Showing posts with label Guru Management. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Guru Management. Show all posts

Monday, July 26, 2010

Tuning into tunis

Situated on a large Mediterranean Sea Gulf, known also as the Gulf of Tunis, this city extends along the coastal plains surrounded by hills... The city of Tunis is also home to cosmopolitan cafés and has a myriad archeological vestiges. Tunis also has the world’s finest collection of Roman mosaics. Take a walking tour of the ancient buildings and mosques or visit the Théâtre municipal de Tunis to witness the opera, ballet or other productions. Explore and learn the history of the sub-urban city of Carthage, which is most accessible from Tunis or wander through Tunis' largest park – Belvedere Park – which houses the Museum of Modern Art and the municipal zoo overlooking Lake Tunis. For the shopaholics, street bazaars in Tunis have a wide range of products to choose from.

Once in Tunis, do visit the medina, which is one of the major attractions. This is one of the largest in the entire country and has also been recognized as World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The tangled streets of the medina are crammed with hawkers selling trinkets and baubles. What's more, one could have a spectacular panoramic view of the minarets and mosques of old Tunis from the rooftop terraces here. Visit the Musee du Patrimoine Traditionnel which is also known as Dar Ben Abdallah, an 18th century palace, which is now a folk museum displaying stucco ornament, textiles, fabrics, costumes and furniture. The Acropolium cathedral on the Byrsa hill is another site which is frequented by visitors all the year round. The architecture of the cathedral is a mix of Orient and the Occident.

A short walk from the cathedral is the Carthage Room, which is a magnificent structure that highlights beautifully decorated ceilings in an Italian style. One can also enjoy the view from the hill of ancient Carthage and one of the most stunning bays in the Mediterranean.

Lest all the sightseeing should tire you, unwind yourself at Café Sidi Chebaane as you sip on some fine Turkish coffee and chicha pipe. Forget that diet as you indulge in the sumptuous cuisine offered by the traditional restaurants in the souks.

With fascinating archaeological sights, a buzzing nightlife and a rich history to be explored, this comfortably-sized city has much to offer to its visitors; no wonder then, Tunis is fast gaining a reputation of being an ideal year-round destination.


For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

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Friday, July 02, 2010

Deadly workplace...

The plight of migrant laborers world over is no secret anymore

“The development of China as a world factory is a fundamental reason causing these suicidal cases”, remarked Pun Ngai, an Associate Professor of Sociology at Hong Kong’s Polytechnic University, in the aftermath of spate of suicides that has claimed nine lives so far this year at Foxconn electronic plant near the sprawling city of Shenzhen in southern China. This has surely exposed the dirty linen of China’s factory system, regarding which nine professors of social science wrote an open letter to Foxconn questioning the very sustainability of China’s pivotal position as the workshop of the world. This is not a case in isolation. Yue Yuen Industrial Holdings, the largest sports and casual shoe maker in the world, had a rash of four suicides between July and October 2008. ‘China Labor Watch’ has identified more than 80 cases of suicides in Pearl Harbor Delta of China in last 10 years.

Over the last 30 years, China’s internal mobility and consequently their plight has risen manifold with 200 million migrants leaving their home in search of better life. To a large extent, the country dependson these cheap labourers to counterfeit an export-oriented style world factory, which stimulated double digit growth rate for the economy. But in the bargain, basic human rights of these hapless labourers been ignored; they were paid a wage that was below the average of Third World countries; and made it impossible for them to live in cities as they could not encounter the problems of housing, their children’s education and healthcare, and other survival necessitates. The use of cheap labour has been a strategic choice for China in the first period of its reforms — was not without its own weaknesses — as low wage growth depressed the purchasing power and consequently consumer demand that restricted the sustainable growth of the country. This kind of development model, at least today, is bound to repeat Foxconn like tragedies; as unlike their parent’s generation today’s urban laborers cannot return home to be peasants again.

Not only in China, this kind of misfortune takes place even in developed country with strong labour laws like in France as well! In France Telecom, one of the largest companies in telecom sector, 34 employees committed suicide between January 2008 and January 2010, blaming it on stress and desolation at work. France Telecom’s suicide rate is 15.3 per 1,00,000 per year, more than national average of 14.7. The suicide rates of expatriate workers are always high in Gulf States like Bahrain, but the latest figures available for 2008 shows an alarming rise that has goaded a nationwide action to help the endured. Most suicides are by poor labourers — 131 of them have committed suicides in Bahrain alone in 2008 — often because of miserable working conditions and low pay. In Kuwait, the situation is no better, as official rate of suicides by migrant workers is one in every two days! In the month of April alone 12 cases of suicides has been reported there. Therefore, laborer’s dignity and means are at stake in many parts of the world, and like economic development social development and social fairness should strike the right chord at the right time.

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2009


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

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Thursday, June 17, 2010

Just for laughs

If laughter is the best medicine, then he is currently Bollywood’s resident pharmacist. In a conversation with Spriha Srivastava, the irrepressible Sajid Khan reveals the tricks of how he tickles everyone's funny bone…

You have a comical streak when it comes to facing the camera. Why haven’t you acted in your own films?

I don’t think I’m a good actor. Hats off to those who can do it all – write, direct, act. I don’t think I can do all this together. When I’m involved in a film, I totally lose myself in it. I’m involved with everything related to the film. In fact, my doses of cigarettes increase, I put on weight etc. I like to get involved with every detailing of the film because I want to make a film which I would want to watch as an audience and have fun. I don’t think doing more than direction in a film can work for me.

What is comedy according to you?

Comedy is action and reaction. When there’s an action, the reaction is what makes people laugh. For example, in "Housefull", all the actors are displaying some action and Arjun’s role is only to react. That reaction is what will make people laugh. So, comedy has to have a balance between action and reaction.

Was filmmaking your childhood dream?

Oh yes! Like most people in India, even I have grown up watching films only. I have made fun of films, criticised them, done spoofs of them on TV… and that’s because I love movies more than anyone else. In fact, I’d confess that I’m not a good director. I’m a very good audience. I know exactly what the audience wants to see.

How do you draw the cues of humour for your script?

I am little crazy! But it’s real life observation. For example, there was once a situation where my secretary was diagnosed with cancer. He got tests after tests done for that. It went on for six months and it was confirmed that he had pancreatic cancer. After six months he was told that he actually has diabetes and has to control consumption of sweets. Out of excitement and relief I said, "Ye to bahut khushi ki baat hai… ye le muh meetha kar le!" (This is great news. You must have some sweets). And this situation turned out to be so funny that I have used it in my film.


Tell us about “Housefull”.

This film is a romantic comedy entertainer. All the stars in the film – Akshay, Riteish, Deepika, Arjun, Jiah, Lara - have a unique role and I think this is going to be Akshay’s most defining role ever. Jiah will be seen as never before. Lara is doing what a Madhuri Dixit and Sridevi did in the eighties, from a comedy point of view. This is not a madcap cinema or leave-your brains-at-home kind of a movie. It took me two years along with two other writers to pen the script. In this movie all these stars come together in one house and each character go through different things in their life. I don’t expect any critical acclaim or any ‘Best Director’ award from this film. But I can guarantee that each and everyone will enjoy this film.

At the sets of “Housefull”, who made you laugh the most?

Oh everyone. But Randhir Kapoor was exceptional, offscreen! He is a very funny man. Also, Akshay and Riteish make me laugh a lot. And you have to meet Arjun after he’s two drinks down. He’s the funniest man on earth then.

Do you necessarily have to maintain a light atmosphere on the sets to get the best out of actors?

Yes, I guess so. I don’t think any film unit can be called a happy film unit if they don’t have a tear in their eye on the last day of shooting. According to me, this indicates that every person, right from the guy who does the lighting to the biggest of actors, have enjoyed and worked as a family. On my sets, we are always pulling each others’ leg.

Were there any pranks played on the sets of “Housefull”?

Sajid directs the question to Jiah, seated in the same room, to narrate the prank played on her in Italy. Jiah – “Akshay and Riteish had dumped all the cutlery of the hotel that we were in, in my bag. So while going out, all the knives, forks, butter, jam etc was discovered from my bag and I was highly embarrassed. Everyone was looking at me!”

What do you think is most important in a film?

I think the script is the most important part of a film. Only a good script can make a film work. Stars are only there to attract audience into the theatre to watch a film. But eventually, it’s the script that makes the stars work. Aamir Khan’s “3 Idiots” made billions at the box office. But I feel if Aamir Khan was replaced, the film would have done equally well because the script was very well laid out.

Which movie do you wish you had directed?

"Dostana". When I saw the film, the first thought that came to my mind was that wish I would have made this film. I could stop myself from laughing throughout the movie.

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2009


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

Read these article :-

Friday, April 02, 2010

Meet the break-up agent!

If the romance is long over and you’re struggling to decide how to break-up, here’s someone who’ll do the dirty work for you!

Breaking up with your partner is hard, we know that. The thought of a break-up is not on one’s mind when getting into a relationship (at least not for most of us). Even the term ‘break-up’ can send a shiver down our spine. But what else can one do when one realises that the girl or guy they’re seeing is great, but you two just don’t click? Or worse, you realise the person you are dating is nothing but a loser and on second thoughts you wouldn’t even wish to see your enemy with him/her! How does one tell him that it is just not meant to be, without having to go through the pain of confrontation and the resultant drama and heartache! Well, the days of drama are behind us and now all one has to do is to pay a modest sum and the dirty work would be done by an expert!

Bernd Dressler, a businessman in Germany, started the project ‘Separation Agency’ in 2006 after he stumbled upon this idea on eBay. His job description is basically that if someone wants to break-up and doesn’t have the guts to do it themselves, then all they need to do is get in touch with a break-up artist who would end the relationship on your behalf. In short, it’s the work that actress Britney Brooks does in the film “The Break-Up Artist”.

“I have four packages for the service. The first service is ‘phone call’ in which they remain friends and it is very friendly. The second is a phone call again but it is more direct and that there will be no contact any more. The third is to write a letter, but this service is not booked very often. The fourth option is a personal visit. The normal phone call is around 29.95 Euros and the personal visit costs 65 Euros. The most common service is a phone call for ‘let’s just be friends,’” reveals Dressler.

Agreed, it is tough to break-up and confront your partner, but why involve a third party? “People have a problem because nobody knows what to do. We, as a separation agency, think that we only have a task of sending a message from one person to the other.

It might be interesting to know that two-thirds of my clients are women. Most people are between the age group of 18 to 30s. The common reaction from the ex-partner is of astonishment and that they don’t want to believe this. I always ask my clients to give me three reasons for breaking up. I give these reasons to the ex-partner and most often they agree to the reasons and the problems that are mentioned. I do not console them as the separation agency is only a ‘talking letterman’. My job ends when I bring the message to the ex-partner,” adds Dressler.

Well, there are lot of other (read cheaper) ways to break-up, such as by sending e-cards or by sending poems on break-up. People in unhappy relationships can also seek out free break-up advice online, or peruse through various reasons to break-up!

Considering that shows like “Emotional Attyachaar” on UTV Bindass are already showing how Indian relationships are getting messier, we think the day is not far when this kind of service will find a market among the Indians too. Plenty of soft-hearted Indians would be glad to have someone else do the dirty work. So, don’t be surprised if you hear of a break-up.in in the near future!
For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2009


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

Read these article :-

Outlook Magazine money editor quits
Don't trust the Indian Media!

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Lonely island, Prayer of pain

As the civil war is over, the annual festival at the St Antony's Church in Kachatheevu, an island in the Sri Lankan territorial waters, has resumed after 27 years. Indian fishermen and pilgrims are allowed to attend this festival without any travel documents. N. Asokan experienced it first-hand.

No political discourse in Tamil Nadu is complete without the mention of Kachatheevu, the uninhabited barren Island of 285 acres in the waters between Sri Lanka and India. When the maritime boundaries between India and Sri Lanka were settled in 1974, this small island, which belonged to the Raja of Ramanathapuram, was ceded to Sri Lanka by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. But the traditional rights of Indian fishermen to take rest on the island were well in place in the agreement between both the governments.

But for the fishermen, the sea had no boundaries. They were going beyond Kachatheevu into the Sri Lankan waters to fish. They used to attend the annual festival on the island. Indians and Sri Lankans would come to worship at the St Antony’s Church. This small church was built by an Indian fisherman in the early 20th century who was believed to have survived a storm near the island when he prayed to St Antony.

There were no problems till 1983 when ethnic riots against Tamils in Sri Lanka first took place. The Sri Lankan government stopped the festival. The territorial waters were strictly monitored by the Sri Lankan navy. When Indian fishermen went beyond the Indian boundary towards Kachatheevu and adjacent places, they were shot at.

More than 300 Indian fishermen were shot dead in the waters near Kachatheevu in the last two decades as the Lankan Navy suspected them of supporting the LTTE rebels with supplies. As the civil war intensified, the number of deaths of Indian fishermen also rose. Tamil politicians were pressuring the Centre to take the island back from Sri Lanka. J. Jayalalithaa’s case in Supreme Court in this regard is still pending. Her contention was that New Delhi ceded the island by an executive order which violated Article 368 of the Constitution.
For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2009


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

Read these article :-



Outlook Magazine money editor quits
Don't trust the Indian Media!

Wednesday, March 03, 2010

Media - What shapes content?

Newspapers have grown numerically in India but independence of views still eludes them

Uday Sahay

ADG, Communications CWG 2010, Delhi


Though the media in India, especially print, has come of age numerically and in terms of production finish, it lacks confidence to see issues beyond its nose on merit or to decide its own agenda independently. Post-liberalisation, this lack of confidence seems to have deepened thanks to a newly acquired globalised culture of seeing news as a language neutral product. Let me cite two examples.

The first example is the coverage of the Maha Kumbh from January to April in Haridwar. A small fraction of the sea of humanity there will consist of media persons from across languages and delivery modes. In absolute terms, the media contingent is likely to be the biggest ever both on account of exponential growth of the media in last 12 years and also because Maha Kumbh will be 2010’s most happening event. But is it correct to presume that the relationship was always as natural and spontaneouss? It wasn’t. The Maha Kumbh in Haridwar in 1998 drew little media attention from the English dailies in India. Their readers were probably not religious enough. The mega event primarily attracted the vernacular press. Other newspapers picked up stories from the news agencies. Doordarshan sent a small crew. The exponential growth of internet and TV by the next Kumbh at Allahabad in 2001 spread the news all over the world. The western media rushed to witness the mela. The western media’s response evoked – thanks to new online feed - an immediate response from the India English media and there was a beeline of journos to reach Allahabad. The western media sets the agenda.

The coverage of the BRT corridor in Delhi showed lack of confidence of the vernacular media to see issues independently. Delhi-based English newspapers wrote a common script on the trials and tribulations of their target readers when they covered BRT corridor issue. English speaking journalists of varying hues – Oxbridge bred, public school kind – unanimously sang the hate song on BRT. It was based on their own experience and that of their car-using constituents. Two newspapers took the lead. Personal and advertising interests reportedly took over. Though different newspapers titled their written scripts differently, their underlying signature tune was the same: One newspaper titled it as “Big Road Trauma” while another captioned it “Road to Hell”. These newspapers truthfully mirrored selective reality.

Elite English-language newspapers have a target readership. Their menu of news, views, editorial, advertorial and even advertisement is based on taste, preferences, concerns, trials and tribulations of the target readers. The final touches on the menu are added with the brush of personal experiences of the journos handing out their judgments and of the business interest or political predilection of the owners.

Hence everything was predictable about the reporting pattern of most newspapers in Delhi on the BRT issue except for stray voices that differed. The allegiance was not to a class in the Marxian sense – of owners and non-owners of means of production – but to a class of car owners. They accounted for just about 6 per cent of BRT corridor users.

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2009





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


Read these article :-






Outlook Magazine money editor quits
Don't trust the Indian Media!

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Another ‘City’ ready to sleep! - "IIPM-News"

As if the debacle with financial services and auto sector wasn’t enough, here’s another one: Retail. With Circuit City filing for bankruptcy, one wonders who’s next by Pawan Chabra

They say that developing countries like India and China need to maintain steady economic growth of 7-8% to lift millions out of poverty. Unfortunately, for countries like US, who are staring at prospects of economic degrowth, the challenge seems to be with respect to millions that are not in poverty yet. The challenge increasingly would be how to keep them there; as companies, one after another are sounding the alarm about not so impressive times ahead.

After the crunch in financial services and auto, retail is the next source of bad news. Circuit City, the second largest consumer electronics retail chain in US has recently filed for bankruptcy under chapter 11, which has created a chaos in US retail industry.

In a situation where analysts are quite sure of a dull Christmas season ahead for retailers this year, Circuit City’s bankruptcy has given signals of a very rough road ahead to the other retailers in US. As John Crossman, President Crossman & Company states, “Retailers are very desperate for a bright festive season ahead and the industry need a big holiday season. We will see some big winners and big losers this time.” Crossman’s prediction seems true enough as, in a letter posted on Circuit City’s website, Jim Marcum, VP & CEO, Circuit City Stores, Inc. said, “This (bankruptcy) filing will give us the time and resources to address our financial challenges.”

City’s filing for bankruptcy has given many sleepless nights to giants in the IT industry as almost all IT stocks fell down drastically as soon as news of the filing spread. HP is the biggest unsecured creditor of Circuit City as City owes $118.8 million to HP, followed by many others who’ll now have to reframe their strategies to stay profitable in these bad times.

The irony in this case is that Circuit City’s closest rival Best Buy (who has also eaten Circuit City’s share of earnings) recently registered $2.15 billion in operating income, maintaining a surplus due to which many market experts are considering that City’s quagmire is a case of internal mismanagement. But then there is an another set of market experts who still expect many more retailers to stand in the chapter 11 list in times to come. Doron Levy, President, Captus Business Consulting, who belongs to the latter category, asserts, “We will see some more bankruptcies in the near future, but I really see consolidation on the horizon for many chains. Some have really strong business models, but are not managed correctly. I do have some specific retailers that I could foresee going into bankruptcy and eventually disappearing form the retail landscape all together.” Talking on the same lines, David .J. Livingston, retail consultant, DJL Research points out, “I think we will see an onslaught of closings among the small specialty stores located in shopping malls. This will result in the downfall of several real estate investment trusts which own these malls.” Though unfortunate, but retail is always affected in some or the other way from the roadblocks in the growth of any industry for that matter. So, the position of the retailers in the economic chain today is simply determined by what they sell. The slowdown in spending, though, would have an impact virtually across the horizon.

It’s not only retail outlets who are tightening their belts; online retailers are also joining the bandwagon as they are cutting their marketing and promotional budgets to stay profitable. Adding to that, online retailers are using tactics like free shipping to attract more buyers. And the decision seems wise enough. As per a study by Hitwise, the click-rate of online retailers is going down drastically. But then, market experts are still very much in favour of growth in online retail in the coming times. The annual holiday survey by Deloitte, clearly showed that Online spending is the 2nd best shopping destination for consumers after discount departmental stores. And the sheer power of online retailing gets more clear if we go by growth figures as National Retail Federation has announced a 2.2% projected growth in overall retail sales, which stands too low in comparison to the 12% projected growth in the online sphere. So, we can be sure of one thing – online retail will grow in times to come due to the simple reason that the fundamentals are quite compelling at the moment.

But you can’t be that sure of the growth in the overall retail sector as the prevailing turmoil may not end in the short-run. The only point favouring the growth of US retail industry is that there are many big retailers like WalMart, Tesco et al who are still in an expansion mode. Livingston emphasises, “Even though the economy has been difficult, there are still many retailers expanding. Wal-Mart continues to build stores with varied formats. Target is building, Tesco is building. Perhaps not at a fast pace, but they are.” But we can expect many more not-so-huge retailers going out of business in times to come. This will surely be one Christmas that they won’t forget in a hurry.

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2008
An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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Monday, July 07, 2008

Give and you will receive

Not just marketing
The home page of Tata Motors website says “We Care”. ITC has launched a “Sunfeast Hara Banao” campaign to make children more environmentally alert, by using less measure of plastic bags, helping make a “Butterfly Garden” and many more such initiatives. P&G has realised that today’s mother values education more than anything else. So it launched a “Shiksha – Secure Your Child’s future” programme. You could now buy any of P&G products like Vicks, Whisper, Ariel, Tide, Head & Shoulders & Pantene and win either Rs.2 lakhs toward graduate education fee of one child or Rs.50,000 as one year tuition fee of a child. P&G wanted to show that it did not only make great products but wanted to improve the life of its consumers too. A novel way to build brand loyalty.

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2008

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


Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Grasim Suiting

So, now our targets are the tier I and tier II cities and villages,” explains Abhijit Ganguly, Brand Director of Grasim Suiting, to 4Ps B&M. Prêt-a-porter formal dressing is clearly being dominated by players like S.Kumar’s and Raymond; and the rural milieu suburbs are astonishingly becoming the ultimate markets for dress material. Not surprisingly, for these regional promotions, Grasim is planning an extensive investment of Rs.4 crores. Further, they are planning to have exclusive tie-ups with ITC’s e-choupal and even Adhar outlets, apart from restructuring their pricing policy. Can they succeed in their repositioning campaign? Considering that the biggest business division of Grasim Industries is cement while we know of them as a clothing concern, one doesn’t even doubt the competence of this behemoth in its repositioning endeavour!

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

The compact Compaq logo

It’s spanking new; we bet you didn’t know

After Compaq ‘bahu’ and Compaq ‘dada’, Compaq has taken the ‘kal tumhara hai’ campaign to a
completely different platform by bringing about a new logo for the company. The King Khan of Bollywood, who also happens to be their brand ambassador, helped unveil the new brand identity and also launched a handful of PCs and laptops with the new mark. Though the new logo is also in a shade of red (given the legacy of the past), the combination of CQ presumably is intended to provide a fresh feel to the company. Speaking on the occasion, Satjiv Chahil, Senior Vice President-Global Marketing PSG, Hewlett-Packard India, said, “The new Compaq logo is futuristic and resembles a thought bubble, to capture the possibilities that technology enables and inspires. The brand refresh makes it hip, cool and fun – in sync with HP’s philosophy of innovation with elegance. Commenting on Compaq’s strategies, Ravi Swaminathan, President- Personal Systems Group, HP India, told 4Ps B&M, “We have been trying to strengthen the Compaq brand in India.” There is no denying the fact that the new logo is more upbeat; but the fact is that it’ll take a lot of parallel branding activities for the younger lot to start associating with the same. This is not taking away the fact that with the target audience for PCs and notebooks getting younger, infusing freshness was the need of the hour; and any rebranding exercise (especially when jumpstarted by the Shahrukh ‘Chak De’ Khan) creates news, doesn’t it! Come to think about it, when HP took over Compaq at the turn of this century, it was formally stated how the Compaq brand would be phased out in three years. Sigh... How ‘youth’ changes equations! 4

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

Friday, June 27, 2008

Lead-tainted toys manufactured in China

“Just two weeks ago, lead-tainted toys manufactured in China, forced US toys major Mattel to withdraw a slew of plastic pre-school toys, including replicas of Elmo, globally and in India. Now despite the fact that they have quality safeguards, such incients do happen in a global world, where outsourcing is the buzz word,” explains communication guru Gulu Sen. Lin agrees. “Nokia is experiencing the same pressures as all other mobile phone makers in India in delivering products in volume at the lowest cost possible. Product failures due to the cost cutting pressure put on all cell phone makers and their vendors is a well understood in- dustry challenge when it comes to making products for high growth markets,” he points out. But, while consumers may be willing to accept realistic and honest answers and have supportive reactions when it comes to problems related to technology-related products, food products and toys (which land up in the hands of kids and none else) invariably attract harsher consumer reactions. In case of the Cadbury worm controversy in 2003, the chocolate major’s market share was hit hard. “The company did resort to advertising and roped in a celebrity ambassador, but then they also had to work hard at the ground level,” opines Brand Analyst, Harish Bijoor.
For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

BL-5C onslaught

On its part, Nokia is pulling virtually every feather out of its cap to emerge unscathed from the BL-5C onslaught, especially in India, which has recently worn the crown of becoming Nokia’s second largest market, (first being China), leaving the US behind. Even as Nokia’s popularity has been waning in the Indian market over the last year, no thanks to the enhanced emphasis on its hi-end butflawed N-series, the brand nevertheless maintains a lead in market share with nearly 70% hold in Indian hand handset landscape. In India to reassure Consumers over the global battery scare, Nokia’s head honcho, Oli-Pekka Kallsavuo received quite a scare over a stray incident of a battery exploding in Uttar Pradesh on the second day of his visit. But recovering soon, the company said that the battery in question was a fake, reiterating that brand Nokia had emerged stronger after the battery fiasco. Has it really? And do brands actually emerge stronger after much-hyped product recalls, which effectively announce that the concerned brand has not really adhered to strict quality controls? “Yes!” exclaims K.K. Swamy, DMD, Toyota Kirlosker. “Recalls show a manufacturer’s responsibility towards the consumers, the more the recalls the more enhanced becomes the quality of the manufacturing process.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008, An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

Thursday, June 26, 2008

A mobile isn’t just a phone

Praising Hutch’s reach in this context, Mani comments: “Today the line is blurred between communication and entertainment. A mobile isn’t just a phone; it is expected to entertain people. Hutch has been consciously doing it by having rights to chartbusters, both national and international.” When every telecom giant is harping on making available the largest selection of melodious tracks to their users, Huch’s racy, tapori pitch sure stands out amidst the clutter. Needless to say, promoting its range of filmy caller tunes, in pure Bollywood lingo, has certainly gripped the attention of the audience. When global telecom giant Vodafore bought out a majority stake in Hutch a few months ago, many lamented the fact that one would soon bid adieu to the amazing ad initiatives taken by this telecom biggie in India. This one’s enough to prove all those naysayers wrong... But hey, we still miss the pink touch!

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Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2008

“Today the line between communication and entertainment is very blurred”

Its influence is pervasive. Right from restaurants being named after film stars to shops that sell mattresses sporting the name of actresses! Films are everywhere.” This ad comprises a wonderful collection of candid shots of this movie mania; juxtaposed with the repertoire of songs that Hutch is making available to its subscribers as caller tunes, building a strong association with the product in question. Throwing light on the lighter side of the shooting of the ad, Mani informs, “It was absolute bedlam when we shot the scene where people are scrambling to get tickets for the ‘first day first show’.” But that wasn’t the end of the mayhem and there was some more challenge to be faced by the team as they had to shoot on busy roads without letting people know, in order to get as many candid shots as possible. Furthermore, to communicate to the masses about Hutch’s repertoire of songs and the ease with which they can be downloaded as caller tunes, did not also seem very easy. Value added services such as caller tunes are playing a big role for telecom giants to further grow their markets.

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Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2008

Humming the Bollywood tune!

Name the flick and take your pick... that’s Hutch’s latest call...
“Balcony bolo, stall bolo, Bombay bolo, zinda bolo, Parineeta bolo, Aksar bolo, Don bolo, Guide bolo….” No! You haven’t turned on a Bollywood channel; and neither are you flipping through the pages of a masala filmy magazine. Baffled? Well, that’s exactly what a first time view of the latest Hutch caller tune ad will do to you. If the racy commentary does not endear you to this one, rest assured that the tapori ishtyle communication, coupled with glam visuals of popular characters in tinsel town will do. Always known for ads that have a great recall value (be it Hi Hutch, the cute little pug, magician or kids...), Hutch has resorted to Bollywood to do wonders for the brand now. From Hollywood to Bollywood, who can deny the maddening craze for films gripping everyone all across the globe, and now this frenzy has smitten the telecom giant, Hutch in India. Explains Rajesh Mani, Associate Creative Director, Ogilvy & Mather, “The concept was to showcase the madness of Bollywood or films in general in the vast lands of India.

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Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2008

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Outsourcing in space at its best...

NASA is in the line of fire once again. Having lost the ever-famous video of man’s first step on the moon, causing speculations about the theory of the moon landing hoax last year, guess what they’ve done now! They have purchased a Russian built toilet system for a whopping $19 million for the International Space Station (ISS), claiming that it was cheaper than building their own from scratch. The expensive toilet will be installed on the American side of the ISS in 2008, while the Russian half will have to make-do with the old system only. This is part of a larger $46 million deal that NASA signed with Russia’s RSC Energia. The space station toilet physically resembles those used on Earth, except it has leg restraints and thigh bars to hold astronauts down. A NASA spokeswoman claims, “It’s like a miniature municipal water treatment system.” The system is similar to the one used at the space station currently, except that new one will be able to recycle urine into safe drinking water. Eeks! About $16 billion of the American taxpayers’ money goes to NASA’s funds each year and hey... here’s how NASA has chosen to spend it. And if the Russian built space toilet is similar to the one already in use on the space station, they could just as well have improved upon the design they already had in use, isn’t it? Why buy a whole new system anyway? They surely wouldn’t be designing it from scratch if they already have one in service for sure! Well, the $19 millions are already spent, so no sense in arguing. NASA is NASA and NASA puts its funds in things they want. That much money for a highly engineered toilet, but one that 99.9% of the world population will possibly never ever use! Welcome to planet Earth...

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

When brand Bollywood goes athletic

I’m a sports star, if only for a day…
When the Indian women’s hockey team shone under the sharp eyes of coach, King Khan, the nation was euphoric. Though only make-believe, it was a proud moment nevertheless. Even though this was only a celluloid reality, virtually having no connection whatsoever with the browbeaten original Team India, the moment was a revelation of sorts, and not for the bright future of (original) women’s hockey, but for the decisive shift in brand Bollywood. Having traversed the eras of the patriots, romantics, angry young men and rich business tycoons, Indian heroes are now veering toward being avid sportsmen. Cricket was always in the reckoning in Bollywood, just that lesser known sports like hockey, boxing, racing, NASCAR, football et al, are finding more takers now. “Bollywood has not suddenly developed a social conscience. With more discerning consumers and more money at its disposal, Bollywood is simply expanding its plate, experimenting with different genres,” avers ad guru Prasoon Joshi, who has also penned lyrics for films like Fanaa and Rang De Basanti.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Inconceivable, no more! Ain’t no risk high enough

The concept of late motherhood began to gain ground as medical science evolved. There was a time when conveniently conceiving at the age of forty was as inconceivable as growing potatoes on a banana tree (!), but obstetrical advancements have not only beaten age, but other complications like obesity, acute diabetes and fluctuating blood pressure too! At odds with this growing trend, Dr Madhu Shrivastav (Senior Consultant and Coordinator, Gynaecology, Fortis Hospital, Noida) opines, “Whatever the research be, the fact remains that conceiving at a later age is medically not advisable. Albeit the ideal age is 25-30 years,many women these days are planning a family at a very late age, and then there are gynaecological complications that surface later. Due to their high flying careers, there has been a paradigm shift in the ages of women trying to conceive.” Now fathom this: According to the American Fertility Association, the chances of conceiving in one cycle from the age of 27 to 30 drops dramatically to 20-30%, and by the age of 40, falls down to 5%. But still, the brass tacks of the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention in the US reveal that a total of 104,644 births to women in the age group 40-44 were registered in the year 2005 along with 6,546 to 45- year-old women and older. Now that’s some ray of hope!

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

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Tuesday, June 03, 2008

PONDS

A heritage brand from the stable of India’s largest FMCG company. Is Pond’s drying up?
When it comes to ‘beauty’ and ‘elegance’, who’d be a better expert than Pond’s? After a year of silence, the brand from the stable of HUL now promises to bring back youth into the lives of the aged Indian women with its recently launched ‘Age Miracle’. According to the company, it would be offered through 1,000 outlets spread across 23 cities and towns in India. And so comes the primary question – will the brand survive the attempt once again, after its failed foray into anti ageing capsules years back? And while there are already strong competitors riding high on the strong retail formats, the brand surely seems to have a difficult ride in the horizon. According to Juhi Ramakrishnan, Director, mConsult, Group M’s marketing consultancy division, “All these international brands may have a strong equity back home but in India they are still small. Pond’s share of voice in the category in India has been longer. It has a ‘do good’ kind of imagery which has a positive connotation for the brand.’’ And while Pond’s Institute failed to live up to the hype generated, the brand too seems to be heading downhill, as it slipped 25 spots to the 73rd position in the 2007 rankings. Undoubtedly, it needs an anti-aging cream too...

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Advertising messages

Hutch uses those small things as advertising messages, which people would normally not perceive as useful. Take the case of Hutch’s 3 different plans, where they launched the concept of tariff sizes – Small, Medium and Large – to make the process of choosing a relevant tariff plan simple. Here too, instead of telling in detail about the plan, in their communiqué they just divided the tariffs according to people who talk a lot, who talk little and who talk very little, and that becomes the basis of their advertising. Simplicity of the communication is what Hutch displays. Hutch is therefore a perfect example of how the purity of a brand, viz, understanding of what constitutes a brand is displayed greatly over a large span of time, and that too in a category that is extremely difficult. So, I think the lesson one draws from brands like Hutch is that building brands is all about building a virtual world for consumers who want to stay in it and which has a system of beliefs that one wants to belong to. Brands are places built, where one wants voluntary belongingness. It’s almost like creating a habitat for people to feel comfortable, to feel happy and to desire. And I think it is understanding these intangible aspects of a brand that is most essential. An understanding that brands have a responsibility for not just quality and not just providing the benefit, which is what many classical marketing theories say, but much more than that the brands need to provide a sense of belonging and an emotional space needs to be created. Brands need to have their own distinctive worldview and language, which allows them to be both accessible and distinctive.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

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