Thursday, September 17, 2009

BALD, BIZARRE, BRILLIANT, BROTHERS!


IIPM fights meltdown, places 2300 students By Education Mail Bureau

“Inseparable” or “truly connected” as they call themselves, the brothers stuck together in the early years of their career but went their own ways in 2001. Raghu came to Bombay to look for jobs and tried to renew previous professional contacts. “I went to MTV; and they rejected me. Then I tried everywhere else and it didn’t happen. I was up sh%t and creek. In Mumbai, I was living with a guy who was living in a room as a PG and hadn’t paid rent for one and a half years,” Raghu seems repentant, though humorously. Rajiv, on the other hand, stayed in Delhi and tried his hands on many things. He was instrumental in the launch of satellite radio WorldSpace in India and the relaunch of Channel V. He also directed ads during this time. But ‘connected’ as they were (and are), they couldn’t stay away from each other for long and Rajiv joined Raghu in Mumbai in the job hunt. And then came, as Raghu reveals, his two most career defining moments. The first defining moment of his life was replying to an ad by Delhi based BBC World Service Trust in 2002. “I landed from Bombay to Delhi with a couple of friends. Rajiv too came with me and we went to the BBC office to drop my resume… The guard stopped me outside and asked me to leave the biodata there. I still remember there was a hut-like wooden structure for the guard to sit and that was stacked up with resumes... I was not in the first list as they went by the who’s who of television. But they called me in the second list, I went there and I got the job...” And while Raghu was working in BBC, he got a call from MTV to join them for Roadies season one. And that was his second defining moment. The ‘inseparable’ Rajiv couldn’t hold back and he too joined MTV. But he didn’t work on Roadies. Instead handled other things like style shows, music videaos, awards et al.

“And that’s when things started happening for us,” Raghu exclaims excitedly. And even since 2003, when Roadies debuted, each season of the show has got double or more TRPs than the previous season. In fact, Roadies, for information, is the longest running reality show of the country. While Raghu is more focused, Rajiv believes more in versatility. And that’s one sharp difference between the two. Perhaps it was versatility which led Rajiv to quit MTV in 2007 to join another production house, which also he quit within a few months to join Colosceum as its first employee. Today, the production house is known too famously for its shows like Splitsvilla, Jai Shri Krishna, et al.

For a man who has quit the television industry thrice in fourteen years, when quizzed about his too frequent job jumps, Rajiv comments, “I know I will quit television again soon. Maybe I will make a movie... that’s one area I have not tried my hands on.” But aren’t chances of failure higher in the movie industry? “Success has been a tricky mistress, but failure is a true friend. Whenever I have failed, I have shot up with new success. And whenever I become successful, I tend to get bored and try the next available thing... so I think it is OK to fail.” Joined at the hip not only to themselves, but also to their jobs (Raghu’s wife Sugandha Garg, an actress, calls him ‘MTV ka Damaad’ colloquially), the two brothers commit to excellence in creativity. But at the cost of even expletives? Raghu recalls one dinner talk his father had with him, “He said ‘I don’t think you should be that rude with the kids; they are nice.’ I snapped back and asked, ‘Why’, and he said ‘Because when you use abusive language, people talk bad about you, and I don’t like that.’ And I realized that I had never thought about what my parents must be going through when people talk bad about me.”

The Occult’s first rightful entrants: the bald, bizarre, brilliant brothers!

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
Delhi/ NCR B- Schools get better By Swati Sharma
Event at IIPM
2300 IIPM students get jobs
The Most Revolutionary Concept In Education PLANMAN CHE CENTRE FOR HIGHER EDUCATION, Supported by IIPM India’s Leading B-School
Detail of all IIPM branches
IIPM Admission Detail
IIPM, GURGAON

Monday, September 07, 2009

GM’s India plans…

Karl Slym, MD, GM IndiaKarl Slym, MD, GM India

GM car owners in India would certainly be asking this question with dread – Will GM India be fully insulated from the crisis on American soil?” Karl Slym, MD, GM India, seeks to assure them all, including, of course, those who are planning to purchase a new GM car, “We are committed to ensuring that our customers continue to receive a top-notch sales, service, spare parts and warranty coverage experience. Our dealers will also continue to receive all our carlines, while our suppliers will continue to work with us to supply parts and components for our cars, which we will continue to build at our state-of-the-art Talegaon and Halol facilities...” There is no denying that its India operations are fully insulated from what is happening to its parent company but there is an indirect impact on the company. If we go by the words of the suppliers, the picture is entirely different. “Though GM India is not dependent on its parent company, but it will take a hit on its sales on the grounds of brand equity,” said a vendor to the company on conditions of anonymity. As it is, the company hasn’t been doing well for 5-6 months now. GM India saw a yoy sales fall of as high as 11% in May, 13% in April and 26% in March. They have already been slow to innovate on new models as compared to the competition. Moreover, if customers are gripped by the fear factor in a country like India, even the three year warranty with no maintenance cost and service cost cannot make them line up outside GM showrooms. Clearly, GM’s communications department will have its hands full at the moment.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
2300 IIPM students get jobs
The Most Revolutionary Concept In Education PLANMAN CHE CENTRE FOR HIGHER EDUCATION, Supported by IIPM India’s Leading B-School
Detail of all IIPM branches
IIPM set to beat economic slowdown
IIPM Admission Detail
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM, GURGAON


Friday, August 21, 2009

Jeetey Raho!


IIPM Best B-school

Brand: ICICI Prudential
Agency: Lowe

Jeetey Raho earned ICICI Prudential enormous brand recall. The hint of humour laced with seriousness worked. Sales grew 68% in FY08 y-o-y, helping the brand cross the seven million policies mark for the first time.

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri’s Profile
IIPM only B-school in India to be Ranked Ahead of The IIMs in so Many Parameters! Regularly!
30 professors of international repute to IIPM
IIPM Global B-school
IIPM Alumni Officially on Facebook
IIPM Respected Business School

Monday, August 03, 2009

It’s all for the love of yummy bean burgers...


IIPM Best B-school

Brand:
McDonald’s
Agency: Leo Burnett

They said ‘I’m lovin’ it; India repeated after them!’ Before unleashing this Rs.4 crore mega campaign, McDonald’s extensively trained its people. This was also the burger company’s first integrated global campaign to bring consistency in communication for both customers and employees worldwide. The company raked a 15% jump in its overall sales turnover of 2004; “It gave us a big thumbs up from customers and our employees; people are just lovin’ it,” reiterates Vikram Bakshi, MD, McDonald’s India (north & west)...

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM
IIPM only B-school in India to be Ranked Ahead of The IIMs in so Many Parameters! Regularly!
30 professors of international repute to IIPM
IIPM Global B-school
IIPM Alumni Officially on Facebook
IIPM Respected Business School

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Hey, we really did it!


IIPM - Admission Procedure

It was April 2007 when LG decided to shift gears and focus on manufacturing GSM based handset instead of CDMA. All thanks to the strategy, the market share of this Korean major is on continuous drop since then – from 11% in 2006-07 to a meager 6.2% in 2007-08 (Voice and Data) – and is further estimated to come down to 4.6% in 2008-09. Now that happens when you don’t read the market well!

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM 4Ps Quiz
2300 IIPM students get jobs
The Most Revolutionary Concept In Education PLANMAN CHE CENTRE FOR HIGHER EDUCATION, Supported by IIPM India’s Leading B-School
Detail of all IIPM branches
IIPM set to beat economic slowdown
IIPM Admission Detail
IIPM, GURGAON


Monday, June 22, 2009

“India is a strategic market for Panasonic...”


The Most Revolutionary Concept In Education PLANMAN CHE CENTRE FOR HIGHER EDUCATION, Supported by IIPM India’s Leading B-School

Sabiha Kidwai,
GM Marketing, Panasonic India


4Ps B&M: What are your plans for the forthcoming summer?
Panasonic’s clear focus is to bring good technology to India and educate consumers on the best possible products. We will keep on delivering the best products and will keep on promoting throughout the year in India. For the summer, we have launched a range of refrigerators and ACs. Panasonic ACs are different because they have an air purification system and germ killer as dust is a major problem in India.

4Ps B&M: Which are the new product(s) or product categorie(s) which you are planning to launch?
India is a strategic market for Panasonic and we are aggressively looking to expand our footprint in the country, in-line with our efforts towards promoting green technology. Focus categories will be Plasma TVs, LCD TVs, DSC, Aircon, cameras, Refrigerator and colour television with Slim TVs. In addition to CE/HA we will focus on office automation product like projectors, laptops, telephone and also cameras.

4Ps B&M: What changes are you making in your marketing strategies during this summer?
Our marketing strategy will be based on a 360-degree plan of communication. We will have a consistent communication plan for ACs in March, April and May. Also, we will participate in CSR acts...

4Ps B&M: Is there any product category in which you intend to increase your presence?
Eye catching models of our ACs are available with features like advanced air purification system with patrol sensor. The models are based on energy saving techniques and also provide better cooling...

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
Detail of all IIPM branches
IIPM set to beat economic slowdown
IIPM Admission Detail
IIPM INTERNATIONAL - NEW DELHI, GURGAON & NOIDA
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM, GURGAON

IIPM : EXECUTIVE EDUCATION


Tuesday, May 05, 2009

The Flip Side...


IIPM - Admission Procedure

But every success story has its dark side. And the side effects of Chandra’s super hit low cost formula has spawned a human resource problem. Let’s go back a few years. In 2005, Zee TV bounced back with fresh programming giving a serious threat to Star Plus’ supremacy in the category. In fact, Zee actually outshone Star Plus in TRPs in the prime time band for a few weeks. But they couldn’t sustain the lead for long and Star Plus soon reclaimed its position. So what actually happened? The low cost employee strategy backfired! The key people in their creative team and programming, which were working on major shows at that time, moved on because they got better offer (read: fatter pay packages). Vivek Bahl the then Creative Head of Zee TV moved to Star Plus and Ashwini Yardi the then Programming Head of the channel joined Viacom18’s Colors. As the big man himself admits, “Last year when all these fresh news and entertainment channels were launched many of our people were offered and taken at three to four times more salary than they got here.”

And it’s not just money! “The negative of being a family run business is that objective decision making is not always there,” feels Publicis’ Gupta, believing that the group has suffered because of this. Take the example of ICL: Sources confirm that ICL was conceived in 2005 itself, but the bureaucratic procedures delayed its launch by two years. “Imagine if ICL was launched in 2005 it would have divided the international cricket in two factions, taking the entire world by storm,” exclaims a source familiar with the development.

Clearly, like a few other family run businesses, Essel Group lags when it comes to giving freedom (especially financial) to its senior management. This probably is one of the reasons why key senior guys at Zee have not stuck around for long. Chandra himself admits that there have been some such conflicts in the recent past, especially when some in the senior management felt that Zee should spend like others are spending. But Chandra remained adamant. “That’s why there were some exits in senior management last year,” he adds grimly, perhaps hinting towards the exit of Pradeep Guha (the ex-CEO of ZEEL, who was used to the high cost spending style at his previous job in Times Group). Rajendra Sinh, Corporate Director HR, Essel Group, candidly observes, “Non performing assets even at senior level are not accepted. There have been some wrong hirings in past and that’s why the high churn rate at Zee!!”

At a time when high-flying consultants are paid millions of dollars simply to reiterate the important role of human talent in any organisation’s success, this candour toward its people resource may be the biggest chink in Chandra’s shining armour. At a time when the entertainment sector is witnessing unprecedented new-entrants, and when innovative programming is the key to retain eyeballs, Chandra is losing many of his best creative people. But the simultaneous economic slowdown and the resulting ad revenue slump that its most likely to serve up is certain to make Chandra’s low-cost mantra win yet again. Game, set and match... Now, that’s what we call a real SURVIVOR’S DESTINY!!

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
1500-plus IIPM students placed across the country with 44 bagging international offers
IIPM set to beat economic slowdown
IIPM Admission Detail
IIPM Programme :- SUPERIOR COURSE CONTENTS
IIPM INTERNATIONAL - NEW DELHI, GURGAON & NOIDA

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Handicapped and welcome!

At a time when IT companies are sacking people, Laser Soft Info Systems (LSIS), a leading banking and financial services IT company, employs one hundred disabled persons among its 500 strong workforce. Suresh Kamath, MD, started LSIS in 1986. Within 20 years, it has grown and is teaching other companies a lesson in corporate social responsibility through its employment policy. This policy ensures right to employmentSuresh Kamath to disabled persons as much as it does to able-bodied candidates.

At Valasaravakkam, before entering the office, one cannot miss rows of wheelchairs at the parking lot. Once inside the office, one witnesses employees on wheelchairs moving from one computer to the next on the office’s ground level which is designated to the disabled employees. Prakash, an employee, cannot walk since birth. He is working on developing a hospital management software. “After my BSc in computer sciences, I joined this company. My initial salary was Rs 5,000. Today, after four years, my salary has increased to Rs 25,000 per month. I’ve also managed to help four other disabled people get employment here,” he says with evident pride. ....Continue

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Simply Mayagardi in Uttar Pradesh

Auraiya is a nondescript town in the vast swathe of Gangetic plains in Uttar Pradesh. Four days before demitting the chief minister’s office in her second term in 1997, Mayawati had taken out two sub-divisions – Bidhuna and Auraiya – out of Mulayam Singh Yadav’s home district Etawah, to carve out a new district called Auraiya. Not only that, she also lured away a local leader Shekhar Tiwari from Mulayam’s Samajwadi Party. Little did Mayawati know that her own creation would Mayawatibecome a thorn in her flesh 11 years later.

For the first time in over a decade, she was forced to cut down on the extravagance and grandiosity of her birthday celebrations which has been marked in party’s calendar as Fund Raising Day. Ten days before that, Tiwari tortured an executive engineer of state’s Public Works Department (PWD), Manoj Kumar Gupta, to his death because the latter was unable to fulfill the MLA’s demand for money to be ‘donated’ to the chief minister on her birthday.

The incident pushed Mayawati on the defensive, as the otherwise somnolent Congress and staid Bharatiya Janata Party took to the streets to condemn ‘killings to celebrate chief minister’s birthday’. The principal opposition formation, Samajwadi Party leaders too upped the ante demanding a CBI inquiry into this ‘fund raising’. Said former chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, “Mayawati has fixed a quota of Rs 10 lakh for each Member of Legislature and Rs 50 lakh for each MP, to be raised for her birthday. She has given her party workers a license to loot and extort.” The SP mocked Mayawati by sending party workers to ‘beg’ on the streets for a ‘fundraising’ drive for her birthday.....Continue

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Kismat Konnection!?

OneShahid Kapoor lad who is making the most of his singleton is Shahid Kapoor. After his breakup with Kareena, the JWM star was linked with all and sundry and lately, rumours of Shahid and Priyanka getting too intimate on the sets of "Kaminay" led to another controversy since even Priyanka had parted ways with Harman Baweja. But recently, Shahid was seen dining with ‘just good friend’ Vidya Balan alone. Although they had been spotted dining with common friends, earlier, but this time the two just couldn’t get their eyes off each other! Is there something brewing, Shahid?....Continue

Friday, January 30, 2009

Politico by default

Ravi Prakash Verma, SP MP, Uttar pradesh

While most MPs were roaring up and down the aisle of the Lok Sabha, hurling insults at each other debating the cash-for-vote scam, one man grimaced watching the tamasha sitting in his North Avenue flat. Says Ravi Prakash Verma, whose family has sent MPs for 10 out of all the 14 Lok Sabhas: “When Atal Behari Vajpayee’s NDA turned turtle, defeated by one vote, I had been offered Rs 10 crore for my vote. People do not know that I had rudely sentRavi Prakash Verma, SP MP, Uttar pradesh back the man who had come with the money.”

Becoming an MP has become a habit with the members of late Bal Govind Verma, Ravi’s father. He himself had been MP four times, his wife thrice and Ravi Prakash himself is in his third consecutive term. But though his father had been a minister, Ravi Prakash never went to school in a red beacon vehicle. He used to walk to and back from school. His school uniforms were never bought, rather, his once-MP mother used to stitch them for little Ravi. During his college days at Allahabad University, he like any other normal student stayed in a rented house, and cooked his own meals. And even now, there hasn’t been much change in his lifestyle. Unlike politicos who appoint PAs the second day after being sworn in as MPs, Ravi has none. It is possible that if you ring the bell at his door, his wife would open it, not some liveried servant. Most often he travels to the Parliament in the pool bus meant for members. He remains what his father was, a firm believer of socialist ideals of Acharya Narendra Dev. “I have bought no property during my tenure as MP,” he categorically told TSI. “Yes, I have property, but that is ancestral. For a living I farm my land. Indeed, he does not think of himself as a politician, but rather an intellectual. In fact, he came into politics to stop his mother from being duped by unscrupulous people. “After father’s demise, mother became an MP, but since she was not well-educated, people ripped her. So to help her with her paperwork, I returned home from Delhi, now here I am!” he smiles gently....Continue

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Despite talk about American decline, the world is not prepared for a post-American era.

To make its case for a continued global leadership role, America must, however, step up to the plate. While the go-it-alone impulse of the Bush administration has been discredited by its consequences, the inverse lessons regarding how important collaborative action is in today’s interconnected world are still being learned. Even at the apex of American power, its greatness was always based on inspiring others, and the opportunities for building market share in that particular category remain unlimited. America’s actions over the coming years will determine whether its power model can be restored. America can and should, for example, become the global leader combating climate change through major investments in alternative energy, conservation, and energy efficiency, and by taking strong actions to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. It should transform its immigration policy to recruit the best people from around the world to move to the US, and remain the world’s leading champion of open markets.

Closing the prison at Guantánamo and reaffirming America’s commitment to international law and human rights will also be an important step in this direction. The world wants to believe in an America that lives up to its own best values.

The prospect of a global community of nations working together to achieve the greater good for all is indeed exciting. But, although America has been far from perfect over the last six decades, the end of the pax Americana has the potential to create a dangerous void in international affairs. If the world is going to shift in the direction of a new and more globally democratic system, other nations also need to step forward. Until this happens, let us all hope that America can get back on track as the global champion of collaborative action.....Continue

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Ashok Gehlot, the former chief minister of Rajasthan and AICC general secretary

Do you see yourself as chief minister, and if that is the case, what would your priorities be?
How can I comment on it... it is for the legislators and the party high command to decide. I am just a party worker and I am ready to take on any responsibility the party gives me.

I cannot spell out my priorities so early. But one thing is clear: whosoever becomes the Congress CM would provide a sensitive and transparent government in the state.

Would you like to comment on PCC president CP Joshi’s defeat?
He lost by one vote only. We term his defeat as a victory because it was due to his efforts that Congress won so many seats in Rajasthan.

Do you see any sabotage in the 1-vote defeat?
No, there was no sabotage. The real sabotage took place in the BJP, where the rebels campaigned actively against the party and destroyed their efforts on the day of elections.....Continue

Thursday, January 08, 2009

M Rajasekhara Panicker at the Passing Out Parade of the dog squad in the Kerala Police Academy.

And loyal they remain to their last breath. Little wonder that they are so much of an asset in the Army, where in the background of thousands of lives lost to mines and other explosives on the borders, they have successfully detected explosives and saved precious human lives. “A dog army of 12,000 specialised canine breeds, mostly Labradors, German Shepherds and Belgian Shepherd dogs, is in place in the Indian Army,” Lieutenant Colonel S S Kashyap said to an agency last year. Many Army dogs have won Shaurya Chakras and special commendations from the Chief of Army Staff. Their services are utilised even by the UN Peacekeeping Forces.

Railway Protection Force (RPF) too has dog training centres at Delhi and Podanur in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. “German Shepherds, Labrador Retrievers and Dobermans are being trained. Six dogs are currently undergoing training and 13 are ready for passing out from Zonal Training Centre (ZTC) at Podanur,’’ says Neenu Ittyerah, Chief Public Relation Officer, Southern Railway. “Chief Security Commissioner is nominating a committee with three gazetted officers for procurement of pups from popular registered private kennels and breeders with KCI certificates,’’ she says. Ittyerah recollects with pride a dog named Rita in the Trichy division who solved a murder case of Kayatharu village police station in January 1985. Last month, ‘Hira’ detected an explosive at Malda divison of the Eastern Railway station.....Continue

Saturday, January 03, 2009

MASS CENSURE

That is because the people hit the streets. No one was happy that it were the haunts of the elite only – five star hotels and posh restaurants, mostly – that were hit. The sustained gun battle of over 60 hours made people cry, literally, about the fact that we were under siege inside our own country… never had Pakistan come this close inside even in a declared war of aggression. People were inclined to believe – whether it is substantiable or not – that India has been violated by Pakistan and media – in wilful suspension of responsibility – whipped up a frenzied demand for going all out. This time it was not like an Indian Mujahideen serial blast. It was utter humiliation. They had never seen the politicians' dirty faces so clearly as during the Mumbai attack.

The blame game and face saving exercises are not yet over. This may continue up to the next general elections and all the parties will sure try to 'milk' the votes.

But two public gestures of private families stand out and show what the people’s mood is: Hemant’s widow Kavita Karkare has bluntly refused to accept Modi’s compensation. And Major Unnikrishnan’s father has slammed the door furiously on the face of the so-called ‘people’s man’, Kerala Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan when he wanted to visit the martyr’s home to pay his tribute.

So far, the writing on the political wall is clear. If this commonsense prevails in every Indian, the political system may change in this country.....Continue

Friday, January 02, 2009

AMAZE: The world shows up!

It was celebration with a cause at the Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM) when its annual management and cultural fest, Amaze, came to life on the 12th, 13th and 14th of November. With ‘One Earth, Let’s Heal It’ as the theme, it was only befitting that participants from 18 countries had turned up to make it a mega success. On the evening of 11th, the Indian Handicrafts Emporium venue came alive in a plethora of colours, floral decorations, heritage structures – even a spectacularly illuminated Taj Mahal replica – to welcome guests from across the globe.

The first event at the Festival was ‘Crushed Ice’, the icebreaker round. Eminent personalities including Anil Rajput (Head, Corporate Affairs, ITC), Mukesh Tyagi (MD, Punj Lloyd), Dipinder Hooda (Member of Parliament), Sandeep Hooda, Anil Kaul (Director, Marketing, Ambuja Cement), Naresh Dayal (Secretary, Union Health Ministry), and Pratima Dayal (Chief Economist, ADB) among others graced the occasion. After Prof Arindam Chaudhuri, (Honorary Dean, IIPM) inaugurated the event, the crowd pulled out all stops when it came to enjoying themselves!

Real action commenced at IIPM’s international campus with ‘Clash of the Titans’ – the Global Debate Challenge prelims. The winner won a trip to London. In the Business Plan event, the budding business barons were judged by Pankaj Parnami (Founder Director, KPO consultants) and Prof Sumanta Sharma.....Continue