You need to think and act at lightening speed to win this game

You need to think and act at lightening speed to win this game of one-upmanship. Competitive reactions to comparative ads are the fastest, and most debilitating. Ergo, if your response is not fast enough – and factually superior – you might just have signed your last pay cheque. Consequently, your strategy has to be flawless, for any weakness can prove hugely beneficial for your competitors, who would be anyway braying blood because of your initial brazen attack. Clearly, ‘comparative’ could easily end up being more than what you asked for!

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Source:- IIPM Editorial

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Sure, FDI is flowing in, but India has to work towards getting much more

Latest preliminary figures according to RBI’s Annual Report released on August 30 reveal that India received $7.7 billion in 2005- 06. Consequently, FDI flows were 37% higher in 2005-06 compared to last year. As proportion to FDI flows to emerging market and developing countries, FDI flows to India have been showing a consistent rise from 1.6% in 1998 to 3.7% in 2005, thereby steadily improving its rank on inward FDI Performance Index (World Investment Report, 2005) indicating improved investment climate.

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Source:- IIPM Editorial

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The Syria angle is too important to be ignored; Israel must address it sooner or later

The world has two chief aims in the area between Cairo and Teheran: To maintain peace in the wider Middle East so that oil flows freely through the Persian Gulf; to steer the dispute between Israelis and Palestinians toward a settlement that guarantees the safety of Israel in its internationally recognised borders, while meeting the Palestinian people’s legitimate national aspirations for their own state.

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Source:- IIPM Editorial

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We simply can’t leave the world to the Bushes, Blairs, Olmerts & Ahmadinejads

Another part of the problem is the brazen manipulation of the Persian Gulf region by the UK & US to ensure their oil security. There is little doubt that war in Iraq is basically about oil. For nearly 100 years, first the British empire and then the US have based their Middle East policy on their oil security agenda. This approach continues despite its persistent failure. The US embraced the Shah of Iran, and got the Iranian Revolution. The US embraced and later toppled Saddam Hussein, with an unintended boost for Iran. The US stationed troops in Saudi Arabia and helped create al-Qaeda’s political agenda. The US pushed for elections in Palestine, but then championed the financial strangulation of the newly elected Hamas government.

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150 million times a day

However, the frozen food business in Italy, which falls under the brand name Findus, will continue to remain with Unilever. The company has also refused to part with its ice cream division, whose brands include Magnum. Permira faced stiff competition from bidders including Capvest and a consortium of Blackstone, JP Morgan Partners & Kerry Foods for the frozen foods business. The divestment of the division is expected to be complete by the end of this year. However, the deal’s conclusion now rests on regulatory approval and a green signal from employee works councils. The company is hoping for an after-tax profit exceeding $1.28 billion. The frozen foods division reported revenues worth $1.59 billion last year and was put up for sale in February this year.

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Source:- IIPM Editorial

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As PC majors’ struggle for margins, the consumer can have a ball in the coming months

And surely so, the festive mood brings in offers ranging from price cuts, freebies with every purchase, incentives to dealers and salespersons and even a slew of new product releases. The reason? “It’s in the festive season that consumers are most tuned to the marketplace and companies most glued to their marketing strategies. This season can turn out to be extremely profitable for companies if they plan their strategies well,” explains Bharadwaj.

The timing, in fact, is perfect; the mood, strategic promotions and income flows combine to make a delicious milieu to loosen purse strings. And, is the mayhem restricted to the candy floss urbanites? No way! India is literally ‘India One’ throughout. “In the rural areas, the increased cash flows (and therefore, subsequent buying spree) are linked to crop payments around this time,” elucidates LG’s Girish V. Rao, “and, of course, in the urban areas, cash flows are linked to the general trend of getting bonuses given out around Diwali.”

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Source:- IIPM Editorial

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Read More:-

1. John G. Kemeny and Thomas E. Kurtz
2. The World Has Changed Now
3. Gateway Technologies
4. Story About IIPM-The Indian Institute of Planning and Management

Gateway Technologies

But the era didn’t stop here. In 1984, Gateway Technologies (later renamed Compaq Computers) tried to mass produce IBM compatible & affordable PCs. But then personalisation was what Michael Dell got right. The 19-year-old aspiring physician at Texas University had a simple business plan financed by his grandparents – buy PCs from overstocked vendors, jack them with more memory & sell it at 10% to 15% under the actual retail price directly to customers via mail order. The ‘simple’ plan got him an astounding $180,000 in the very first month, kicking medical school goodbye!

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Source:- IIPM Editorial

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1. Mr. ‘Pleasure’
2. Cadbury: Kuch Meetha Ho Jaye (IIPM Editorial)
3. ‘Carmichael House’
4. India’s trade portfolio
5. Thanda Matlab toilet cleaner
6. Got my mojo working, aha!!!
7. Airtel
8. Relationships and Relationship Marketing!
9. IIPM's New Websites
10. Marshy dessert!

Can Nooyi better that?

And yet, the accolades also conceal challenges that Nooyi faces. The most significant would be matching the track record set by her predecessor Steve Reinumund, who led the $32.6 billion conglomerate since the year 2001. Reinumund has masterminded a net earnings growth of 70% and an 80% rise in Earnings Per Share (EPS) since 2001, not to forget an m-cap crossing the magic mark of $100 billion. His enduring legacy will be the fact that Pepsi’s market capitalisation raced ahead of Coke’s once when he was leading the Pepsi troops. Can Nooyi better that?

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Source:- IIPM Editorial

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The apparel and accessories mart in India is sizzling!

“We want to give customers the best of international brands,” reasons Kapil Kapoor, Managing Director, Timex Watches, who launched Nautica watches in India in July this year. With this, Timex has created a portfolio of as many as 22 models and has opened retail outlets in almost all metros. Enough action to shake up the Swiss players in the market! Simultaneously, Tata International, in collaboration with Lloyd of Germany, has launched the ‘Lloyd 360° Casuals Collection’ of footwear for the Indian junta. “Playing on the globalfashion mantra, the brand is aiming at a customer base of 25 million in India, giving consumers a product line that emphasizes on product functions with an added value of life,” says OK Kaul, President, Tata International.

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Source:- IIPM Editorial

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