The HRD ministry recently presented before the Consultative Committee of Parliament the UGC proposals with regards to teacher training. The UGC had recommended establishing regional centres of educational management in IIM-Ahmedabad, Kolkata and Bangalore, and in the National University of Educational Planning and Administration. The second proposal was regarding establishment of centres of excellence in science and mathematics education in leading national level institutions. This was aimed at “development of specialised cadre of academy of teaching and teacher educators”. The meet also acknowledged the requirement of a mission on teachers in the wake of acute shortage of teaching staff in India. It also underlined the need for greater use of ICT in imparting teacher education.

Due to several reasons, some of them stated above, Indian universities have not been very successful in creation of knowledge. India needs to leap to its feet to disseminate and create knowledge at the same time. One way could be to invite foreign faculty to cultivate the research culture back home, for which India needs to realise the value for money spent and limit its intervention inside the classroom. The Right to Education Act to impart free and compulsory education to children aged between 6 and 14 is just the first step. The government has to ensure an education system that is sensitive towards teachers’ needs, imparts quality and value-based education across levels, and develops well-rounded students. It continues to be a long-chased dream though. Click here to read more...

Read More IIPM Related Articles
Zee Business Best B-School Survey 2012
Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri's Session at IMA Indore
IIPM IN FINANCIAL TIMES, UK. FEATURE OF THE WEEK
IIPM strong hold on Placement : 10000 Students Placed in last 5 year
IIPM's Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri - A Man For The Society....
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM makes business education truly global
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman
IIPM B-School Facebook Page
IIPM Global Exposure
IIPM Best B School India
IIPM B-School Detail
IIPM Links
IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face

On the night of November 26

I heard about both these incidents on the same day and the contrast hit me hard between the eyes. Our young CEO was lucky, but there were many others who stumbled upon their deaths because while they too did not know what to do next, unlike the CEO, the dice just didn’t roll their way. And yet, I have a feeling that if there were a handful of other professionals like these South African heroes – people who had some notion of what could be done to save their own lives and those of others around them, perhaps many more would’ve walked out alive from the Taj.

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again - we are a people under siege and we’re practically on our own. It took a nine hour long ‘quick reaction’ for our commandos to be brought to location (and that they had to be brought there in ‘BEST’ buses, tells you about India’s ‘most terrorised’ city’s levels of preparedness). You might rant and rave, and light enough candles to pave the Marine Drive with wax, but you can bet your last recession-hit rupee on it that nothing, absolutely nothing is going to change if anybody with a voice (and that’s not you or me) in this great dysfunctional democracy can help it. There could be more terrorists tomorrow, and there could be more bombs; there could be cyclones, tsunamis and earthquakes, but help would only reach once it’s too late for most.

But we can’t remain helpless, at the mercy of the guy with the gun, whichever side he might be on. Just like the South Africans, instead of letting ‘terror’ paralyse us, surely, we too can prepare ourselves for such an eventuality. I wanted to know if there was anything I could do if I was stuck in a burning building with ruthless gunmen on the prowl? Is there anything we could do to hold the fort and save lives (including my own) until help finally arrived? Turns out, yes, we can…

I asked two of India’s most well known security consultants and martial artists – SWAT and Krav Maga Chief Instructor (India) and veteran Karateka Vicky Kapoor and Shaolin and Police Kung Fu and Kali Master Kanishka Sharma – the same question: what can a lay civilian can do in a 26/11 scenario? Apparently, conscription helps. A country that has had to fight insurgency almost since the day it was born would obviously do well if every citizen was also a soldier. “…it builds a sense of nationhood… makes you more aware as citizens”, says Kapoor. Well, but that’s not an option for now… what else?...Continue

IIPM Arindam Chaudhuri 4Ps Business & Marketing Business & Economy Kkoooljobs Planman Media Planman Consulting Planman Marcom Planman Technologies Planman Financial Planman Motion Pictures GIDF The Daily Indian IIPM Think Tank
The Sunday Indian

What a voyage!

When I was standing in the queue to enter a grand cruise ship from Singapore bound for Langkawi Islands and Phuket Islands my emotions were the same as that of Rose’s (Kate Winslet) in the 1997 super-hit film “Titanic”. It seemed unbelievable and I knew that this four-day trip is just going to be a fun-filled escapade!

The ship, for a little woman like me, seemed like a huge white monster almost touching the sky, with thousands of windows, unending corridors and numerous life-boats (the first thing I looked out for, especially after watching “Titanic” innumerable times!). On arriving, the ship’s mascots – a ‘lion’ and a ‘duck’ – and bikini-clad women, greeted us and also posed with us. I entered the main atrium which was no less than a five-star hotel’s reception with three golden horses prancing, and an orchestra playing in the background. I was spell-bound by the grandeur and opulence of the ship and set out for a tour around. But first, I went to see my room which had a perfect sea view, and sitting outside in the balcony I could feel the oceanic winds caress my face. Then I made my way to the top of the deck only to find the whole world on board! The deck had a swimming pool, jacuzzis, saunas, jet pools, gymnasium, mini golf course, basket-ball court, spa and fitness centre, kid’s pool, video arcade, shopping area, library, and what not! “I wouldn’t have a minute free!” I thought to myself after seeing those amazingly fun-filled ‘entertainment packages’.

On the following day, as I looked out for what to eat, I noticed that apart from the European cuisine, there was Indian cuisine as well which was very thoughtful and a commendable gesture on the crew’s part to cater to their guests’ liking. The ship housed various restaurants, be it the ubiquitous Taj Mahal, an Indian, Chinese, Italian or Japanese. So whatever ethnicity and culture the guest may have belonged to, they had a huge variety to choose from.....Continue

IIPM Arindam Chaudhuri 4Ps Business & Marketing Business & Economy Kkoooljobs Planman Media Planman Consulting Planman Marcom Planman Technologies Planman Financial Planman Motion Pictures GIDF The Daily Indian IIPM Think Tank
The Sunday Indian

The viciousness of the Mumbai attacks expose a new security flank: an unguarded 7500 km of desolate coastline. Ranjit Bhushan reports.

The question is being asked against the background of the RAW intercept.

The Navy chief has other problems at hand. US Intelligence officials told the CNN that their government had warned India of a maritime attack on Mumbai. The message was conveyed twice, including once in the last week of October, 2008. Security was maintained for a week and then the guard was dropped since nothing happened during that period. “Indian officials are prone to look at short term gains and not the long term picture,” the American official told the CNN. The Navy chief has angrily refuted the charges saying ``there was no such RAW intercept which was handed over to us” and rather than a security lapse, it was a systems’ failure.


Certain things have emerged clearly for which the Navy needs to answer. It is the first line of defence in international waters and the Coast Guards come as a second line, so to obliquely hint that Coast Guard was unable to pick up the trail of the killers is to put the cart before the horse. In addition, sources say that there is a lot left to be desired as far as coordination between the Navy and Coast Guard is concerned.

Now that broom closets are being opened, the callous neglect of the country's coastal defences is coming into sharp focus. India has 7,516 kilometers of coasts and most of it remains unmanned.

Gujarat and Maharashtra police officials examining the trail taken by the killers have interviewed fishermen on the coastlines of two states and the story that is emerging is of a coastline without any police restrictions, frequent and unregistered entries of fishermen back and fro Pakistan, forgery of smart I-cards issued by the Gujarat government identifying the fishermen, which according to one account, was flashed by the killers on the kidnapped boat, Kuber when accosted by an unnamed Coast Guard patrol.....Continue

IIPM Arindam Chaudhuri 4Ps Business & Marketing Business & Economy Kkoooljobs Planman Media Planman Consulting Planman Marcom Planman Technologies Planman Financial Planman Motion Pictures GIDF The Daily Indian IIPM Think Tank
The Sunday Indian

AMAZE: The world shows up! Retro reprise

In conversation with Marcia Barrett

What kind of music was Boney M influenced by?
I can’t speak for everyone but I was influenced by The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen and Barbara Streisand and many others. I was influenced by a whole range of music before I started to sing.

How did the Boney M band come together?
I was a soloist earlier, I was an established vocalist in Germany, handling my own shows. I heard this producer was seeking people for his band, especially black people. I was a bit reluctant at first but then I decided that I should give it a break and I am glad I made that move.

How much of Boney M is in Marcia Barrett and how much of Marcia Barrett is in Boney M?
I would say quite a bit. My voice is there in most of Boney M music. I am a vital part of the sound of Boney M, and that’s what people buy even before the video is launched. I brought my know-how, how to sing – my gift from god – how to execute everything well with Boney M.

When you are on stage, do you still get the same response from the crowd as the yesteryears?
Yes, being the only Boney M member I get a great response from people. I feel that I’m the last one so I get the same enthusiasm from the audience. It is incredible, it feels great to see that people are happy to see at least one from the original group.

There must have been creative differences within the band; how did you cope with those?
No, it didn’t happen to us. We always had tons of writers. “Breakaway” was written for me specially. We never had a situation in which members would say that I would like to sing this or that. It was up to the record company. Soon you’ll hear my “Survival” album. It’s all from my personal experiences, when I was healing.

What changes do you see in the current music scenario?
I think they are more like “gilli gilli gilli” … (laughs) There are quite a few good artists. They are good in dancing and they have good bodies. On the whole, I am a little disappointed though. They tend to follow trends. They think if they are not like others, they are not in.

What keeps you busy besides touring?
There is a new CD coming up. I wish it was out soon so that my fans could know what we’re up to. It’s an exciting album and it’ll make people want to keep hearing Boney M......Continue

IIPM Arindam Chaudhuri 4Ps Business & Marketing Business & Economy Kkoooljobs Planman Media Planman Consulting Planman Marcom Planman Technologies Planman Financial Planman Motion Pictures GIDF The Daily Indian IIPM Think Tank
The Sunday Indian

Intelligence speak: Needed, raw political will

Vikram Sood
Former RAW chief

The fidayeen attack on Mumbai is not only one of the biggest terror attacks in Indian history; it is the first of its kind. The terrorists have been misleading the media by claiming to be members of Hyderabad Mujahideen. The fact is that the audacious attack is part of a deep conspiracy against India that I am sure will gradually unravel. We are still to get the total picture.

This terror onslaught is much like the 1993 Mumbai serials blasts to avenge the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992. These latest attacks were extremely well orchestrated and carried out with the help of foreign elements. My own feeling is that even the underworld could be involved. And of course nothing of this scale could have happened without liberal assistance from locals. The underworld must have provided them with the logistical support needed to carry these out. Now, after Afghanistan and Pakistan, it is the turn of India to become the terrorists’ target.

Among the questions that must be answered soon is how the terrorists were at all able to land in Mumbai with their huge arms caches. Also, how did they reach these hotels? Were they or were they not frisked by the security men posted there? An intensive probe is needed to ascertain just how the terrorists managed to sneak in. This is why I say that they were helped and protected by local elements. An attack of this complexity could simply not have been planned in a day. The terrorists must have come to Mumbai and been around for long enough to do a meticulous recce of the areas they targeted. What particularly baffles is why the police so miserably failed to get wind of their movements. There is thus a persistent question mark on the efficiency of the Mumbai police.....Continue

IIPM Arindam Chaudhuri 4Ps Business & Marketing Business & Economy Kkoooljobs Planman Media Planman Consulting Planman Marcom Planman Technologies Planman Financial Planman Motion Pictures GIDF The Daily Indian IIPM Think Tank
The Sunday Indian

Ring of confusion

Everyone knows that if you want to estimate the age of a tree, you count the number of rings that make up its trunk. But would you do the same thing if you wanted to estimate the age of the rings?! Rings of planet Saturn, that is. Scientists are trying to calculate the age of these mysterious rings, and have estimated it to be 100 million years old. They reason that since the rings are shiny and reflective, the particles they contain are young and therefore the rings themselves are very young. Others however feel that with the age of our solar system being much older (4.55 Billion years), Saturn’s rings can’t be such a recent development. Who’s right? Sit back – it’s going to take a while....Continue

IIPM Arindam Chaudhuri 4Ps Business & Marketing Business & Economy Kkoooljobs Planman Media Planman Consulting Planman Marcom Planman Technologies Planman Financial Planman Motion Pictures GIDF The Daily Indian IIPM Think Tank
The Sunday Indian

Astro-psephology: who will win?

Starting with 1998 elections, psephologists, and what can arguably be termed ‘swingologists’, who changed their predictions hourly as reports of vote counting came in, looking at a swing here or a curve there, have all failed. So have the exit polls. Not just that, each exit poll (depending on which news media house was doing it, may be) contradicted the other, all going wild and none scoring a point, let alone the bull’s eye. The classic example of exit poll malfunction was in 2004, when most polls gave Bharatiya Janata Party a sweep. Congress romped home in a coalition instead. Recent times has seen politicos increasingly looking up to the galaxies and their readers for predicting their futures. So TSI decided to give it a go. Here are some astrological predictions from famous fate readers, each contradicting the other, many contradicting themselves too! And let’s wait till the results to check out which wins: psephology or astrology.......Continue

IIPM Arindam Chaudhuri 4Ps Business & Marketing Business & Economy Kkoooljobs Planman Media Planman Consulting Planman Marcom Planman Technologies Planman Financial Planman Motion Pictures GIDF The Daily Indian IIPM Think Tank
The Sunday Indian

The BJP’s five-year term in Madhya Pradesh has fired the imagination of a lot of people who are keen to contest on the party ticket

What is the main election plank in Madhya Pradesh?
It has to be Congress’ inertia; its complete failure at all the fronts. In fact, being an opposition party, Congress does not have any issue that it can raise against the government. In fact, it is unable to raise questions on the performance of the government.
Congress has leveled serious allegations against the government including her inability to stop crime against women, arrest the increase in communal skirmishes and hunger deaths among others…
What can I say on that? I mean the work done by the government is there for all to see. There is no doubt that BJP’s tenure has been exceptional.
BJP’s prospects in the state can take a hit with the entry of parties like Bahujan Samaj Party, Samajwadi Party and Bhartiya Janashakti Party…
The state has witnessed a two-party struggle since 1962, I believe. And I am pretty sure it won’t change this time around too. In fact, this time too, only BJP and Congress are claiming to form the popular government. I mean there is no space for other parties here. Yes, they might gain a few seats here and there because of the delimitation. However, it is highly unlikely that they will be successful in increasing their share of vote.

But will it make a dent into BJP’s share of vote?
Some people get this bizarre idea that the party is dependent on an individual. BJP is a cadre based party. It is not a one family show. People who think like that are going to face a reality check in these elections. I am pretty sure that BJP will have a surprise return.

Do you have the cadres to take the message of the government?
Yes we do. We are ready. ...Continue

IIPM Arindam Chaudhuri 4Ps Business & Marketing Business & Economy Kkoooljobs Planman Media Planman Consulting Planman Marcom Planman Technologies Planman Financial Planman Motion Pictures GIDF The Daily Indian IIPM Think Tank
The Sunday Indian

Bhattacharjee's pipe dream!

West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee's claim that his state is an island in the dark sea of law and order stands shattered. Union ministers Ram Vilas Paswan and Jitin Prasad learnt this bitter lesson when they were returning after the foundation ceremony of Jindal Steel Works at Salboni, West Midnapur district, on October 26. Within 30 minutes of CM's departure from the site, a massive bomb blast took place, barely 20 metres away from the car carrying the ministers and JSW chairman Sajjan Kumar Jindal.

It is a measure of law and order failure that even after this, it was not the police which informed Bhattacharjee that his guests had been targetted. Rather, it was Paswan who called the CM up and told him. On November 3, Paswan sent a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh seeking proper security, especially while travelling in West Bengal....Continue

IIPM Arindam Chaudhuri 4Ps Business & Marketing Business & Economy Kkoooljobs Planman Media Planman Consulting Planman Marcom Planman Technologies Planman Financial Planman Motion Pictures GIDF The Daily Indian IIPM Think Tank
The Sunday Indian

Just a minute dmitry...

IIPM Publication

It was no accident that Dmitry Medvedev, the Russian president, announced a fresh missile deployment within hours of Barack Obama's election as US president. It was an attempt to knock the new entrant off the nerve; however, it also underlined Russian position vis-à-vis US design to deploy missile shield in Eastern Europe – Russia’s playground since time immemorial. While it offered the Russian leader a chance to charm the domestic audience who have had enough of western bullying in years when Post-USSR Russia lied low after its cold war defeat; it is equally true that given the Democrats’ indisposition about the missile shield in comparison to the Republican hawks, Russia jumped gun too early this time around.

Over the years, in an endeavour to bolster NATO members in the east of reciprocal security guarantees, the US and other western NATO states have time and again infuriated dormant Russia. However, a blatantly one sided approach of the west on Georgian affair and proof of American provocation of its headstrong President Mikhail Saakashvili, has made Russia come out of its cocoon. Medvedev's military message was also intended to daunt the Poles and the Czechs, who are to host the bases for the Pentagon's silos for 10 ballistic missile interceptor rockets. The missile that has been finalised to be deployed in retaliation in Kaliningrad is Iskander-M......Continue

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

Time to (re)reorganise

Unilever continues to restructure its operations, but to truly revive, it must focus on market shares

It has some of the world’s best managers and some of the most prolific brand portfolios. Yet, Unilever seems to be way past its prime, the days when the mere mention of its name commanded tremendous respect and admiration. Thanks to inability to cope with market trends, the company is desperately seeking a route back to good ol’ days.

Although 2007 has been a better year, there still remains a lot to achieve. While announcing results for the nine months ending September (turnover increased by 4% to €30.3 billion & net profit by 20% to €3.3 billion), CEO Patrick Cescau had enthusiastically commented, “Focus on our growth priorities, together with stronger innovation, improved speed to market & better in-market execution, is delivering consistent & sustainable organic growth.” 2007 results, to be announced as this magazine goes to print, are expected to be in line with company expectations of 3-5% organic growth.

Yet, as always, there are some devils in the details. As per Credit Suisse analyst Charlie Mills, a large part of the increase is due to rise in prices, i.e. value growth (around 2.5% in price growth estimated in Q4, 2007). The company underperforms peers like Reckitt Benckiser, Nestle & Cadbury in organic growth for 2007. Market shares are lower in 2007 compared to 2006 in most categories across Europe & US; deodorants being the only clear saving grace. Morgan Stanley analyst Michel Steib also maintains an underweight rating. He adds, “Unilever’s headwind from commodity costs will double from around 200 bps in 2007 to over 400 bps in 2008 estimate for the full year.”

The company had announced plans to do away with a whopping 20,000 jobs in August last year. Even emerging markets, long touted as a saving grace are facing the flak, evident from recent news of Hindustan Unilever Ltd. (HUL) doing away with 50 managerial positions. Comments K. Sudarshan, Managing Partner, EMA Partners India, “Earlier, HUL was insulated from the global parent and the company was designed for the high growth era.” He adds at the rates of growth prevalent at that time, they could carry non-performers.

Now the parent company is taking up more control, and redundancies are being created for jobs particularly in category innovation, manufacturing and even HR functions in India. The power brand strategy created further pressure. The bulge is mainly in the upper middle management, or 3A & 3B category. Also, it is no longer the top employer of choice in India’s key business schools.

With such tidings in one of Unilever’s key markets, it’s quite apparent that these are trying times for the company. More than restructuring and cost cutting, it’s important to get its brands back in the reckoning as far as market shares go. Perhaps that should be the most credible starting point to bring some vitality to this Anglo-Dutch behemoth.

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative
Read these article :-
ZEE BUSINESS BEST B SCHOOL SURVEY
B-schooled in India, Placed Abroad (Print Version)
IIPM in Financial times (Print Version)
IIPM makes business education truly global (Print Version)
The Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM)
IIPM Campus

Top Articles on IIPM:-
'This is one of Big B's best performances'
IIPM to come up at Rajarhat
IIPM awards four Bengali novelists
IIPM makes business education truly global-Education-The Times of ...
The Hindu : Education Plus : Honour for IIPM
IIPM ranked No.1 B-School in India, Management News - By ...
IIPM Ranked No1 B-School in India
Moneycontrol >> News >> Press- News >> IIPM ranked No1 B-School in ...
IIPM ranked No. 1 B-school in India- Zee Business Survey ...
IIPM ranked No1 B-School in India :: Education, Careers ...
The Hindu Business Line : IIPM placements hit a high of over 2000 jobs
Deccan Herald - IIPM ranked as top B-School in India
India eNews - IIPM Ranked No1 B-School in India
IIPM Delhi - Indian Institute of Planning and Management New Delhi ...domain-b.com : IIPM ranked ahead of IIMs

The VAS space, currently dominated by text and picture messages, along with ringtones and data downloads, has in itself driven the user to maximising these services. The reason, according to Durbha, has a lot to do with impulse usage. Instantly he takes out a handset, clicks a picture and sends it across to this reporter’s e-mail address. The process, as simple as counting 1 to 5, but what held attention was that the entire operation was done through a phone costing just Rs.4000.

“We’ve got 10.2 million ‘unique’ users, who only sample our VAS, less than 5 times a month. Probably this number exceeds the total number of subscribers of many service providers across the world,” says Durbha. For now, the future seems brighter than ever before. With Reliance now foraying into the GSM bracket, it seems all set to duplicate its tactics and win itself another enthusiastic horde!

In India, the mobile VAS industry, according to IAMAI, expectedly hit the billion dollar mark by December 2007 and in that figure, we see a jump of nearly 60% over December 2006. Currently the most optimistic figures put VAS at 12-15% of revenues of a mobile service provider. As Mahesh Prasad, President, Applications & Solutions Group, RCOM, puts it, “If Japanese and Koreans can derive 25-30% of revenues from VAS, there is no reason we cannot.” Concludes Durbha, “There are a lot of clichés involved when we talk about the future of mobile phone services and in particular about VAS... Unfortunately, they’ve all become much over-hyped. But, eventually, under all that hype is a reality.” And surely there is little doubt now that RCOM has moved far beyond the company that broke the lower end of the price barrier to provide mobile services that were ‘cheaper than a post card.

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

Read these article :-
ZEE BUSINESS BEST B SCHOOL SURVEY
B-schooled in India, Placed Abroad (Print Version)
IIPM in Financial times (Print Version)
IIPM makes business education truly global (Print Version)
The Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM)
IIPM Campus

Top Articles on IIPM:-
'This is one of Big B's best performances'
IIPM to come up at Rajarhat
IIPM awards four Bengali novelists
IIPM makes business education truly global-Education-The Times of ...
The Hindu : Education Plus : Honour for IIPM
IIPM ranked No.1 B-School in India, Management News - By ...
IIPM Ranked No1 B-School in India
Moneycontrol >> News >> Press- News >> IIPM ranked No1 B-School in ...
IIPM ranked No. 1 B-school in India- Zee Business Survey ...
IIPM ranked No1 B-School in India :: Education, Careers ...
The Hindu Business Line : IIPM placements hit a high of over 2000 jobs
Deccan Herald - IIPM ranked as top B-School in India
India eNews - IIPM Ranked No1 B-School in India
IIPM Delhi - Indian Institute of Planning and Management New Delhi ...domain-b.com : IIPM ranked ahead of IIMs

Malaysia must begin to mull...

...ways and means to make sure that the minority communities are not discriminated against
The subtle equilibrium of the inter-racial politics of Malaysia has come under serious peril from an unanticipated front & the response from the Malaysian Government poses critical questions about freedom of expression. A relatively unknown conglomerate of Hindu NGOs named Hindu Rights Action Force (HINDRAF) called a mammoth rally in Kuala Lumpur, to air its objections about the so called marginalisation of the Indian ethnic minority community (read Tamil Hindus). Apart from that, in a somewhat comical demand, the organisation also demanded compensation from Great Britain for the community’s exploitation during the colonial era. An off the guard government came quickly to action & arrested the top HINDRAF leaders.

Surprisingly, HINDRAF’s mass mobilisation has made very little or no appeal to non-Hindus, many of them Indians. The situation was somewhat worsened by the un-diplomatic participation of Indian politicians in a war of words with their Malaysian counterparts. M. Karunanidhi, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu reacted angrily to the events. The RSS grabbed the chance to show itself as the sole propagator of Hindu cause & talked about “global unity of Hindus”. As always, authorities too, jumped the gun.

Many ethnic Chinese & Indians, who form the two main minority communities, are uncared for, particularly concerning an affirmative action programme named ‘Bhoomiputra Programme’ that gives privileges to Malays in business, jobs & education. What made the issue complex was the fact that any attempt to air ethnic minority grumbles in Malaysia is always projected by the Malay dominated government & administration as a threat to national security & cannot be allowed to be glossed over, without mentioning the 1969 race riots, which had Malays & Chinese against each other, that claimed several lives. The same happened this time as Sami Velu, the Minister for ethnic minority Indians & himself a Hindu, termed the protest irrational & accused RSS and other NRI Hindus of trying to destabilise the country.

Nevertheless, HINDRAF thinks otherwise. P. Uthyakumar, the legal advisor of HINDRAF told B&E, “Sami Velu is a proxy of the UMNO led government. In exchange for the salary, the royal awards and also some government contracts, his job is to cheat the Indian community.” Meanwhile, Malaysia has said that it is willing to sacrifice public freedoms for the sake of national stability. It can be concluded that recent events have deeply affected the social fabric of Malaysia. For a novice, Lord Rama is the most favoured hero of Malaysians & stage performance on Ramayana, the most watched event. There is a lesson to be learnt there.

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

Read these article :-
ZEE BUSINESS BEST B SCHOOL SURVEY
B-schooled in India, Placed Abroad (Print Version)
IIPM in Financial times (Print Version)
IIPM makes business education truly global (Print Version)
The Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM)
IIPM Campus

Top Articles on IIPM:-
IIPM makes business education truly global-Education-The Times of ...
The Hindu : Education Plus : Honour for IIPM
IIPM ranked No.1 B-School in India, Management News - By ...
IIPM Ranked No1 B-School in India
Moneycontrol >> News >> Press- News >> IIPM ranked No1 B-School in ...
IIPM ranked No. 1 B-school in India- Zee Business Survey ...
IIPM ranked No1 B-School in India :: Education, Careers ...
The Hindu Business Line : IIPM placements hit a high of over 2000 jobs
Deccan Herald - IIPM ranked as top B-School in India
India eNews - IIPM Ranked No1 B-School in India
IIPM Delhi - Indian Institute of Planning and Management New Delhi ...
domain-b.com : IIPM ranked ahead of IIMs

The Palestinians

The Palestinians are the cause of exiting and ex-presidents. There’s no real electoral payback anticipated in supporting them. Jews and Israel-loving evangelicals dwarf any Arab lobby to the extent that it’s not even funny. President Bush is now on the exit track. And it’s time to rectify the fundamental error he had made in allowing the war-on-terror rhetoric to wrongly discredit the Palestinian national movement.

His best hope in Annapolis may be the Texas connection. If Bush gets behind Salam Fayyad, the Palestinian prime minister who attended the University of Texas, things may finally move on this front. But for that to happen, he has to stick with him. Fayyad, 55, is the can-do face of the Palestinian movement. Just like his people, he’s long been in the wilderness. Unlike many of them, he hasn’t succumbed to the culture of the victim. “One year,” he said in an hour-long conversation, “is more than adequate to come to a peace treaty and end this conflict.”

In seven years in office, Bush has been, in fact, quite uninterested in such an ending. He has hallucinated about roads from Baghdad to Jerusalem. He also talked about two states and later lost interest in the initiative. The American Middle East policy has, in fact, been quite distracted and unbalanced on the whole. Now, overcoming his Clinton angst, Bush has summoned the parties to Annapolis, Md. But clearly, it’s happening too late in the day. The rising Middle Eastern power, Iran, has not been invited to the conference. Nor has the Hamas. What’s instead present, and that too in abundance, is desperation. Bush must use it.

The Palestinians, on one hand, are desperate because they are now looking at a dead end. They’ve been the losers over six decades of strife, through ineptitude, corruption & Arab hypocrisy, apart from their susceptibility to victims’ hollow consolations. As Fayyad had earlier noted, “Last year more than 50,000 Palestinians emigrated. How is that consistent with ending the occupation?”

The Israeli desperation, on the other hand, is relatively quieter. The economy has indeed blossomed, but not the Israeli soul. Four decades of occupation since the 1967 war have been a scourge for the country. Jewish precariousness still persists. The diaspora Jew did not go to Zion to build the Jew among nations.

Bush faces Palestinian weakness and compromised Israeli strength. He must offset the weakness by standing with the Palestinians on core demands. He must insist on Israeli sacrifice – territorial and ideological – in the name of US-guaranteed security. “Without peace,” Bush should tell the Israelis, “the Arab birth rate and the jihadist tide will eventually wash over you.”

Fayyad told me he’s coming into the conference Tuesday “disappointed that more progress has not been made.” On core issues – Jerusalem, borders, settlements – the impasse has prevailed. Annapolis can solve nothing actually; all it can do, realistically speaking, is to jump-start an intense process.

That process then needs essentially three elements, Fayyad told me. First, there should be an explicit framing within the context of UN Security Council resolutions, including 242, that makes clear Israel’s obligation to, in Fayyad’s words, “end the occupation that began in 1967.” Second, the Annapolis conference must result in an Israeli commitment to freeze the West Bank settlements and to remove illegal settler outposts, which will be paralleled by Palestinian commitments to “institution building and fighting terrorism.” Third, “we must get a reference to a timeline, a conclusion of final status peace within the Bush presidency.” Fayyad is right. A return to the 1967 lines, plus or minus agreed swaps, is the only plausible basis for a two-state accord. An Israeli settlement freeze is the first step to a Palestinian buy-in. A time table is the anchor all the talking needs. I asked Fayyad how he’d reassure Israel about security. He became animated. “Political pluralism is fine, but I can’t tolerate security pluralism. There’s no such thing as militias running around taking decisions! That has led to catastrophe. Law and order is basic. I said in a speech the other day that Nablus is more important than Annapolis! It is. The people of Nablus need security, just like Israelis.”

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial,

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

Read these article :-
ZEE BUSINESS BEST B SCHOOL SURVEY
B-schooled in India, Placed Abroad (Print Version)
IIPM in Financial times (Print Version)
IIPM makes business education truly global (Print Version)
The Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM)
IIPM Campus

Top Articles on IIPM:-
IIPM makes business education truly global-Education-The Times of ...
The Hindu : Education Plus : Honour for IIPM
IIPM ranked No.1 B-School in India, Management News - By ...
IIPM Ranked No1 B-School in India
Moneycontrol >> News >> Press- News >> IIPM ranked No1 B-School in ...
IIPM ranked No. 1 B-school in India- Zee Business Survey ...
IIPM ranked No1 B-School in India :: Education, Careers ...
The Hindu Business Line : IIPM placements hit a high of over 2000 jobs
Deccan Herald - IIPM ranked as top B-School in India
India eNews - IIPM Ranked No1 B-School in India
IIPM Delhi - Indian Institute of Planning and Management New Delhi ...
domain-b.com : IIPM ranked ahead of IIMs

MOTHER OF ALL MATRICES...

It’s not the experience of a lifetime; it’s the lifetime of an experience, says Raunak Roy
I used to have a t-shirt that said “100% virtual, the real me is at home!” I must have lost it, as I don’t see it in my cupboard any more. But sometimes, I wonder how easy it would have been to send another me to work on an especially cold December morning. I could just sleep at home. Well, apparently the day is not far away, as this story will tell you. Allow me to introduce you to a shocking future involving virtual reality and MMORPGs. If you have never heard of an MMORPG and you think it is some esoteric piece of software, you are surprisingly close to the truth. MMORPG stands for Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game.

It connects millions of people across the world on a single online platform in the form of a 3D virtual world, which is also a game. Most people consider Second Life to be just another MMORPG. But they are confusing between a MMORPG like “Ragnarok” and a 3D virtual world like Second Life. The difference is elementary. The former is – as the name suggests – a game, and thus, has a victory or a defeat. You can play different scenarios, but the game will end with someone winning and someone else losing. 3D virtual worlds are not games but complete environments that you just virtually inhabit. Based on the features of the world, you could have specific objectives but there is no winning or losing involved. If this basic difference is clear, think about this: you could have an MMORPG inside a 3D virtual world, which could have a win-loss scenario. So you are in a virtual world playing a virtually virtual game with some resident of the virtual world.

So what does the future have in store? Now, that’s the million dollar question. And we cannot see the future. So we do the next best thing: predict it. We base our prediction on some of the things happening right now that look too futuristic to be true. And along with this disclaimer, I must warn you that most things in this feature will sound like science fiction if you are not plugged into the concept. But today’s science fiction is always tomorrow’s reality. And we can all agree to that. If any of you watched Star Trek in your childhood, I am sure you remember the small communication device Captain Kirk used to whip out of his pocket. We all have one of those in our pockets today.

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

Read these article :-
ZEE BUSINESS BEST B SCHOOL SURVEY
B-schooled in India, Placed Abroad (Print Version)
IIPM in Financial times (Print Version)
IIPM makes business education truly global (Print Version)
The Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM)
IIPM Campus

Top Articles on IIPM:-
IIPM makes business education truly global-Education-The Times of ...
The Hindu : Education Plus : Honour for IIPM
IIPM ranked No.1 B-School in India, Management News - By ...
IIPM Ranked No1 B-School in India
Moneycontrol >> News >> Press- News >> IIPM ranked No1 B-School in ...
IIPM ranked No. 1 B-school in India- Zee Business Survey ...
IIPM ranked No1 B-School in India :: Education, Careers ...
The Hindu Business Line : IIPM placements hit a high of over 2000 jobs
Deccan Herald - IIPM ranked as top B-School in India
India eNews - IIPM Ranked No1 B-School in India
IIPM Delhi - Indian Institute of Planning and Management New Delhi ...
domain-b.com : IIPM ranked ahead of IIMs

Straight from the horse’s mouth

Sudip Bandopadhyay
CEO, Reliance Money

Instead of naming top five schemes per say… during the last three years generally infrastructure schemes have given good returns… this means that the funds which had focus or were more overweight on infrastructure have given better returns during the last three years as compared to say a diversified equity fund or a sector fund like Pharma or IT. For instance, DSP Tiger and Tata Infra have given very good returns of over 42% CAGR during the last three years. Also few dynamic funds such as Opportunities Fund from DWS, Kotak and ICICI Pru Dynamic Fund have given over 40% CAGR because of active portfolio management by fund manager.

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

Read these article :-
ZEE BUSINESS BEST B SCHOOL SURVEY
B-schooled in India, Placed Abroad (Print Version)
IIPM in Financial times (Print Version)
IIPM makes business education truly global (Print Version)
The Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM)
IIPM Campus

Top Articles on IIPM:-
IIPM makes business education truly global-Education-The Times of ...
The Hindu : Education Plus : Honour for IIPM
IIPM ranked No.1 B-School in India, Management News - By ...
IIPM Ranked No1 B-School in India
Moneycontrol >> News >> Press- News >> IIPM ranked No1 B-School in ...
IIPM ranked No. 1 B-school in India- Zee Business Survey ...
IIPM ranked No1 B-School in India :: Education, Careers ...
The Hindu Business Line : IIPM placements hit a high of over 2000 jobs
Deccan Herald - IIPM ranked as top B-School in India
India eNews - IIPM Ranked No1 B-School in India
IIPM Delhi - Indian Institute of Planning and Management New Delhi ...
domain-b.com : IIPM ranked ahead of IIMs

The Maximum Returns

When analysed category wise, the maximum returns were delivered by the Gold ETFs, a huge 41.56% return per annum. S&P CNX Nifty (12.63%), Sensex (12.46%), Equity FMCG (11.72%), Equity banking (11.49%) and BSE Small Cap (10.73%) were others who managed to delivered handsome returns. But, sectoral fund categories (Technology and Auto) have delivered negative returns to the tune of 15.38% and 14.88% respectively.

A careful analysis of the performance of the existing 34 fund houses reveals that there are schemes, which have offered returns higher than stock markets despite the market mayhem. Interestingly, most of the outperformers are actually equity-based funds. And analysts are hopeful about other equity-based funds will also bounce back soon. Sharing his views with 4Ps B&M, Sudip Bandyopadhyay, CEO, Reliance Money avers, “Barring past two quarters, the returns from the diversified equity MF have been over 40% CAGR over past five years… we should understand equity per se is associated with risk; but we believe this is a temporary correction more to do with global factors than over our own economy and in the medium to long term we believe equities will definitely give better returns as compared to other assets classes.” His words justify the basic investment rule: if you want handsome returns, invest with a long term perspective.

Despite present market volatility, Assets Under Management (AUM) of the MF industry surged by 55% to Rs.5.05 trillion as on March 31, 2008 from Rs.3.26 trillion a year ago. In addition, more than 600 new schemes were launched during last year and as many as six brokerage houses are awaiting regulatory approval for commencing operations. Notwithstanding the present downward trend, estimated market surges in the near and distant future, are all set to compound the potential of the industry. Analysts expect to see an annual growth momentum of over 35% per annum, in years to come. The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) assesses that the asset base of the industry will touch $520 billion by 2015.

Yet, the present market volatility cannot be ignored. Combined with a global economic slowdown, fears of a US recession, deteriorating domestic fiscal scenario and of course, over dependence on foreign fund flow, market pundits continue to point toward uncertain times, and NAVs of major funds have crashed nearly 25-30%. Avers Ashok Jainani, VP, KSL, “The markets have turned volatile and reacted sharply to the crisis in global financial markets over the last three months… The NAVs of equity funds have dropped to reflect the turbulence in equity markets worldwide.”

But lower NAVs also appear as a blessing in disguise, as investors are now prudently considering the scenario as the best time to invest. Such investors, even if they don’t care for ‘statutory warnings’, the 4Ps B&M Best and Worst Mutual Funds list will serve as a ready reckoner about which funds have done well till now, and which have ripped apart investor hopes. Anand and his ilk can be just that much more future ready!

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

Read these article :-
ZEE BUSINESS BEST B SCHOOL SURVEY
B-schooled in India, Placed Abroad (Print Version)
IIPM in Financial times (Print Version)
IIPM makes business education truly global (Print Version)
The Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM)
IIPM Campus

Top Articles on IIPM:-
IIPM makes business education truly global-Education-The Times of ...
The Hindu : Education Plus : Honour for IIPM
IIPM ranked No.1 B-School in India, Management News - By ...
IIPM Ranked No1 B-School in India
Moneycontrol >> News >> Press- News >> IIPM ranked No1 B-School in ...
IIPM ranked No. 1 B-school in India- Zee Business Survey ...
IIPM ranked No1 B-School in India :: Education, Careers ...
The Hindu Business Line : IIPM placements hit a high of over 2000 jobs
Deccan Herald - IIPM ranked as top B-School in India
India eNews - IIPM Ranked No1 B-School in India
IIPM Delhi - Indian Institute of Planning and Management New Delhi ...
domain-b.com : IIPM ranked ahead of IIMs

“Cars are what I breath”

A 4Ps B&M exclusive with the man who would be king... Fourth in line after Chairman R. C. Bhargava, Maruti’s Executive Officer, Mayank Pareek speaks...

"As a market leader our strategy is to be in all the segments and with full force. When we think that the market is right, we time our entry"On the future of the small cars Mayank Pareek,Executive Officer (Marketing & Sales), Maruti Suzuki India is known to be a small car market for quite some time now and this is primarily because of the low penetration levels here. As of now only 9 out of 1,000 people own a car. Naturally, every body desires finally to upgrade. So we look forward to help this vast multitude of population to get a car. To give a prospective, even countries like Pakistan have car penetrations of 20 per 1,000! So demand for small cars will always be there in India. Secondly, if you see demographic wise, if you divide the households into 4 categories, i.e. deprived, aspirers, middle class and rich-the middle class households will almost double to 48% by 2010-11. Therefore demand for small cars will be extremely big.

On Maruti’s penetration strategy
As a market leader our strategy is to be in all the segments and there with full force, but we time our entry. When we think that the market is right, that is the time we enter. So today we offer from entry level 800 to the Grand Vitara, so we offer a full gamut of options to the customers. As market for larger cars opens up, we have launched the SX4 and DeZire.

On A-Star concept & India role
See design is a collaborative project between India and Suzuki Japan, but yes Indians are playing a big role. This car is made in India for the global market and supplied through out the world. India will be the central manufacturing hub. In October we will launch the A-Star and the Splash sometime next year.

On Maruti nich product plans
Every vehicle performs to expectations of the concerned customer. India as a country does not have large numbers and we are a mass manufacturer here. We enter a market with large numbers, when the market is ready we will enter it in the future. There are very small number of customers who want those niche products, volumes have to be at least in thousands.

On image enhancers
We have always been launching limited editions through out, like the versions of the Zen (Carbon and Steel). As we talk about brand enhancement and image buildup, we already do two big rallies. ‘Raid de Himalayas’ and have been doing it for the last seven years and it is extremely popular. The whole point is to connect with the youth of this country. Then there is the rally ‘Desert storm’, with participants from India and abroad. The idea is to build the brand and to know the customer.

On being customer focussed
Continuously our endeavour is to launch vehicles which suit this country and when we launch we look at the leadership position, we don’t want to be marginal players. So our core strategy is customer focus rather than product focus. What ever the customer wants we will provide. If he needs new model we will provide them, if he needs new engagement in terms of brands we will do that as well. So we continuously try to evaluate what the customer requires. This is a continuous process. Almost 700,000 customers visit us every month and tell us things that helps us in building our future strategy.

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

Read these article :-
ZEE BUSINESS BEST B SCHOOL SURVEY
B-schooled in India, Placed Abroad (Print Version)
IIPM in Financial times (Print Version)
IIPM makes business education truly global (Print Version)
The Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM)
IIPM Campus