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

Saturday, October 06, 2012

Organ Anybody?

Gap Between Demand and Supply

A few years back, the Indian health sector was pummelled by a series of organ smuggling and theft scandals involving the who’s who of the industry. Tales galore came to the fore about doctors who were taking out properly functioning organs without the consent of patients during operations and pushing them onto the illegal organ trade market. Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are the biggest markets in terms of the illegal trade.

One reason for the illegal trade is the failure of the government in promoting legal organ donation. In two years, Tamil Nadu transplant hospitals utilised just 764 organs (Oct 2008 to Oct 2010). The figure is worse in Hyderabad, where in eight years, the figure is just 597 organs transplanted (June 2002 – Sep 2010). Even after over fifteen years of Transplantation of Human Organs Act 1994 being passed, only kidney donations are in practice. Cadaver donations are yet to see the light of day. At present, out of the 1,50,000 patients requiring kidney transplants, only 200 get kidneys by way of donations from the deceased.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
 
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Tuesday, September 04, 2012

HERO & HONDA?: BREAK UP PLANS

Speculations abound on the probability of the Hero Honda JV heading for a sudden break up. B&E’s Pawan Chabra does a speed-check on the repercussions of such an event for both players

To both Honda and Hero’s credit, spokespersons from both groups have denied any such development repeatedly in the recent past. But industry analysts comment that’s not quite the case. It has been reported that the Hero Group has set up an SPV for buying Honda’s share and has also contacted a handful of PE players to pick up a stake in the company. However, there have been concerns on the valuations of the share of the company as it is expected that the share price of the company will fall once Honda moves out of the picture and the home-grown Hero group is facing difficulties in clutching a deal. At the current share price of `1,700, the valuation of Honda’s 26% stake comes close to `90 billion.

So what would Honda have to lose? The answer is quite straightforward – the maddeningly huge and extensive distribution, sales and service network that is one of the key differentiating factors for Hero Honda products. One has to note here that Honda has been separately operating in India with its 100% owned subsidiary Honda Motorcycles & Scooters India Limited (HMSI) since 2001. The company has gained ground in the scooter segment in no time with products like Activa, Eterno and Aviator and is also moving very aggressively into the motorcycle space.

“Honda is looking at the bigger picture here (by breaking up the JV, if that happens) and is eying the huge potential of the Indian two-wheeler industry,” said Vaishali Jajoo, auto analyst, Angel Broking. Not only will Honda have to compete with the market leader, the Hero group, but it will also not bank any share of profits from the JV, apart from foregoing royalty payments (in case Hero decides to have its own R&D). For the record, the Japanese auto major rakes in close to 2.5% of sales as royalty fees every year. It is to be mentioned here that the amount of royalty payment to Honda from the Hero Honda JV stood at `4.2 billion in fiscal 2010. In fact, it is expected to rise to around `5 billion in 2011. A report by IDFC Securities comments that after moving out of the JV, it would take at least 3-4 years for HMSI (Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India Ltd) to scale up to a level to challenge the two domestic market leaders. Our analysis is that given the huge odds among the minor evens, it appears impracticable for the duo to separate, at least for the short run. Differences of opinion over royalty payments can easily be sorted out, especially when the synergy between these two has been empirically evidenced and statistically proven. This time, staying married seems the better course...


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Friday, August 24, 2012

Think before you Tweet!

Ever since actor Shahid Kapur underestimated his popularity and revealed his hotel and location in Edinburgh on Twitter, he has been having a difficult time. Even father Pankaj Kapur, who is directing him in the movie Mausam, is unhappy with the series of events since the hotel and shooting sites have been swarming with people. Seems that the effects of unintentional badmaashi are beyond repair now…


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Tuesday, August 21, 2012

A mysterious and fascinating set of islands lie in the Bay of Bengal, ready to give your most adventurous imagination wings…

The people of Andaman, or to be more precise the tribes of Andaman, are the most mysterious element of the culture and history of the place. Precisely because little is known about them and their nature and way of life varies from one island to another. There are about 12 such tribal units, among them the major ones being the Jarawas, Shompen, Nicobarese, The Great Andmanis, The Little Andamanis, The Onges and the Sentinelese.

The origins of these tribes have been difficult to establish, although the most accepted theory remains that the Negritos made their way into the islands from the east in Burma. The Jarawas were the tribe that I had a glimpse of while on a bus to Baratang. I was told immediately that it was a matter of extreme fortune that I managed to see a tribal ‘live’ and not in a painting in the museum. Apparently, most of the tribes remain notoriously elusive and cut-off from civilisation. The Jarawas, who inhabit middle Andaman and South Andaman, are of Negroid origin and are mostly hunters and foragers. On the Nicobar Island live the Nicobarese, of mongoloid origin, and as legend would have it, they are descendants of an exiled Burmese prince.

This tribe is the most advanced of the lot in the sense that they use modern agricultural and animal rearing methods unlike the other tribes, where the people are mostly hunters and foragers. Then there are the Onges, who live on the Little Andaman and Rutland Islands. Part of the Nicobarese, the Shompen (about 200 of them remain today) live on the Great Nicobar islands.

The Sentinelese are reportedly the fiercest and most evasive of the lot and inhabit the Sentinel Islands. Most of these tribes have little or no contact with the settlers in the island except for the Nicobarese.

Despite the isolation, the aborigines’ right to their resources and way of life has increasingly been under threat for the past few decades, as the influx of settlers has passed on diseases, increased deforestation, and cut-off access to resources (like the Andaman Trunk Road that runs through the Andaman Island that has limited the Jarawas reach into fresh hunting grounds) and posed a threat to these rare communities.

Ultimately, Andaman is about islands. Whether it be the Barren Island, home to the only active volcano in India or Ross Island, once the seat of British power and now a collection of ruins ravaged by time and serving as a grim reminder of how the mighty can fall, every island tells its own story. That is what the essence of these islands is about – fascinating tales and stories. Some are well documented, some perhaps figments of some creative guy’s imagination. But as you look around and explore, you also get to fill up some of the blanks with your own imagination. 


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Saturday, August 11, 2012

Budget backlash

The fuel price hike announced by the Finance Minister has galvanised the Opposition to close ranks in a rare show of unity. But will the sound and fury translate into long-term political gains? Pramod Kumar reports

In the final Cabinet meeting prior to the presentation of the Union Budget this year, three important financial decisions were taken. As the meeting drew to a close, the Petroleum Minister made a request for a hike in fuel prices. Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee assured him that some steps had already been taken through the excise duty channel. But agriculture minister Sharad Pawar and railway minister Mamata Banerjee warned that a fuel price hike would fan anger against the government and adversely affect the prospects of the UPA in Assembly Elections scheduled for the coming months.

Mukherjee replied that not hiking fuel prices would adversely affect the pace of pro-people projects. So the allies advocated a ‘wait and watch’ policy: increase the prices of petrol and diesel and then gauge the popular reaction; if things threaten to snowball, get the UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi to intervene and order a partial rollback. It was also suggested that the time-lag between the hike and the eventual rollback could be utilised to lessen the oil pool deficit. In that scenario, the Congress would have its cake and eat it too, it was pointed out.

But the fuel price hike triggered something that the Congress had not bargained for: new-found unity in the Opposition ranks which had for months been in disarray. In fact, a few parties that support UPA from outside have also thrown their weight behind the hue and cry raised by the Opposition. By protesting both inside and outside the ring, the two Yadav satraps — Lalu and Mulayam — have made it amply clear that they might even withdraw their unilateral support to the UPA on the issue of price rise. Political pundits, however, feel that this will not affect the UPA as it enjoys a comfortable majority.

The problem is that this approach by the allies has found resonance in the Congress itself. Some elements in the ruling party are not convinced with the logic trotted out for raising the petroleum prices through the Budget. Party leader Digvijay Singh has already expressed his reservations on the issue. Similarly, there is unease among the youth brigade too. In fact, the son of petroleum minister Murli Deora, Milind Deora, has openly come out against the decision. And he minced no words. He went as far as to write letters to both Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh seeking their intervention.

Congress strategists believe that such a step was necessary to correct certain financial misadventures of UPA-1. They claim the priority for the current regime is to strengthen the economy. Prior to the Budget, Mukherjee had clearly explained all the tough measures and had assured the Cabinet committee that although these measures would hurt momentarily, they would lead to long-term benefits. They would help put the economy back on track following the recession. He put forth the same explanation in the aforementioned Cabinet meeting too.

While Trinamool Congress and DMK had bought the logic then, they came out openly against the decision once the recommendations were implemented. They were in favour of reduction of service tax and excise duty. The fuel price hike will affect their two core groups, farmers and the middle class. While the former will be affected by the rise in the price of diesel, the increase in transportation costs will hit the latter. Transportation cost escalation might fuel a further rise in the prices of essential commodities.

Talking to B&E, Trinamool leader Dinesh Trivedi said that while the Railway Minister kept diesel transportation out of the ambit of service tax, the Finance Minister failed to do his bit. This, according to Trivedi, was not in accordance with the sentiments of the allies.

The same goes for DMK, whose leader and Tamil Nadu CM M. Karunanidhi shot a letter to the PM merely three hours after the Budget was presented. A. Raja, Union Communications Minister, wasted no time in personally delivering it to the PMO. DMK is peeved as it could find itself on sticky ground in the Assembly elections due next year. However, sources claim that there is another reason behind this response. The PMO is apparently not happy with M.K. Alagiri and the way he runs his ministry. He has been told so in as many words by the PMO, but he has refused to mend his ways. DMK is now using this issue to settle scores and ensure that Alagiri remains a part of the ministry.

This was also the first time in India‘s parliamentary history that the entire Opposition staged a walkout in the middle of the Budget presentation. There were two flanks that were particularly active. The command of the UPA allies was with Mulayam Singh while the united Opposition was spearheaded by leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj. Swaraj had called a joint meeting of the Opposition in the office of the BJP Parliamentary Party prior to the Budget session. All matters related to floor coordination were discussed there. It was decided how, and when, the Opposition would corner the government over the price rise issue. It was also decided that some Opposition parties such as JD(U) would raise the matter of corruption and then the entire Opposition would walk out of the House.




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Friday, July 20, 2012

Time for a ‘Crude’ Landing, People!

The Current Surge in Global crude Oil Prices puts forth two basic Questions – what are The Underlying causes and what’s The Worst we can expect. While The Most Pessimistic Projections may prove untrue, The World is Indeed staring in The Face of another crude shock that could derail Global Recovery

Be it the oil shock of the 1970s or the impending oil crisis of 2011; the spike in oil prices in both cases has been the consequence of a combustible mix of geology and geopolitics; with the latter inflicting much more of the damage. The turmoil in Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen, Libya and the consequent fears of disruption of Suez Canal and SUMED pipeline have led to oil prices breaching the $100 per barrel mark (on February 24, 2011 it touched $120 per barrel, well short of the July 2008 peak of $147 per barrel). The continued political upheaval in Libya, which produces approximately 1.6 million barrels per day and accounts for close to 2% of global oil output, will further escalate prices and dampen the fragile global economic recovery.

As the ‘Day of Rage’ rules the roost throughout the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, oil-supply side vulnerabilities can only increase. It is to be noted that the MENA region is home to about 60% of global crude oil and 45% of the world’s natural gas reserves. Given such dynamic statistics, any disruption in the supply of resources from this region will tantamount to a significant price rise. Though Saudi Arabia and other OPEC members are bent on meeting the challenges, fear of underinvestment in the MENA region will undoubtedly push oil prices northwards.

Amidst this scenario, research houses are forecasting that oil prices could well surge to $220 per barrel (as suggested by Tokyo-based Nomura Holdings). With the bitter aftertaste of the economic crisis still lingering across the globe, the forecasts of spiralling crude oil prices is an indication that we could be in for a reversal of the global economic recovery, as if it wasn’t sluggish enough already.

Even if one assumes that the current spike is merely a result of speculation and that the dust would soon settle down; the potential loss is huge. As per estimates, the British economy would have to wipe out £45 billion in the next two years if oil prices surge to $160 per barrel this year. The economic recovery in the US too could be hurt; it is estimated that every $1 surge in oil prices would cost the consumers $1 billion over the course of a year. The entire episode of unrest has seen the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) and other crude oil spot price increase by about $15 per barrel since mid-February. The US Energy Information Administration (EIA), in its latest outlook (Short -Term Energy Outlook, published on March 8, 2011), has raised its forecasts for the average cost of crude oil to refiners to $105 per barrel in 2011, $14 higher than its previous outlook. However, EIA has raised its 2011 forecast for WTI by only $9 per barrel to $102 per barrel, because of the projected continued price discount for this type of crude. EIA has further projected a small increase in crude oil prices in 2012, with refiner acquisition cost for crude oil averaging $106 per barrel and WTI averaging $105 per barrel.

At best these projections are but optimistic in nature. BMO Capital Markets further goes on to suggest that given the lag and the cumulative 46% increase in WTI between 2009 and 2011, the oil price increase will reduce the US economic growth by 0.7% (a huge figure in their case). Substantially higher prices (as forecasted by Nomura) arising from a supply shock would also significantly heighten the risk of a renewed recession. The current political problem is more grave than the geopolitical problem of the 1970’s, since the problems have spread to the entire MENA region.


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Thursday, February 16, 2012

Apple shifts: Businesses, too, have eyes for ipads, iphones

Steve Jobs never cared much for selling Apple products to big businesses. A funny thing has happened, though, in the last few years. Big companies have started buying Apple products – a lot of them – for their employees

The late Apple chief executive so disliked the process of catering to the needs of business, rather than those of consumers, that he called chief information officers in corporations “orifices” at a conference in 2005. “There are 500 men and women in the Fortune 500 – CIOs – that you have to go through,” Jobs said then.

A funny thing happened, though, in the last few years. Big companies started buying Apple products – a lot of them – for their employees. The iPad and iPhone have given the Apple symbol a presence in workplaces that Apple never enjoyed when it was strictly focused on selling Macintosh computers.

While corporate technology buyers say Apple does not try to hide the fact that consumers are still its top priority, they note that the company has gotten easier to work with in recent years, adding features to its devices that make them more palatable to business. It also doesn’t hurt that Apple’s new chief executive, Timothy D. Cook, is known to be far more at ease meeting with the CIOs Jobs once so memorably disparaged.

“What they’ve done in the past few years is really started thinking in a deeper way what the enterprise needs,” said Rich Adduci, chief information officer of Boston Scientific, a medical device manufacturer that has distributed about 3,000 iPads to its field sales people and expects to buy 1,500 more by the end of the year.

Apple, which declined to comment for this article, has begun to drop hints that it sees the corporate market as a big growth opportunity. During recent earnings calls with Wall Street analysts, Apple executives have boasted about the portion of Fortune 500 companies testing or deploying iPads and iPhones – 92% and 93%, respectively, Apple said in October.

“You never heard those stats before,” said Gene Munster, an analyst at Piper Jaffray. “The reason why is they struggled for decades, and finally they have a story to tell in the enterprise.”Among the big customers Apple has won recently is the home improvement retailer Lowe’s, which said it bought about 42,000 iPhones to be used by employees on store floors. Instead of having to find a computer, the employees can use the devices in store aisles to check inventory, pull up how-to videos and help customers estimate costs for painting, flooring and other projects.

Airlines have begun to use iPads to replace the printed aircraft flight manuals, navigation charts and other material that pilots are required to bring on board. The binders holding those manuals typically had to be popped open every few weeks by pilots so they could replace pages with updated information. With iPads, the updating occurs electronically.

All of Alaska Airlines’ more than 1,400 pilots now have iPads, and United and Continental Airlines, which have merged, started giving iPads to all 11,000 of its pilots in August.

“We’ve shown we can retrieve an electronic page faster than we can retrieve a printed manual,” said Captain Joe Burns, a United pilot and managing director of technology and flight tests for the airline.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2011.

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.

IIPM Best B School India
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman
IIPM's Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
IIPM in sync with the best of the business world.......
IIPM Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri on Internet Hooliganism
Arindam Chaudhuri: We need Hazare's leadership
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri - A Man For The Society....
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM RANKED NO.1 in MAIL TODAY B-SCHOOL RANKINGS
Planman Technologies
IIPM Contact Info
IIPM History
IIPM Think Tank
IIPM Infrastructure
IIPM Info
IIPM: Selection Process
IIPM: Research and Publications
IIPM MBA Institute India
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Wednesday, January 25, 2012

10 steps to build a successful Asian brand

Building a brand is an overwhelming task. Here’s a quick ‘how to’ guide for asian companies to build great brands and get the best out of the process

The orientation of brand management has gone through substantial changes over the last few decades, and has evolved as a more integrated and visible part of the overall corporate strategy. The evolution of the brand equity concept during the 1990s, development of advanced financial brand valuation models and its adoption by advisors and their clients, and emergence of better brand tracking tools, have all facilitated the elevation of the branding discipline beyond the middle management and into the boardroom.

Asian boardrooms generally lag behind this trend and tend to manage brand marketing from a bottom-up perspective instead of a top-down perspective. There are a couple of reasons for this. As marketing and brand decisions traditionally have been managed in mid-level marketing departments among most Asian companies, a large emphasis has been placed on tactical marketing activities as opposed to strategic branding approaches led by corporate management. Branding has been widely perceived as advertising and promotions.

But several indications show rapid progression in the right direction for select Asian companies where branding as a strategic tool has become more recognised and accepted within their boardrooms. This is also driven by the increasing attention on branding and its value-driving capability among stakeholders, media and opinion leaders across Asia. To achieve these objectives successfully, Asian companies must follow a comprehensive brand strategy framework supported by a systematic process throughout the organisation.

There are 10 crucial steps to building a successful branding strategy and manage its implementation. The steps enable Asian boardroom to focus their attention on the required areas, and serve as check-points which can be tailored to the individual company’s specific needs and requirements.

1. The CEO needs to lead the brand strategy

The starting point for branding must be the boardroom, which also serves as the most important check-point during the project. The CEO must be personally involved in the brand strategy, and he must be passionate. Fully buying into the idea of branding is necessary. To ensure success despite the stressful routine which entails various duties, the CEO must be backed by a strong brand management team of senior contributors, who can facilitate continuous development and integration of the new strategy.

2. One size doesn’t fit all: Build your own model

All companies have their own specific requirements, set of business values and a unique way of approaching business functions. Therefore, even the best and most comprehensive branding models have to be tailored to these needs and requirements. Often, only a few but important adjustments are needed to align them with other similar business models and strategies in the company to create a simplified toolbox. Remember that branding is the face of a business strategy, so these two areas must go hand in hand.

3. Involve your stakeholders including the customers too

Who knows more about your company than the customers, employees and many other stakeholders? This is common sense, but many companies forget these simple and easily accessible sources of valuable information for adding value to the branding strategy. A simple rule is to use 5% of the marketing budget on research and at least obtain a fair picture of the current business landscape including the perceived brand image among stakeholders along with the brand’s positioning.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2011.

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.

IIPM Best B School India
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman
IIPM's Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
IIPM in sync with the best of the business world.......
IIPM Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri on Internet Hooliganism
Arindam Chaudhuri: We need Hazare's leadership
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri - A Man For The Society....
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM RANKED NO.1 in MAIL TODAY B-SCHOOL RANKINGS
Planman Technologies
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