Showing posts with label IIPM INTERNATIONAL. Show all posts
Showing posts with label IIPM INTERNATIONAL. Show all posts

Monday, October 08, 2012

Vijay Mallya and other top Kingfisher executives and investigate...

As if the problems with global fuel prices weren’t enough, Kingfisher has gone ahead and undertaken strategies that only seem a do ‘and’ die effort. How is Mallya even sustaining the unbelievable losses quarter after quarter? B&E’s Shashank Tripathi and Angshuman Paul meet Vijay Mallya and other top Kingfisher executives and investigate...

But look at what Kingfisher is doing on the other side. Frighteningly, amidst all this bloodbath, it is all set to commence its international operations in September 2008. The Daily Bangalore-London and Bombay-London flights would commence by September 3, while the Bangalore-San Francisco flight would soon follow. The company has even planned to start flights to New York, Singapore, Hong Kong and the Middle East shortly after that. Mind you, company has planned all this at a time when most of the international carriers have either cut their flights to numerous destinations or are planning to do so.

This at a time when international airlines are cutting left, right and centre. According to figures, three big airlines, American, Delta and United, have been cutting down their services dramatically. Where American Airlines plans to reduce 86 flights in November, Delta plans to cut 68, while United has decided to cut 266 flights per week as well. Moreover, other regional airlines flying in America are all set to slash over 1,200 weekly commuter flights. In fact, the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) has seen a drop of 16.4% in flights in the last one year. If you thought this was worrying Kingfisher, you won’t even catch a whisper of that! Kingfisher is planning to provide their international fliers with what they call ‘better than world-class amenities’. The Kingfisher First cabin would feature an in-seat massager, touch screen controls, mood lighting, noise cancellation headphones by BOSE and in-seat chargers and USB connectors. Furthermore, an on-board chef would prepare international cuisines as per the passenger’s demand, while a well-stocked bar with a bartender in the lounge-like arrangement would make the experience more delightful. Quality is what they are boasting. Suicide is what it seems to us!

As per Airbus’s website, Kingfisher’s order-list stands at 71 aircraft, out of which 10 have been delivered. There are growing concerns that Kingfisher might need to further delay or cut deliveries to avoid losses. Where in heavens is the money coming from for Mallya? During all these years, the United Breweries Group has been supporting the losses of Kingfisher Airlines. When we caught up with Mallya’s speech at the Farnborough International Air Show, UK on July 17, 2008, he was still resolute, “The UB Group has huge cash flows which will see Kingfisher through turbulent times. Kingfisher is well funded. It has optimised its operations and therefore we are not nearly as vulnerable as our competitors.” But with losses amounting to thousands of crore, optimisation still remains a chimera.

Kingfisher Airlines recently raised a loan of Rs.1,000 crore from ICICI Bank to support its escalating expenses as the condition of UB Group appears to deteriorating. This can also be quite apparent from the fact that in the past one month, the share price of United Breweries Holdings Ltd. has plummeted petrifyingly. It has dropped from Rs.1,255 on October 31, 2007, to Rs.279 on July 23, 2008. The Air Deccan share, which was at a high of Rs.335 on December 19, 2007, is languishing at a deathly Rs.79.65 on July 23, 2008.

Worse, without an intelligent hedging strategy against oil price hits [for example, Southwest Airlines in 2007 locked into oil at $51 a barrel], Kingfisher is being hit fatally on a daily basis. Is the worse just around the corner? Senior Aviation Analyst Brij Bharadwaj tells us, “Although survival in today’s scenario depends upon how deep pocketed you are, if the current trend continues, there might be no Kingfisher Airlines next year.” One might forget that at one point a couple of years back, Mallya was also fighting hard to take over Sahara Airlines [when Jet was still in arbitration]. A few months ago, Mallaya was in talks with EADS to revive its single piston engine aircraft manufacturing business. There was also news that he has pledged a personal stake of $200 million to the US-based Epic aircraft to develop very light jets. Added to this is Mallya’s recent failed bid to take over Spicejet. Is Mallya flailing arms in a dying attempt to save Kingfisher? How long will shareholders of the UB Group allow cross subsidisation of unbelievable losses? Is there anything positive Mallya can really look forward to in his airlines? Oh yes, the Kingfisher ladies do smile pretty, but as Cat Stevens puts it, “Girl, it’s hard to get by just upon a smile.” Seriously Mallya, where do you think you are going?!


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
 
IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face
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Saturday, October 06, 2012

We’re Saved!

Assange’s Arrest Notwithstanding, If this is the Worst WikiLeaks has Against the United States, The World is Saved!

Post Assange’s arrest on December 7, 2010, in UK on suspected rape and molestation charges brought up by two Swedish women, if one were to read released copies of the women’s original police statements, it would be hard to decipher the reasons for which Assange has been arrested – or even charged. The women’s transcripts document not only that both the women consented in full knowledge to having physical relations (on different dates, of course) with Assange, but also that both the women had initially gone together to the police station to simply force Assange (who apparently could not be contacted otherwise by these women) to take a medical test for sexually transmitted diseases – as at least one of them believed that the condom Assange had used during the physical session with her had broken down. And why blame Assange? Apparently, he knew about the alleged breakage during the act and refused to stop despite being told to do so – and this is evidently an offence under Swedish law.

Should that be considered an immediately arrestable crime? Well, the Swedes and Interpol (the International Criminal Police Organization) think so. It’s more amusing to imagine that the Interpol, which seems to have fallen over itself in arresting Assange, hasn’t acted in similar haste in other arrest warrant cases, a notable one being of Roman Polanski, who has literally been ignored and is moving scot free in France for years despite having already been convicted in US courts on rape charges involving a 13 year old girl, and despite having had the so-called red alert notices issued against him by Interpol time and again. And the most hilarious part in all this is that Interpol’s international headquarters is right there bang in the middle of France, in Lyon.

The answer to this is that while the French government protects Polanski despite his frivolous behaviour, the UK government sees the Assange arrest as an opportunity to bend its back to satisfy the Americans.

Having said that, the fact is that whatever has been churned up by WikiLeaks till date against the US establishment actually works to the benefit of the Americans and in fact does their image more good than harm. While the world used to imagine a deep, sinister cabal of US diplomats conspiring and conniving to assassinate high-profile leaders, the 2,50,000 US diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks thankfully reveal none such matter – and whatever negative has been revealed, was already in the know of the global media.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
 
IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face


 
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Monday, September 10, 2012

“We are moving to electronic platform funding”

Manas Kumar Nag, CGM-Small and Medium Enterprises, State Bank of India

State Bank of India (SBI), being the largest lender in India, has the benefit of a wide and deep presence in the Indian market. This also reflects in its performance with respect to extending credit towards MSMEs over the years. SBI has in fact emerged as one of the biggest contributors to meeting their financial needs in a profitable way. Manas Kumar Nag, CGM-SME, SBI talks to Bhuvnesh Talwar and shares the dynamics of the company’s SME business in further detail:

B&E: What is the eligibility criteria that you have defined for SMEs to avail loans with SBI?
Manas Nag (MN): MSMEs comprise of manufacturing, trade and services organizations. We have various customised schemes/products for different groups of borrowers. Therefore, eligibility would be as per the scheme. However, broadly speaking, we apply the Know Your Customer (KYC) concept, which includes identifying whether the borrower falls within the definition of micro, small or medium category and assessing the business activity and the borrower credentials to see whether the business can generate sufficient income. We have presently an internal system of rating, which is a prerequisite for sanctioning loans above Rs.25 lakhs. We have certain hurdle rates below which we do not sanction loans.

B&E: What are the major loan/credit products/schemes that you have launched for SMEs, in consideration of their diverse needs?
MN: We have several customised schemes and products and also have tie-ups with industry majors for funding vehicles or construction equipment or healthcare products. In addition, we also have schemes like Doctor Plus/School Plus, which are specifically tailor-made for such groups of borrowers.

B&E: The default rates for these products are generally a cause for concern. What has been your experience?
MN: Default rates are very low in certain schemes and in others, they are higher. For example, we have found that our doctor plus scheme has a much lower default rate as compared to our transport plus scheme. The nature of activity, choice of borrowers and the area of operation are the factors that determine the rate of default.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.
For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
 
IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face
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Saturday, September 08, 2012

US: CHIEF OF STAFF

Agreed that he took charge at a time when the economy was struggling and that he was faced with an ambitious agenda (that of pushing through key reforms as promised by Obama in his Presidential campaigns which emphasised on Hope and Change). The hard-charging, high octane, arm twister Rahm, an enforcer who had a reputation of getting things done, was entrusted with the job of the White House’s Chief of Staff for steamrolling the change Obama planned. And Rahm – or Rahmbo, as he started getting nomenclatured came to be better known as being a foul-mouthed showman and backroom infighter, who managed, mauled and massacred dissent by standing on tables and screaming; of late even being viewed by many party activists as an instigator of a feud that was dividing the party.

Things went awry in August 2009, when Rahm, in one of his weekly strategy session featuring Liberal groups and other aides (who were planning to air ads attacking conservative Democrats who were balking at Obama’s healthcare overhaul), was back to what he was best known for. He responded to the criticisms by calling the liberal activists as “F***ing retarded.” Although that particular instance was not the sole reason, that presumably was the tipping point, where members got push converted to shove and demanded a port of departure call on Rahm’s war-carrier. David Weigel, Political commentator at Slate, based in Chicago, had this to say to B&E, “After nearly two years of Rahm Emanuel, liberals are pretty much confident that he was a paper tiger, a drudge who never missed an opportunity to undermine the progressive agenda and a man whose alleged formidability never rendered to big, substantive triumphs over Republicans.”

My favourite vaudeville performer Will Rogers once said, “There are two theories to arguin’ with a woman. Neither one works.” You could say that while arguing with Rahm too, where thanks purely to Rahm’s whimsical and fanciful style of debating and arguing, the President had a roller-coaster ride in the White House in the last 20 months. Be it Rahm’s crossing swords with Nancy Pelosi (speaker of the House of Representatives), or his failure to press home the President’s political message in the way Obama wished, or his handling of the economy and Wall Street regulation, Rahm’s pugilistic approach was solely blamed by commentators for delivering defeat. The President needed a Chief of Staff who had the wisdom to help him chart out a bold and progressive path. Someone who could successfully play the role of the President’s gatekeeper, like what James Baker did for Ronald Reagan. Rahm (who also doubled up as the President’s top political adviser and legislative strategist) at least did the gatekeeper part pretty well. But given that the mid-term elections in November would be a bloodbath for Democrats (in all probability, the elections could transfer the control of the House and even the Senate from Democrats to the Republicans), Rahm’s exit was strategically planned to minimise losses. Simply put, this is the return of favour that has been meted out to Rahm for the mistake he committed of pushing Obama too far to the middle.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.
For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
 
IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face
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Tuesday, September 04, 2012

Lehman is history...and future too

On the 2nd anniversary of the Lehman Brothers debacle, what is evident is the fact that economies have learnt very little from history. B&E does a quick recap of the occurrence, the domino effect and the current global economic situation By Asif Ahmed

September 15, 2008. Henry Paulson, the then Secretary of Treasury, United States, had just been informed of the impending Lehman collapse, when he excused himself from his colleagues to make a most important call. That call went not to the President, but to his wife, Wendy Judge, to whom Paulson said in a completely mellowed down voice, in contrast to his imposing 6 ft 4 inches physique, “I am afraid.” Paulson later termed the day as the most ‘horrific’ and ‘saddest’ day of his life.

In the absence of an acquirer and US federal guarantee, Paulson announced that US Treasury couldn’t locate a suitable borrower for Lehman Brothers, thereby purging billions in dollars and putting thousands of employees at risk. What he didn’t know then was how many billions were going to be affected by this collapse.

A month later in October 2008, in response to the subprime mortgage crisis, The Emergency Economic Stabilisation Act of 2008 was passed which authorised United States Secretary of the Treasury to spend up to $700 billion to purchase distressed assets, especially mortgage-backed securities, and make capital injections into banks. A year-and-a-half later, the Euro zone too had to adopt a similar bailout, called the European Stabilisation Mechanism, triggered by sovereign crises.

So, a few went under Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganisation, a few more under Chapter 7 liquidation, and the topography of US financial system changed forever. On the second death anniversary of Lehman Brothers – and hundreds of other banks, which died in the hope of receiving a few million dollars of that $700 billion – the question that needs to be asked: Is the financial world a better place to live in, now? How much ground have we covered in terms of financial regulation so as to avoid future shocks?

2008 BC and 2008 AD
If one were to define the timeline of the financial world, the best way to line it up would be 2008 Before Crisis and 2008 After Destruction. The advanced economies were the first one to react and plug the loopholes that left big holes in the pockets and balance sheet of banks and central banks. Paul Volcker, former Chairman, Federal Reserve, who was hired to figure out a solution for the 21st century problem, had a simple military plan – he asked banks to curtail proprietary trading, private equity and other ‘risky’ investments that banks make with their own capital. On a more global platform, multi-lateral financial institution like the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Financial Stability Board (FSB) and Bank for International Settlements (BIS) worked in tandem to foster a more healthy financial system, the most recent of which is recommendations of Basel Committee of Banking Supervision (BSBS) and FSB to hold more capital. The BCBS has asked lenders to have common equity equal to at least 7% of assets, weighted according to their risk, including a 2.5% buffer to withstand future stress. Banks will have less than five years to comply with the minimum ratios – 4.5% common equity and 6% Tier 1 until 2019, to meet the buffer requirements. Banks are currently required to have common equity equal to 2% of total assets and 4% Tier 1 capital.


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Monday, September 03, 2012

Family democracy, Lanka style

Rajapakse is turning the Lankan constitution into a useless shred of paper

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse brought in a landmark change in the country’s constitution on September 08, 2010 by scrapping the two term limit rule for serving presidents in the midst of both protests and cheering across the country. Consequently, Rajapakse, who is serving his second term as president, can stand for another term in the next voting to be held in 2016!

Apart from this, sweeping powers were handed over to him as a result of this amendment, by which previously autonomous institutes have been brought under his control. He will now directly appoint the main officials in judiciary, election commission, human rights commission and the central bank. Ending all controversies spurred up by the opposition, who stressed for the need of referendum to change the constitution, the Supreme Court ruled that such requirement is unnecessary. This has paved the way to end all possible legal roadblocks to Rajapakse.


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Friday, August 31, 2012

ENTREPRENEURSHIP: CRITICAL FOR GROWTH

John Danner, Senior Fellow, Lester Center for Entrepreneurship, Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley

ENTREPRENEURSHIP IS CRITICAL FOR FUTURE “POWER 100S”. BUT FOR THAT, MANAGERS NEED TO THINK LIKE ENTREPRENEURS & B-SCHOOLS NEED TO NURTURE CREATIVITY

It’s not big corporations that are the lifeblood and future of most modern societies. It’s the entrepreneurial venture that most often drives real innovation and growth, whether in jobs, technologies or economic competitiveness. Our current business education needs to produce individuals who will create tomorrow’s jobs and opportunities, not just manage today’s established businesses.

Perhaps, the biggest challenge mature businesses face in the present scenario is how to integrate and optimise their own existing operations (the execution necessity) while simultaneously encouraging creativity in new products, processes and services bold enough to withstand the onslaught of new market entrants (the innovation imperative). Too often, managers cling to the familiar at the expense of the novel, and watch impotently as insurgent entrepreneurs take over markets they once dominated. Future company executives need to be educated to better guard their defensive perimeters as well as accelerate growth offensively; in short, to think and act more like the entrepreneurs their companies once were. After all, most big companies didn’t begin BIG.

This is where entrepreneurship education takes centre stage: helping impatient dreamers convert their business visions into successful enterprises, and preparing more cautious students to strengthen their own managerial repertoire as they join major companies. Indeed, it is the conflict (and occasional collaboration) between these two groups that animates, distinguishes and even inspires market-based societies.

Entrepreneurs – whether they want to get rich, change the world, or both – initially need to understand how to identify emerging opportunities to serve customers, assess and manage the risks of designing and building new solutions and business models, assemble resources based on future prospects of their vision, while remaining flexible enough to adapt to surprises in the marketplace. Yet, they need to be fluent enough with the techniques and systems big businesses use, so they can adapt to the rigours of growth.

Read more.....

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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

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Thursday, August 30, 2012

Arvind Saxena, Director – Sales & Marketing, Hyundai Motors India

Arvind Saxena, Director – Sales & Marketing, Hyundai Motors India, explains to B&E why competition is no threat to Hyundai in India, and why Hyundai does not need to worry about capacity expansions

B&E: Can we say that the second slot is not that important to Hyundai as compared to creating a profitable business environment?
AS: No, I am not saying it is not important. I am saying that the second rank is not the only thing that one works for. We are here to create a bigger brand. We are here to create a large pool of satisfied customers and the second slot is incidental. No one works for it. We will be more than happy to have a large satisfied customer base.

B&E: It has been widely reported that the company is expanding its capacity by 70,000 units. Have you already done that or is it an option that can be explored?
AS: It is an option that we have not exercised so far. But if there is more demand for our products, we will possibly look into it. But I don’t think there will be a need for capacity expansion this year, perhaps not even in 2011.

B&E: The company has focused equally on both the exports and domestic market so far. How do you see the ratio of domestic sales and exports changing, say, five years down the line?
AS: The domestic market has always been a priority for Hyundai in India. But when we realised that the demand here was insufficient, we exercised the option of making the most out of exports. This year, the domestic market will account for about 56% of out total unit sales. In five years time, this percentage could grow to 65-70%. Going forward, we will naturally maintain a higher ratio of production for domestic consumption.



 
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Wednesday, August 29, 2012

A jog down memory lane

A nostalgic Jennifer Aniston recently recalled the fun she had shooting for the famous American sitcom F.R.I.E.N.D.S. She recollected moments of the ‘Chick and Duck’ episode, the one in which she’s bursting with anger, and the time when she was pregnant in the show. Incredulous at how people still watch the show almost everyday, she innocently asks how they do it, and where do they find it, for she’s unable to find it herself! Well, it’s all on the net dear... including the blooper shows!


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Friday, August 24, 2012

Working non-stop could be the ladder to a promotion and a host of health problems...

In India, to a very large extent, men are still considered the bread-winners of the family. And as most of the men reach their 30s, they noticeably begin to look much older than their actual age. While women still manage to maintain their beauty and health, men start developing a paunch, their hair begins to grey and many also start experiencing major hair loss. Makes one wonder if men tend to neglect their health and ignore the warning signs, or whether they are simply less aware than women. “Both. Also, men are more prone to health problems because they easily resort to drugs and alcohol. I’ve had cases where wives have come to ask for help for their husbands. But unless the person who needs help does not visit, I cannot even recommend anything! Men, by nature, are more hesitant in taking medical help. Also, women socialise more, talk more and show their emotions more than men, which helps busting their stress. And this is also one reason for them having a longer life-span”, explained Dr. Singh.

Time travelling to a relaxed stress-free world is unfortunately not possible. The world stops for none and there’s little one can do but to keep coping-up with the changing times, but one must remember that this must not be at the cost of one’s health. It isn’t just coincidence that one of the most popular adages about health is – ‘Health is Wealth’!


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Wednesday, August 22, 2012

At peace with that ponch? You could be slowly ‘inching’ towards dementia!

The waste-hip ratio differs in Asians and Europeans. If this ratio is abnormal, it would signify that the visceral fat (unhealthy abdominal fat) is more, which damages the arteries and increases the chances of a stroke by five to six times if coupled with diabetes and hypertension. Although a patient might not have a history of stroke, he could still suffer from dementia at a certain stage. Like in the case of treatable (preventive) causes such as hypothyroid, epilepsy, alcoholics or any accidents in which there might have been a brain haemorrhage, one might suffer from dementia. There isn’t a specific medication for dementia as such because in dementia the cause is treated to the extent possible,” says Dr. Mrinal Bhargava, General Physician (Resident Neurology). Dementia not only affects those who are too lazy to lose weight, but those who are fit as a fiddle may also suffer from a deadly neurodegenerative disease like dementia; like in the case of boxers. Due to repeated concussions they develop ‘Chronic traumatic encephalopathy’. It is also said that famous boxers and athletes such as Bobby Chacon and Jerry Quarry had suffered from this disease.

Being reduced to the state of a vegetable and being dependant on others for everything is not living but merely existing. The least one can do for oneself is to take control of those love handles, otherwise they could leave you with no control over your life.




 
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Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Times Come & Go, Basics Stay

Whether its about employees, shareholders, customers, suppliers, or India at large, Infosys realises that it has a huge reputation to protect. So far, it has been able to shoulder the responsibility well. Infosys talks to B&E... by Virat Bahri

Their situation was extremely difficult last year, when Infosys announced increase in variable pay and freezing of salary hikes and promotions in April 2009; citing the devastating impact of the recession. And that makes the company’s decision to implement 13-17% salary hikes across the board very special for Infosys employees.

When you are one of India’s most respected IT companies, you obviously have a reputation to live up to. Moreover, you can ill afford to take any decision without the big picture in mind. Infosys demonstrated that even last year with respect to its HR policy. Salary hikes were frozen, but the company did meet its hiring commitments that it had made across campuses and build the bench, as Kris tells us. It was an investment in retaining its reputation, for that’s what matters in the long run for them.

Chairman & Chief Mentor N. R. Narayana Murthy expresses his view about the purpose of an organisation thus, “The primary purpose of corporate leadership is to create wealth legally and ethically. This translates to bringing a high level of satisfaction to five constituencies – customers, employees, investors, vendors and the society-at-large.” Even as far as shareholders are concerned, Infosys is more concerned about long term shareholder expectations as opposed to short term. The company follows a defined set of standards on its dividend policy which mandate that the company cannot pay out more than 30% of its post tax profits as dividend, a policy which the board reviews periodically. Also, the dividend is declared twice a year, once in October post announcement of Q2 results and once during the AGM post the announcement of annual results. The interim dividend paid for FY 2009-10 was Rs.10 per share and the final dividend proposed is Rs.10 per share; which is expected to be approved at the AGM.


 
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