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

Friday, July 02, 2010

Strike: loss is in the air

Air India strike shows a highly unprofessional attitude

A beautiful nation is not a gift; it is a result of good vision, continuous effort, strong political will and many more. But beyond this, perhaps small but more important factors are good governance, efficient bureaucracy and less corruption. Many of these are the factors which made Singapore, a tiny island nation an Asian country to qualify as the 'First world nation'. On my recent visit to Singapore (as a part of the IIPM GOTA programme), while in a conversation with a taxi driver, I came to know about Singapore efficient and corruption free culture. He told me numerous incidents where one was not allowed to contest election since he had committed a crime, perhaps a decade before.

But the worse was yet to come. On May 26, 2010, we (I along with 17 of my students) were running exhaustively at the airport after knowing that Air India employees are on a strike.There was news that the strike was pre-decided, if that is so, then Air India should not have issued tickets for those particular days and even if they have issued the tickets, the management should have some efficient mechanism to ensure that passengers would have alternative flights to reach respective destinations without hassle and harassment on time. Well, no such arrangement was on place. In fact, there was hardly any Air India employee to provide any kind of information and guide hundreds of clueless passengers at the airport. And more interestingly, this one or two days strike also gave another reason to show why the government undertaking entity is struggling to make profit. Each passengers paid to Air India about Rs.20,000, on an average for their journey. And Air India spent approximately Rs.81050 (about Rs.24,150 on accommodation and food, Rs.6900 on transport and about Rs.50,000 for alternative flights via Bangkok) on each of these passenger — who were in a few hundreds in number. Meanwhile, the Aviation ministry releases press brief that it’s not going to interfere over the issue, it will back the management’s decision completely. What was even more interesting was that our stay at Bangkok airport, for over six hours, never made us realise that we are in the same nation which is being torn apart through riots since years. The arrangement and flight procedures inside the airport was perfectly in place and it was made sure that the internal disturbance don't harm the business of airlines.

In a casual conversation I asked a receptionist of Hotel Mandarin Oriental Singapore, where we were staying as we were waiting for an alternative flight arrangement, that can employees of Asia’s one of the most successful airlines, Singapore Airlines, go on strike on similar context? He confidently said no though it doesn’t mean that their demands can’t be heard and met by respective authorities. Strike is illegal while employees have all the rights to raise their demands.

It’s high time for us to wake up, at least, for the sake of the nation. This small incident exemplifies the uncivilised manner we deal with issues. There is no logical reason harassing hundreds of commuters who have nothing to do with the strike's agendas (whether they are selfish or greedy in nature). Similarly, there is no point that Aviation Ministry should be so careless on such issues especially when no airlines, even public run airlines are making big money.

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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Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Ever wondered why the colour of money is usually green and workplaces are often painted blue and yellow?

Colours have an effect even on those people who don’t believe in them. What I do is purely scientific. It is no voodoo, it is science. Colour therapy is not restricted to emotional and physical pain, I have cured people of migraine, hepatitis and by combining it with pranic healing, I’ve brought back people from the last stage of cancer!”

On a table in front of me, she then laid eight cards, each of a different colour. I was to pick one card at a time, whichever I was attracted to, and then flip it over and continue the drill with the rest of the cards. Each card had a number written on the other side, which became Rochie’s reference number. This process was to be done twice.

So I flipped each card one by one. Orange attracted me the most, green, blue and pink followed, next was the very bright yellow, and brown, black and grey were the last in my list. The second time the sequence was slightly altered. My therapist then did some math while I finally decided to look at the menu.

“You are a very emotional person and right now you are sort of emotionally distressed...” she’d begun. And as she continued, I was dumbstruck by the accuracy in her judgement of my current situation. I felt as if I had been shown a mirror, and it had reflected thoughts, which had perhaps been buried deep within me, things I never had the courage to face. She told me that I wanted to break away from personal or professional ties as they were making me unhappy. If I continued pushing myself, she warned that it could become a much larger problem. I asked her for solutions and she gave me three simple things to do for 14 days. On the eighth day itself, I could feel the difference. Today, I am more sorted and I have my priorities right. No wonder when we are sad, browns and greys seem to hold the maximum appeal and in happier times we invariably end up picking reds, purples and pinks. Try wearing a bright colour when feeling gloomy, it might surprise you by bringing that smile back!

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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Saturday, June 19, 2010

West’s shifting of the goalpost on Iran

And as coming weeks will unfold, getting the P-5 to see a common ground on a considerably diluted and deficient draft resolution in UNSC is far easier than managing the mandatory nine assenting votes to pass it. In all probability, even though Washington is able to hammer in new rounds of sanctions through an extremely fractured and divided Security Council, the initiative will profoundly damage its credibility. By now, Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan has already started questioning the UNSC’s “credibility” to resolve Iranian impasse. And if the US torpedoes the TRR deal before giving it a chance, as it will do in all probability, expect Turkey and Brazil to dent UNSC’s legitimacy with a generous help from “non-aligned” nations. As it happens, NAM is not dead as of yet.

So, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s announcement of the text of new draft of sanctions before even officially going through the nitty-gritty of the TRR deal reflects extensive disrespect, to say the least, for Brazilian and Turkish diplomatic pains. But what has the US achieved? Merely a watered down text.

To bring the Russians and the Chinese on the table, the US had to drop any idea of a prohibition on fresh ventures or other ideas that could have hampered Iran’s capability to generate and export hydrocarbons.

Secondly, Washington, on the insistence of Jewish lobbies, had asked for a wide-ranging, all-inclusive stoppage on arms sales to Iran, but it will have to be content with restrictions on sales of a few definite types of weaponries. It had also asked for a complete embargo on fiscal transactions with the Revolutionary Guards and its subsidiary entities. However, it settled for the enforcement of earlier endorsed asset freeze and movement curb to specific elements from Guards’ ranks.

Clearly, with a masterstroke, Turkey and Brazil have changed the rules of the engagement in particular and the game in general. Rami Khouri, a Middle East expert based in Beirut sums it up well. “Iran and Turkey symbolise something new and potentially momentous in the region: Muslim-majority nations that are politically poised and have guts to stand up to the US and Israel. Washington and Tel Aviv stay perplexed on how to deal with such a phenomenon.”

Now, a deservingly short comment on Indian foreign policy. While we harp on the same string of being the next superpower, Turkey and Brazil, political non-entities till not very long ago, stole the show from under our nose. In Tehran, our position as a lackey Third World nation was reinforced. That Ali Ardashir Larijani gave 20 minutes to S M Krishna after literal pleadings reflects our stature in the region.

Given the hyperbole our media and MEA indulge in, it should have been India that brokered the deal. Krishna, on his part, later came up with obtuse-sounding and ad nauseam repeated maxim of every-nation-has-the-right-to-see-its-interests, but he, his entourage, and his maxim all appeared to be completely out of sync and out of place.

It is not surprising that Iranian experts consider India’s recent overtures to Iran as merely a bargain-chip for India’s relation vis-à-vis America. Krishna’s, probably insincere, reaction got a second page mention in Tehran Times and, god forbid, third page snippets in Iran Daily. That explains everything.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009


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

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Thursday, June 17, 2010

Partying like its 1986

Time machine and time travel make for good pun at pop culture references because viewed through the prism of hindsight of those visiting it, the past is always sort of funny. But that’s where “Hot Tub Time Machine” misses the point packing itself with ‘insert-name-of-new-millennium-technology-here’ jokes and assuming every time someone says iPod or online in the 80s, it is funny. I am a sucker for all things 80s and though some of the pop culture references (for example, when one of the friends can’t believe they are back in time and asks a random woman “What colour is Michael Jackson?”) are rather nice and nostalgic, most of it is not.

Story? Four friends – Adam, Jacob, Nick and Lou are bored with their adult lives. One fine Saturday, while partying in a hot tub, they are transported to the 1980s (1986 to be precise) and get a second shot reliving their heydays. The script is sort of “Wild Hogs” meets “Back To The Future” and a lot of the situations have been there and done that feel. And that’s not because of the time travel déjà vu of our characters. The acting doesn’t add much either (John Cusack is average and the others barely fill in the blanks) and you are left with thinking about comedies back in the 80s which were way cooler. There are the standard 80s references (from “Miami Vice” to “The Karate Kid” to Michael Jackson) but that is the fun point only if you are really nostalgic about 80s pop culture. Otherwise, you can choose not to take a dip into this hot tub.
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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Monday, June 07, 2010

Faisal Shah, the topper of this year’s civil services examinations

Although he is willing to be posted anywhere in the country, Faisal largely wants to serve common people in his home state. “I am ready to be posted anywhere in the country but I want to serve Kashmiri people in the capacity of an IAS officer. I know my people have been suffering for the last 20 years. They need officers who will listen to them. I will try to shrink the communication gap between the people and the administration. Here in Kashmir, authorities usually do not listen to common people. Due to this bureaucratic apathy, they are suffering a lot. I will try to change this very tendency.”

Merely a couple of days after the killing of his father, Faisal appeared for the MBBS entrance…and cracked it! He did his MBBS from Srinagar’s Sher-i-Kashmir Medical College. “But I was not satisfied with that achievement. My aim was to become either an IAS or an IPS officer. I think that I could not have helped the masses of my conflict-ridden state just as a doctor,” he says.


Faisal was 19 when his father, Ghulam Rasool Shah, a school teacher, was killed by militants in 2002 at his ancestral home in Sogam village, more than 90 km away from Srinagar. “Will you believe that many things that my father taught me in 7th grade came handy in these exams,” asks a visibly elated Faisal. “My father was a visionary. Whatever I achieved today is because of his guidance. I feel sad that today he is not around,” he adds.

Faisal’s younger brother Shah Nawaz is also a doctor and his younger sister Talat Shah is a library assistant. Faisal, who is a great fan of noted poet Dr Allama Iqbal, knows many languages including Urdu, Persian and Arabic. He had taken up Urdu and Public Administration as subjects for the IAS examinations. “Urdu is my passion. I love this language,” he says. The topper believes that his achievement would inspire many youngsters studying in Urdu-medium schools. “I have proven that students of Urdu-medium schools too have great potential and can get through any competitive examination.”

It is a common perception in Kashmir that Muslims of the state are being discriminated against, especially in the civil services examination, so as to keep them away from the administration. But Faisal’s success disproves the opinion. “No one is discriminated against. It is a wrong perception. We ourselves are responsible for not participating in such examinations with full preparedness,” says the civil services topper.

Besides Faisal, three other Kashmiri boys— Showkat Ahmed Parray, a resident of Wizar village in Baramulla district, Mir Umair from Badgam district and Raees Bhat, a resident of Anantnag district, have passed the civil services examinations this year.

The last Kashmiri to have qualified for the IAS was Asghar Hassan Samoon who achieved the feat some 16 years ago. In 1981, Khursheed Ganai from Kashmir stood second in the civil services exam — the highest rank for anybody from J&K till Faisal’s results came. Currently, Ganai is the principal secretary to chief minister Omar Abdullah.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009


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

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Thursday, June 03, 2010

Long time no hear?

After nine years, 35-year-old Twinkle Khanna is once again facing the camera for a mobile phone’s advertisement. The commercial will also feature her husband Akshay Kumar and will be directed by Anurag Basu, though these aren’t the reasons behind the gorgeous damsel’s return to action. Apparently, Twinkle was apprehensive about the endorsement and was about to reject the offer like the many others she has refused earlier. But this time, she agreed after much brainwashing by Akshay Kumar. In fact, sources say that he’ll eventually talk her into doing more endorsements! Not that the audience minds…

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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Tuesday, June 01, 2010

A free-for-all scenario emerges in India with socio-religious bodies

Some of their verdicts are Talibani. The Ruhal Khap banned DJs in marriages in Rohtak. Rajesh Ruhal, a Khap member, tells TSI, “Women started dancing on the floors. This is totally unacceptable to us.” He further cites a funny argument, “Our cows could not sleep due to loud music. It got difficult for us to milk them in the morning.” Local politics also plays a dominant part. In Chithera of Dadri in Noida, a Bhati-dominated village, some people objected to a marriage despite the bride and the groom being from different clans. When TSI investigated the matter, it found that the controversy was created to galvanise the Bhatis before the ensuing panchayat elections. The Khap resurgence should be seen as the old guards last attempts to assert themselves as the youths embrace modernity.

Kerala has had a long tradition of the Church calling upon people to vote for a particular party during the elections. Recently there have been other issues like sale and consumption of alcohol where priests have criticised state policies citing Christian values and teachings.

Joseph Pulikunnel, director of the Indian Institute for Christian Studies, says, “The Vatican’s rule prevails in the Church. The Pope is the head of a sovereign republic. Cardinal Varkey Vithayathi is appointed by The Pope, a foreign head of state, but he talks against the government of India’s law. He talks about the need to increase Christian population. If every religion takes a stand against the government, it will affect the integrity and sovereignty of the country. Bishop Powathil insisted on Christian students to join Christian educational institutions. Our social platform is secular. Religious separation should not be planted in children’s minds.”

On the question of prohibition on liquor, he adds, “No Christian country has prohibition. Lot of bars bear crosses, Christian religious paintings, signs of Vatican etc. Even Bishops drink. It’s an individual’s decision whether to drink or not. As long as rules are not violated, pubs should operate.”

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009


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

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Monday, May 03, 2010

Big dreams for Gwyneth’s little ones!

Gwyneth Paltrow’s an amazing mother who invests a lot of time in her two children, and this compliment comes her way from her own mom, actress Blythe Danner. Blythe has further revealed that Gwyneth’s five-year-old daughter, Apple, is already showing interest in following in her mother’s footsteps and becoming an actress. Her four-year-old son, Moses, however, is more interested in Star Wars' Lego! But Blythe believes that he could grow up to become an actor eventually. We think grandma is pinning way too many expectations on Gwynnie’s kids!

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009


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

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Friday, April 30, 2010

Overpowered by a group of Maoists and abducted.

Bardhan and his family reside in a single-storey building in Gadakana area of Bhubaneswar. It has neither a boundary wall nor a proper approach road. The entrance has no door bell. So we knock on the grille. The family’s pet dog Blackie barks in response. Jayakrishna is soon at the door to usher us in.

His elder son, Ajit Bardhan, was an Orissa police sub-inspector posted in the Maoist-infested Sundargarh district. While on patrol duty, Ajit was overpowered by a group of Maoists and abducted. The very next morning – the date was July 16, 2009 – his body was found near Jharbeda. Darkness descended on the slain cop's family. Unable to withstand the shock, Jayakrishna suffered a heart attack. Ajit’s widow, Rosalin, who was expecting her first baby on August 7, experienced acute labour pain even as arrangements were being made to take her husband’s body to Puri.

The Orissa chief minister, Mr. Naveen Patnaik, came down to Ajit’s residence to express his condolences to the bereaved family. When he learnt about the condition of the cop’s father and widow, he immediately instructed senior officers to make all arrangements for them.

But nothing moved after that. Say Jayakrishna, “I am still wandering from one office to another for the release of my son’s provident fund amount and family pension. They haven’t even paid a small amount of Rs.17000, which I spent on my treatment after the heart attack. The CM had declared the government would bear all the expenditure. I have been to the Rourkela SP’s Office and the IG Operation’s office on several occasions but nothing has been done. It is humiliating. It is as if they are going to do us a favour. Did my son lay down his life in vain?” Ajit Bardhan, in a letter to his wife Rosalin, had once written that it would be the happiest moment of his life if he were to die serving the nation. If only he knew what would be in store for his family after his death, he might have changed his view. Rosalin, who recently got a police job under the rehabilitation scheme, is still waiting to get her other dues. She says, “My father-in-law has taken much pain to get my husband’s legitimate dues and I couldn’t help him because of my job and daughter Arushi.” Arushi is only eight months old.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009


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

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Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Dowry Act - A weapon of harassment

Crucial amendments should be brought to IPC Section 498A to prevent misuse of law

Uma Challa

President, All India Forgotten Women’s Association

It is an established fact that IPC Section 498A is the most heavily misused law in the country. Several authorities have noted that in close to 98 per cent of cases filed under IPC 498A, the accusations are false and that the complaints were only filed with ulterior motives. It is predominantly a tool of blackmail and extortion in the hands of vindictive wives to legally harass husbands and their families.

Women who suppress vital personal information before marriage, women who are forced into marriages due to family pressures, women who have pre-marital or extra-marital relationships, women who are unable to adjust with the husband’s family, women who dislike living with in-laws are getting into the habit of exaggerating every marital discord as ‘harassment and abuse’, threatening the husband and his family, getting them arrested and imprisoned under false allegations of cruelty and dowry harassment, making them run around courts for years, and subjecting them to various hardships by misusing IPC Section 498A.

Several authorities have noted the widespread misuse of this law.

• The Supreme Court of India termed the misuse of IPC Section 498A as “Legal Terrorism”.

• The World Health Organisation, in its report on India clearly cited Section 498A as one of the major reasons for the “Increasing Abuse of the Elderly in India”.

• News agencies have also reported many cases where individuals have ended their lives unable to endure the humiliation of being arrested and the trauma of fighting false cases, which typically span 5-7 years.

• The National Human Rights Commission noted that the Tihar jail is overflowing with people falsely accused under dowry cases.

Noted women’s rights activist Madhu Kishwar acknowledged that IPC Section 498A is heavily misused and that a significant proportion of individuals who approach “Manushi” these days are mothers-in-law and husbands who are falsely accused of marital cruelty and dowry harassment. Renowned IPS officer Kiran Bedi admitted that many poor and illiterate mothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, who are falsely charged under anti-dowry laws languish in prison every year.

A look at the National Crime Records data shows that every year, over 1 lakh innocent persons (one innocent person every 5 minutes) are arrested under the act. Every year, close to 30,000 innocent women (one innocent woman every 20 minutes) and 4,000 innocent senior citizens (one innocent elderly person every 2.5 hours) are arrested. Every year close to 350 children (one child per day) are arrested under the same act. Numerous families have been broken and are suffering immeasurable economic hardship and emotional trauma. In addition to penalising innocent citizens, a large backlog of false cases pending in courts prevents genuine victims of abuse from obtaining justice. The country has already incurred a huge social cost in addition to the enormous burden imposed on the public exchequer. There is a need to make legal amendments:

1. Ban Police involvement in marital counseling and pass directives to resolve all marital disputes under civil law. Marriage is a civil matter and should be treated as such. Marital issues should be dealt with utmost caution so that harmony is restored between disputing spouses.

2. Make civil and criminal laws applicable to men and women equally. Spousal abuse is not gender-specific, and the assumption that victims of physical, verbal, emotional, sexual, and financial abuse are always women is wrong. According the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, “all are equal before the law, and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law”. Hence, IPC Section 498A should confer equal protection upon men and women.

3. Make Section 498A of IPC bailable. This goes against the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which states that “everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law”.

4. Make Section 498A of IPC non-cognizable. Innocent citizens are being arrested everyday based on mere complaints without requiring evidence or investigation. Even children and senior citizens are not being spared. IPC Section 498A, being a cognizable offence, violates a citizen’s right to due process.

5. Punish those who misuse IPC Section 498A. Misuse of the process of law not only costs the public exchequer dearly but also destroys the personal lives of many innocent citizens. Abuse of the judicial process should be treated as a serious crime, and persons who misuse IPC Section 498A as a weapon for settling personal scores in marital disputes should be severely punished.
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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Monday, April 26, 2010

Nomination controversy

V.S. inducts CPM leader with criminal case into KPSC

The V.S. Achuthanandan government in Kerala is in the spot over the nomination of K.A. Manuel, a former employee of Accountant General’s Office and a CPM leader against whom a criminal case is pending, as a member of Kerala Public Service Commission.

The controversy regarding his appointment that had triggered a heated debate in the state two months ago has once again surfaced. Manuel was dismissed from the service for organising a CPM-backed strike against Accountant General. Besides, he was also accused of manhandling a member of the staff in the AG’s office.

This time Governor R.S. Gavai has expressed doubts about the selection procedure. After receiving complaints from Higher Education Protection Council and some Congress leaders, the governor has sought clarification from the government over Manuel’s nomination. He specifically asked the details of the criminal cases filed against Manuel. After receiving the letter from governor’s office the government asked the AG’s office to produce the details about cases against Manuel. The AG’s office has produced all the detail about the case against its former employee including the criminal case. But it seems that the government and the CPM don’t have any doubt on Manuel’s appointment. Chief Minister Achuthanandan has justified his appointment.

In his reply to the missive, the Chief Minister clearly repeats the recommendation, ignoring the details received from the AG’s office. The letter mentions that as Manuel has approached the Central Administrative Tribunal against his dismissal, there is nothing wrong in nominating him. Besides, the government has also expressed its willingness to drop Manuel from the KPSC board if the Tribunal’s judgment goes against him. What about the criminal case filed against him? It seems that the Left government has overlooked that paragraph in Governor’s letter. The Chief Minister has anyhow managed to evade the main issue.
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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009


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

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Friday, April 23, 2010

Monetary compensation for emotional trouble

Panduran Kutty is one of the lucky persons who was acquitted by the court. He says, “When I see hapless husbands being humiliated and trampled in the courts and in the police stations, I feel it is a crime to be a husband in this country.” So far he has counselled more than 1000 persons suffering from the same trauma. He says, “Do not expect this system to be logical and reasonable. If you think you have tons of evidences and the judge will hear you, you are imagining things.”

A senior advocate, on the condition of anonymity, tells TSI, “These laws were made to protect real women facing ill-treatment and torture. But this has become a tool for extortion for upwardly mobile women, specially in the elite class. Average settlement of Rs 50-60 lakh is commonplace. And nobody is spared. I have cases of IAS, IPS officers, corporate managers and executives, commissioners. These laws were made for protection of Sitas but being potently misused by Surpnakhas.”

Sandeep Bhartiya, President of Gender Human Rights Society, has another take on the law, “Seventy-first Law Commission Report 1978 strongly recommended that irretrievable breakdown of marriage should be made a ground for divorce. Supreme Court reiterated the need for inclusion of irretrievable breakdown of marriage as a ground for divorce.” Mahesh Tiwary says, “There has been an alarming rise in the number of divorce cases being filed in the courts these days.”

The present law proposal of Sexual Harassment at Workplace Act, 2005, talks of paying monetary compensation for emotional, mental trouble caused due to sexual harassment at office or workplace. What is more alarming is that the draft law does not put any time limit for filing the case.

Monetary compensation for emotional trouble will lead to a floodgate of false complaints opening just like we see in case of matrimonial disputes.
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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009


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

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Monday, April 19, 2010

Ford’s F-series had been the number one selling brand in the US

The sales figures wouldn’t paint the same picture for revenue was actually $118.3 billion, a decline of 14% from 2008 figures. Shareholders are giving a thumbs up to the company too. From a situation where the Ford share, at $1.7, was competing with dollar store merchandise in early 2009, the stock was at $13.40 on March 16, 2010. Salaried employees aren’t exactly in the festive mood yet, since Ford decided not to pay bonuses for 2009 performance to them. But the company has decided to share profits with 430,000 hourly wage employees as was decided in the 2007 UAW-Ford Collective Bargaining Agreement.

The man at the centre of it all is Alan Mulally, now being elevated on the pedestal of the new turnaround man in the auto industry after Nissan-Renault CEO Carlo Ghosn. John Hinrichs, Group Vice President, Ford Motor Company, states, “The ‘One Ford’ strategy has been a strong pillar in the turnaround of the company and is the lesson that we have learned in the downturn. We will be developing more vehicles under the ‘One Ford’ strategy which will be available in almost all the markets that we operate in. It was after Alan formulated the One Ford we came up with a different strategy to compete with the other small cars.” The strategy has been immensely successful in making Ford lean, mean and more focused.

Step by step, Mulally meticulously planned the divestment of brands like JLR and Aston Martin; even Volvo is now set to be sold off to Geely. On the other hand, he felt that Taurus as a brand needed to be revived. Ford took up a massive debt under Mulally of around $23.6 billion and the company made several changes to the line up, including a greater focus on hybrids (the ford Fusion hybrid was introduced). It was a high risk game, since the company had to give heavy collateral for that loan. Under the ‘One Ford’ strategy, he initiated an organization wide restructuring exercise to better streamline global operations. The entire team has now got a single minded focus of building the Ford brand globally. Also, under the new plan, products will be built on platform and the company would launch them anywhere across the globe; like the European Ford Fiesta was taken to the US market and the Figo will be exported from India to South Africa. A matched pair system was set up so that the purchase team could work with the design and engineering team to avoid duplication and wastage in sourcing. Nigel E. Wark, Executive Director – Marketing & Sales, Ford India, tells B&E, “There is no denying that it was the effort of the whole team but the leadership at the top makes a lot of difference... Undoubtedly, he (Mulally) has been successfully able to steer the company out of its problems.” Apart from the US market, the company is also setting itself on track in Europe and Asia, as they expect that 1/3rd of sales will be coming from each of these markets in the next few years.
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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009


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

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Friday, April 16, 2010

Hge mass base across the state

An analysis of the political situation in post-2011 Assembly polls in West Bengal will reveal that such an arrangement might be good for the state. The state has been caught in a spiral of political violence with all parties including the Maoists having a blood feast. In that light, Mamata assuming chief ministry can lead to unprecedented violence on part of the CPI(M), which will no doubt spark off unforeseen counter-violence by Trinamool activists and the state administration. Pranab Mukherjee scores handsomely here as he has personal equations with most prominent CPI(M) leaders and can tackle the situation more tactfully.

Mamata and her party’s position on the Maoists have been pretty ambiguous from the start. She has always made amply clear that she does not see eye-to-eye with Union home minister P. Chidambaram’s assessment of the Maoist situation and his counter measures. Mukherjee will have greater synergy with the Central view. But this logic gets grounded on the premise that a power-sharing alliance is more likely to be governed by common minimum programmes and agendas than by the personal opinions of the leaders of the dispensations.

The industrialist lobby of West Bengal as well as those who have invested in the state will heave a sigh of relief if Mukherjee assumes power at Writers’ Building. Mamata, in her capacity as railway minister, may have tried to overhaul her image as a pro-development politician but the memories of Singur and Nandigram are still afresh in people’s minds.

Political observers also believe that the astute and experienced Pranab Mukherjee will be better placed to deal with the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha about the situation arising in the Darjeeling Hills in the north of the state.

Of course, sharing power for stipulated periods of time is a bit like playing spin on a tricky wicket. Past experiences of Uttar Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir say that fissures between the partners only get enlarged in such experiments. Pranab Mukherjee’s reputation as a troubleshooter will have to play its part in any such eventuality. Mukherjee will likely play an important part in national politics even if he assumes responsibility of his home state. So that way, he will wield power both at the state and the Central levels. It remains to be seen if Sonia Gandhi and the Congress high command will be comfortable with that.

But the odds against Pranab Mukherjee are also huge as Mamata Banerjee enjoys a huge mass base across the state which Mukherjee or for that matter, no other Congressman, can claim to rival. If the Railway Budget was any indicator, Mamata is dogged on winning Bengal. And being the bigger partner of the alliance, she just might have the final word.
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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Monday, April 12, 2010

Pocket-friendly homes?

The twin cities of Bhopal & Indore are the emerging hot spots for the local real estate developers, By raju kumar

Demographic and economic fundamentals continue to favour smaller residential markets in India. No wonder, the financial tsunami and the resultant slowdown that struck the the real estate sector in particular did not have an adverse impact on the real estate market in Madhya Pradesh. These days the twin cities of Bhopal & Indore are the darlings of the real estate players. But there are some stark differences between the two cities. While Indore is a city for the business class, Bhopal is known for its salaried class. Where on one hand, Indore is expanding at a stupendous rate (both horizontally & vertically), Bhopal’s realty growth is restricted within the boundaries of the city, thereby leaving scope for a lot of growth. And that’s why developers are more optimistic about this capital city. Even though the average cost of an independent house in Bhopal is around Rs.3 million, however keeping in mind the growing requirements of big industrialists, politicians & professionals, bungalows in the range of Rs.8 million to one crore are also being developed, which is less compared to the prices in big cities.

“Independent houses & flats cost less in Bhopal, as land rates are less compared to the big cities. Here mostly people buy homes for the purpose of living rather than for investment and this creates a pressure on us to build houses within the financial capacity of the consumer,” says Dharampal Singh, Director, Indus Builders. Dilip Suryavanshi, Chairman, MP Builders Association asserts, “The market here has been built on realities and that’s why the market did not face any negative impact of the slowdown.” Last year in comparison to the big cities the business was booming in Bhopal & Indore and in the times to come the real estate business in the two cities is expected to flourish. States Kishore Biyani, Director, Finance, Ackruti Builders, “Developers charge high prices in big cities by creating artificial scarcity. We develop projects keeping in mind the requirements of 80% of customers.”

Vijay Gandhi, Director, Kalindi Group, says, “Those who bought property from the investment point of view are out of market these days. There are more of real occupants who are willing to buy independent houses within the price range of Rs.2-2.5 million.” States Kulbhushan Mittal, CMD, Gyansheel Developers, “We launched low range flats. This fulfilled the dreams of a lot of mid-income segment people of owning their own houses.”

As there is vast abundance of land available in and around Bhopal & Indore, the markets in the two cities are growing keeping in mind the ground realities and as a result in the years to come the real estate market here will remain more or less stable. Even the state government believes that real estate sector is an area where there is a scope of a lot of investment opportunities. Many builders have already bought land from villagers that are adjacent to the big cities and are waiting with bated breath for the expansion of the city, so that they can leverage on their investments.

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

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