Award this year, still communities around that area continue to suffer from pollution and very little corrective action is being taken...” But the SAIL plant is doing quite a bit.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2007

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

Lenovo office in Bengaluru

A first look at the Lenovo office in Bengaluru shows a refreshing change from the serious image of IBM. The colour white (complete anti-thesis to the IBM obsession for black computers) dominates in the entire setting, and posters of the celebrity siblings & brand endorsers Saif & Soha Ali Khan adorn the walls. Ask Neeraj Sharma the key to Lenovo’s strategic objectives, and his answer is innovation. He feels Lenovo is one of the typical instances of Thomas Friedman’s ‘flat world’, as the company is successfully leveraging engineering talent across the world. Three research labs in the US, Japan & China form the heart and soul of Lenovo’s R&D. The American lab works on Think advantage technologies, the Japanese lab for notebook innovations, while the Chinese lab is focused on desktop engineering. This is termed as the ‘innovation triangle’ of Lenovo.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2007

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

Tax Holidays !

If you have a few million rupees to spare and want to avoid the tax man, buying a wind mill might be a good idea. The craze for alternative sources of energy has ensured that a businessman can generate electricity in a wind farm and pay absolutely zilch as income or corporate tax. This has led to many controversies and run ins with the tax man. Even Suzlon has been paid a visit or two by income tax sleuths. The Chennai based Kemkas and the NEPC group they manage, was notorious during the 1990s for perceived abuse of liberal tax laws to create ‘mythical’ wind mills. Wind farms were also associated with the bitter controversy involving Tata Finance, when the erstwhile close aide of Ratan Tata, Dilip Pendse was accused of fraud.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2007

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

Stock Markets

But why blame these board members, when even the stock markets seemingly prefer an ‘environment-unfriendly’ approach. Global stock markets have most oft en skipped discounting in the environmental footprints (or stomping) that firms leave with ramifications over generations. If criticism is in vogue, then it would be pertinent to note that despite the environmental disaster created by various oil giants (which has been historically documented), their profitability and stock prices have retained promising and historical highs!

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2007

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

The Great Wall cementing business!

If trade between the two Himalayan neighbouring countries, India and China, continues to grow at the same pace then not much time is left until when bilateral trade between the countries would touch the $40 billion mark. Analysts believe that the India – China bilateral trade is all set to rise from the current $25 billion to $40 billion by 2009, thus the target would be achieved by one year in advance. In Q1 2007, trade registered a growth of 58% and has touched $8.2 billion. It is being forecasted that bilateral trade between the countries would build up to $43 billion by 2010.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2007

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

No wrongs, Just Wright!

A fearless conservationist, Belinda talks to TSI about the threats and challenges that imperil India’s forests and its denizens

1. How easy was it for Belinda Wright to fit in with respect to Indian wildlife, both as her role as a wildlife filmmaker and photographer as well as a conservationist?
I was born in India in 1950s and our country’s wildlife has been my only profession and abiding interest, all my life. I spent much of my childhood in the jungles of Eastern India. When I started my career as a wildlife photographer, the only problem I had was actually getting to such remote areas. Everybody was always welcoming and very helpful, and it certainly helped that my mother, Anne Wright, was such a well-known wildlife conservationist. She was a member of the Government of India’s Indian Board for Wildlife for nineteen years and on the six-member committee that was set up by the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, to identify the first nine Tiger Reserves and establish Project Tiger.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2007

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

Keira’s carry bag

Keira Knightley has found a way to be environment friendly and look chic while at it. She’s been carrying around a bag from the environmental line of Anya Hindmarch with a very earthy message inscribed on it: “I’m not a plastic bag”. As if that weren’t convincing enough, the designer carry-bag costs a measly $5dollars! And sure enough, Keira has started a rage, as now the fashion-crazy lot are rushing to London’s Knightsbridge store to get their hands on this designer piece! Keira sure knows how to play the eco-friendly pied piper really well!

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2007

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

"One laptop per child"

This is the famous “One Laptop per Child” laptop that was conceived by Nicholas Negroponte. It has an LED screen that is easily readable in the sunlight, 256 MB of RAM, an AMD processor and is designed for rough use as it was after all made for mischievous children. This low power-consuming laptop might even pave the way for energy conservation for our current range of laptops and PCs. Here's a toast to the path-breaker!

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2007

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

MADURA GARMENTS

In India, amidst most successful apparel brands, Madura Garments stands tall
First things first! Madura Garments is the market leader in Branded Apparel in India. Some of the famous brands that come under the umbrella of this company include Louis Philippe, Allen Solly, Van Heusen, SF Jeans and Peter England – all of which have achieved considerable success in their segments. In recent times, the company was instrumental in launching the international brand “Esprit” in India. They are also planning to bring Giorgio Armani to Indian shores.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2007

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

EVEREADY

Brand extensions have powered Eveready’s growth. Now it needs recharge
In this age of electronic dependence guess what electronics depend on? Of course on batteries, and when talking of batteries, one can’t just help but say: ‘Give me Red’. Initially tagged as a rural brand in the Indian market and later appealing to the hearts of many young Indians with their in-your-face tagline, Eveready has certainly come a long way. On January 3 last year, it extended its brand by launching ‘Eveready Poweron,’ entering the Mosquito Repellent coils market. A market leader in dry cell battery and flash-light industry already, the strategy behind this fresh introduction was to concentrate on proper retail and display instead of just depending on their distribution network for easy reach of the rural masses.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2007

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

L&T

Silent delivery of quality technology have been L&T’s hallmark. But the silence was broken!
“It’s all about Imagineering”- that’s what L&T’s new motto is. The brand has recently refurbished its old tagline and from simply being an entity which shouted “We make things that make India proud”, it wants to be known as a hub of superior imagination (imagineering). Till recently, L&T was a low profile company with no loud declarations of its achievements and practically close to zero promotions. But of late, the brand seems to have understood the need for the public eye and has geared up to attract the attention of the global market.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2007

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

GILLETTE

It has launched products & roped-in a new brand ambassador, but the communication’s been poor!
From personal care to household products, the dynamic brand Gillette touches lives of millions, everyday. The brand has carved a niche for itself and delivers high quality products to its consumers. According to a Gillette India spokesperson, “Gillette is a globally focused consumer products marketer that seeks competitive advantage in quality, value-added personal care and personal use products.” The brand – grounded in innovation has, over time, come to be associated with strong consumer centric offerings like advanced technology, superior product experience, and strong value proposition… in other words, indeed the best a man can get!

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2007

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

DETTOL

Just a whiff of Dettol, and one immediately remembers their last encounter with a cut or bruise. Right?
Here is a brand that needs no introduction. The flagship brand of Reckitt Benckiser, Dettol has soothed the nerves of many a harried mothers and guardians for decades. In fact, such is its popularity that Dettol has almost become a generic name in the category of antiseptic lotions. Though competitor Savlon’s entry made a dent in their monopoly, yet Dettol clearly remains the market leader. To cash in on its brand equity, Reckitt Benckiser has launched various extensions of the brand, each revolving around the basic Dettol forte viz. germ protection – Dettol Sensitive Liquid Hand (enriched with glycerine), Dettol Cool Soap (with menthol) and Dettol Body Wash (in the new modern format of a shower gel), to name a few.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2007

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

TOYOTA

Being the global No.1 isn’t enough. Toyota must learn to handle the crown too!
Toyota is on a high. After becoming the world’s number one carmaker during the first quarter of 2007 (beating GM in global sales), and after launching their limited edition premium Corolla Sedan version in India during this year, Toyota has now outlined a number of strategies for developing markets. Few brands live up to consumer expectations and it comes as no surprise that despite entering India just half-a-decade back, brand Toyota has surpassed expectations. Speaking on Toyota’s brand positioning, KK Swami, Dy MD, revealed to 4Ps B&M, “We focus on the study of the consumer’s changing preferences, and therefore, getting the right cost price is important for us.” But there’s a problem here.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2007

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

LUX

Competition took a toll too, but maybe SRK in a bathtub did not work as well as anticipated...
Perceived as the preferred bar of glam dolls of tinsel town, over the last year Lux donned the unisex hat with the king of Bollywood, Shahrukh Khan himself vouching for the brand! Ad-guru Alyque Padamsee declares, “If you bathe with Lux, you might find SRK in the bath tub with you...” With bathing and shower products boasting of the highest penetration in the market and intense competition between regional and national players negatively affecting both top and bottom- line growth, it was left to brand managers at Lux to cut through the clutter and lead the rat race.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2007

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

MAHINDRA & MAHINDRA

At Rank 60 last year, driven by Anand Mahindra’s zeal, M&M has gallantly galloped ahead...
Mahindra as a brand has undergone major restructuring, over the last few years. The auto major has not only diversified into passenger car segment successfully (from just being a CV maker), but by forming a JV with France’s Renault, the brand value of Mahindra has shot-up significantly. Moreover, leading positions across sectors – farm equipment, infrastructure, IT and financial services, has added ions to the Mahindra portfolio. The group also enjoys a handsome global footprint in almost every sector it operates. The $4 billion Group has also made strategic acquisitions in China and the UK, besides boasting of 3 assembly plants in USA. The power of Brand Mahindra can be judged by the fact that Forbes has listed it among the World’s top 200 most reputable companies (and in the top 10 list of India’s most reputable companies). Now, the key to more power for M&M hinges strongly on the recently launched Logan’s success in Indian market. With apologies to Robert Frost: The woods are lovely, dark and deep, but M&M still has miles to travel before it sleeps!

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2007

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

BRAND LOYALTY

Brand Loyalty is considered to be the ultimate goal of any marketer, especially in a highly cluttered and fragmented market place. And who could do it better than Maggi, a brand that introduced instant cooking to India and has become a favourite snack food for millions. Nokia, on the other hand is the most user friendly phone in India, a fact that has made millions of users chose Nokia as their first (and maybe even second) phone. Google is another brand that has become synonymous with Internet search and qualifies this list. Such is the user interface of Google, most end up making it their home page and becoming die hard Googlites. Newspapers like TOI & HT also expectedly pop up in the list.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2007

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

CNBC

Ed Atorino, Analyst, Benchmark Co. asserts to B&E, “It’s the size, scale, brand name & image of Dow Jones built over 118 years, that stimulated Murdoch to shed $5 billion. It’s clearly illogical from a business point of view…” Dow Jones’ brand power & the associated political clout coupled with elephantine mass-reach have enchanted Murdoch. And financial news carries a unique niche in a market where news is heavily commoditised. And this would also be a unique asset for News Corp.’s upcoming business news channel to compete directly with CNBC, but Murdoch will have to contend with WSJ’s exclusive contract with CNBC for content till 2012. In the short term, it seems a foolhardy expedition. But trust Murdoch to have a bigger picture in mind. And there’s also no doubt that he can potentially take Dow Jones to heights the Bancroft s could only dream of...

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2007

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

BRAND : HP

AGENCY : Ambience Publicis
BASELINE : The computer is......

DESCRIPTION: A man says that he has a little world in there – where he saves his guitar lessons, his airplane survival DVDs (which saved his life on long flights), the pictures he had takenof crazy friends, his e-mailed graphics which he loves, his previous year’s calendar as he never knows what he might need it for. In the end, the voiceover says, ‘The computer is personal again.’

4Ps TAKE: With tough competition setting in amongst PC giants in India, HP has decided to get up-close and personal again. The ad completely focuses on the age-oldtag-line ‘The computer is personal again’, as the guy keeps informing us about the various features of his HP computer. The communication effectively updates us about the different features of the computer, while factoring in the emotional connect at the same time. Really, really personal, we’d say!

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2007

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

NO GETTING LOST NOW

RFID – The acronym spells Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) System and this technology is loaded with the potential of changing the dynamics of the global business environment. To be precise, this technology will determine how transactions (of any kind) are done in the future. Microscopic beads implanted in a chip would be utilised to tag currency and other documents and would represent the person who conducted the transaction. RFID will also implement interactive packaging, which would help in curbing internet crime. To be precise, RFID would be the future’s security devices.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2007

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

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IIPM : EDITORIAL & RESEARCH
Pseudo-socialism is creeping back into the policy-making process ...
Indian Institute of Planning and Management, New Delhi
IIPM Publication :- Electronically Yours

KICKING OUT THE DRIVER’S SEAT

Drivers oft en complain about fatigue while driving even when they have access to ‘making life easy’ equipments like ABS, Cruise control, BAS, Triptronic gears etc. So what is the best way to satiate the modern day drivers who are spoilt by technology; enter driver-less cars. These cars are loaded with sophisticated computers that can steer as and when the driver selects the auto-driver mode. Such cars follow guided paths while interacting with surrounding vehicles and adapting speed accordingly. So, just sit back, relax and hold your beloved’s hand, while your car takes you on a journey through the countryside.

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2007

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

Read More IIPM-News:-
Futuristic technologies
On "IIPM - Arindam Chaudhuri - Planman"
IIPM News > News in Media > The Political Criminal Circus
IIPM News > News in Media >
IIPM : EDITORIAL & RESEARCH
Pseudo-socialism is creeping back into the policy-making process ...
Indian Institute of Planning and Management, New Delhi
IIPM Publication :- Electronically Yours

Ever imagined aliens conquering the planet?

RISE OF THE ‘UNLAWFUL’ MACHINES...
Ever imagined aliens conquering the planet? Sure, you must have dreamt about it... Well, at least! Now forget about aliens and understand what we have at hand. Yes, it’s the robots we are referring to and the extremely dangerous situation that can come about if the control gets shifted to their side. Till date, no accident or crime has been reportedly committed by the robots, but sure enough and most likely, the day is not far, as criminals can easily use robots to loot banks or murder individuals. Similarly, given the fact that the robots only understand what they are programmed to do, there can be a chain of unfortunate incidents if someone actually chose to give them the authority to decide and rule. Honestly, there will be no law that can bind them... Happy ‘Unlawful’ New Year 2070!

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2007

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