INDIA ACCOUNTABILITY: Babudom under threat

IIPM Prof Rajita Chaudhuri: The New Age Woman

eSLA is an initiative praiseworthy, the fear is in its implementation

Accountability and transparency in government offices are still a distant dream. The burden and cost of it can be easily gauged in every departments. Almost every day every one of us faces the brunt of bureaucracy and bears the burden of inefficiency in life, be it issuing a ration card or voter card or driving license. Unfortunately, nothing much has been achieved so far on this front.

However, things are expected to improve, especially in Delhi. People of Delhi are finally going to experience some relief and expect accountability from government officials. The Delhi government, being inspired by buzz words like accountability and transparency has planned to launch its online eSLA (Service Level Agreement) programme by next week. Service Level Agreement means the company takes the sole responsibility of customer service and quality. This ambitious project, if "properly" implemented, will benefit the common people in many ways. It will help people to know where the files are stuck with which officials and how long it will further take to clear. As per the plan, the transport department, the food & supplies department, trade & taxes, office of the divisional commissioner, MCD, NDMC and the office of the chief electoral commissioner will be covered by the eSLA. Moreover, government officials will be fined for delay in meeting the deadlines in issuing documents. For example, the maximum deadlines of the services like issuing ration cards, permanent license, election I-card, caste certificate etc. are 45 days, within one day, one month, 21 days respectively. If officials fail to meet the deadlines, they will be fined from Rs10 to Rs 200 depending on positions in the respective departments.

Well, it is definitely a big step undertaken and can become a milestone. It has many other reasons to be relevant. It will help, first of all, to generate relevant data. The exact figure of ration cards or election I-card issued or number of children born or people die every month in Delhi every day is not known. It is always an average figure that is revealed. But with eSLA, the exact figures would be registered. The entire system would become automated, transparent and thus systematic. There are some technical difficulties and there will always be, but its importance and application is of utmost importance especially for a nation like ours which is suffering severely from corruption. The same should be adopted nationwide. There were speculations over the feasibility of RTI, it is doing wonders today. The Right To Education Act and The Right To Food Security Act are underway. Enough laws and policies are undertaken. Commitment from our polity is questionable and will always be so. Thus, it is becoming all the more important now to have more of such policies. Are we not right?

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
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An exclusive TSI-CVoter Opinion Poll on politics and governance

Prof Rajita Chaudhuri follow some off-beat trends like organizing make up sessions

What do you see Rahul Gandhi as?

The scion of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty is credited with turning around the party's image in the Hindi heartland and making it more youth-centric. Equally at ease in a Dalit hamlet in Uttar Pradesh as well as a reputed Delhi college, the Congress' Prince charming has surely left a lasting impression on the minds of his countrymen as is evident from this poll.

Who do you think is responsible for price rise?

The Central government has been held widely responsible but more people have still held black marketing and hoarding as the principal reason. Rising prices of essential goods including foodstuff and fuel has hit both low and middle income groups. It is widely believed that the Union agriculture ministry and the state governments did not play any proactive role to alleviate people's hardship. The Opposition BJP has also accused the Prime Minister of turning a blind eye to the problem for the sake of coalition politics. In spite of the price rise blot, the Congress won. Why?

The overwhelming opinion seems to be the Opposition's lack of trustworthiness and its failure to turn this into a major election issue. A sizeable percentage also believes that it was not just the Congress' fault.

What is the reason behind the failure of BJP in acting as a good Opposition Party?

The BJP prospects have been marred by internal squabbling. Nitin Gadkari has been brought in to unify the party's rank and file but he is widely perceived to be the RSS' man in the party. It is yet to recover from the shock of the LS polls.

Are you satisfied with the performance of your Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh? How would you rate Dr Singh's performance?

The economist seems to be going from strength to strength. The soft-spoken, mild-mannered Sikh gentleman has a picture-perfect clean image. Though perceived to be pro-reforms, he has maintained a balance between sweeping economic reforms and populist, pro-poor measures. Not the proverbial Indian politician, Dr Singh keeps away from party matters as far as possible and concentrates on running the government. Having faced a lot of flak for his non-interference in the manner in which the Union agriculture ministry has handled the price rise issue, his government has been crucially undecisive about ways to tackle the growing Maoist influence. However, a weak Opposition has been God-sent for this man of few words.

Satisfied with the performance of Sushma Swaraj?

The current Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha has failed to take the Congress to task in the Lower House. Factionalism within the party as well as a lack of charisma on part of the tallest leaders have made Swaraj's task harder. She will need to make a deep impression if the BJP's image and future poll prospects are to brighten.

Satisfied with the performance of NDA Chief L.K. Advani?

The BJP's Man of Iron, the former Deputy Prime Minister and one of the talismans of the Ram Mandir movement seems to have lost all steam. BJP insiders have repeatedly blamed him for failing to re-invent the BJP's image in the post-Mandir agitation political scenario. While his role is now more symbolic, the party patriarch has also had major differences with the various outfits of the Sangh Parivar.

Satisfied with the performance of UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi?

The lady from Italy has proved to be the BJP's ultimate nemesis. By maintaining a dignified distance from running the government and by astute handling of allies and party members, the UPA supremo has approval ratings double than that of L.K. Advani. Never in the forefront, she has been ably assisted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee among others. Are you satisfied with the performance of the sitting MP of your area?

Do you agree with incorporation of caste in the census ?

Apparently trying to play it safe for the time being and buy some time, the UPA government, towards the end of May 2010, deferred a decision on inclusion of caste in Census but the Cabinet is overwhelmingly in support of the inclusion with the exceptions of Kapil Sibal, Anand Sharma and MS Gill. Union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee has been entrusted to lead a group of ministers who will thrash out the modalities of enumerating caste in the ongoing decennial Census operations. BJP has alleged that Congress is using CBI against its political rivals. Do you agree with this?

The CBI has turned into the Congress Bureau of Investigation, allege Opposition leaders. They say the CBI is making little headway on the bomb blast cases but is feverishly probing into disproportionate asset cases against Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati. Even the Left is miffed about enquiries in Kerala. What are your views about Today's India?

While most respondents from the middle and higher income groups climb India's rocket growth curve, people from lower income groups, specially in the rural parts, have been hard done in by inflation and crop failure. Well, India is not really shining, it seems. Performance of the Central Government?

The UPA does not have much to rejoice. Most people feel its performance has been average. The numbers of people who feel it has fared well and poor are pretty much the same. If the government does not take the price rise issue seriously and take steps to control inflation, the public opinion may change drastically. There are many problems facing our country today. The Most Important issue : First Choice

Most of the respondents feel that terror strikes, rising unemployment, escalating prices, lack of facilites and basic infrastructure and, of course, the perennial problem of corruption need to be tackled. Surprisingly the Maoist problem found no takers. Even the education system drew minimal flak. In last one year your living standard

The urban middle class and higher income group people thought their living standard has improved. This can, of course, be attributed to higher consumer spending and a good growth rate rather than generation of jobs or rise in salaries.


Mood of the Nation

Cong holds ground in season of doubt

The TSI-C VOTER survey on Mood of the Nation surprisingly augurs well for the Congress party and the UPA-II dispensation that it leads. No body would have thought of this outcome considering the ever-increasing price burden put on people and the ever-growing Maoist influence in various states of the country. What perhaps has not been surprising is the dismal perception about the main Opposition BJP. It seems the Saffron party is failing its responsibility of acting as a credible counterweight to the Congress or so feel the respondents.

The face of the country, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, has had a thumbs up from the respondents with 45 per cent calling his performance good and 33 per cent average as against only 18 per cent rating him poor. Unfortunately, the same can't be said about current Opposition leader Sushma Swaraj with 34 per cent people terming her work as poor, 31 per cent average and only 20 per cent good. NDA supremo and once-talismanic L.K.Advani seems down in the pits with 44 per cent respondents calling his performance poor as against 29 per cent average and only 18 per cent terming his work good. UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi has got favourable response too, with 46 per cent marking her performance good and 29 per cent average as against 20 per cent calling her work poor. About 53 per cent of the respondents feel that Congress scion Rahul Gandhi should be made the Prime Minister and 43 per cent say he is a ray of hope for Indian politics.

The current Central government has fared well according to 30 per cent of the respondents where as 42 per cent termed its performance average with 26 per cent saying it is poor. The feel good factor, however, abandons the Congress when people vent their opinion on price rise. Most, at 33 per cent, hold the black market responsible while 30 per cent say the Centre is responsible. State governments have nearly been absolved of their responsibilities for the same. About 15 per cent of the people surveyed say that the Congress fared well in the Lok Sabha elections in spite of the price rise as people did not trust the Opposition. Another 16 per cent say the Congress alone is not responsible for the rising prices while 9 per cent say the Opposition failed to turn price rise into a raging election issue.

Most people (41 per cent) feel that internal politics of BJP is responsible for its failure to act as a good Opposition party while 19 per cent blamed lack of coordination between other Opposition parties for the mess.

On inclusion of the contentious caste category in Census, public opinion is evenly divided for and against. The survey throws up curious statistics on people's awareness about different bills discussed in Parliament. Where as 37 per cent are aware of the names of a few bills tabled in Parliament, only six per cent are aware of the Civil Nuclear Liability Bill. Only three per cent of the respondents were familiar with the Prevention of Torture Bill. Methodology

The Mood of the Nation opinion poll has been carried out with a national representative sample of 8,721 randomly selected respondents. The survey was done with CVoter's specially designed Computer Assisted Telephonic Interviews (CATI) process across 180 Lok Sabha seats. The survey was conducted in April-May 2010. The data received has been weighted to India's Census profile. Margin of error is plus or minus 3 per cent. As part of our Mood of the Nation initiative, CVoter is now keeping weekly track of the pulse of the people and what India's rural and urban masses are thinking and feeling about local and national governance. This is being facilitated by CVoter's Weekly Omnibus wherein our researchers quiz voters for their perception about the performance of the country's political leaders. They also keep a tab on the contemporary issues that matter to the masses. We hope that the initiative will not just help voters make their voices heard but will also hopefully serve as a weekly reminder to the nation's political bosses about the immediate and long-term needs and ambitions of the voters who brought them to power in the first place. SCORE: 0=Worst & 10=Best

-6.58

Are you satisfied with the performance of the Central government? How would you rate the current government's performance?

6.39

Are you satisfied with the performance of Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh? How would you rate his performance?

5.13

Are you satisfied with the performance of the Leader of Opposition, Sushma Swaraj? How would you rate her work?

6.59

Are you satisfied with the performance of the UPA chairperson, Sonia Gandhi? How would you rate her work?

4.73

Are you satisfied with the performance of NDA Chief L.K.Advani? How would you rate the leader's performance?

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM Prof Rajita Chaudhuri's Snaps
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Award Conferred To Irom Chanu Sharmila By IIPM
IIPM’s Management Consulting Arm - Planman Consulting
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Nipped in the bud

Prof Rajita Chaudhuri on 'THEY ARE COMING TO GET YOU – NOT ALIENS SILLY'

Arrested for alleged complicity in the Lajpat Nagar blasts when he was just 16, Syed Muhammad Maqbool Shah was acquitted when he was 30. Haroon Reshi spends time with him and brings out a moving picture of gross human rights violation.

Nipped in the bud After 14 long years of imprisonment, Syed Muhammad Maqbool Shah (now 30) finds it difficult to resume his life at the same pace and with the same passion as he could have done nearly one and a half decades back.

In early 1996, he had just passed his 11th standard examination from the Gandhi Memorial College in Srinagar when he planned a visit to Delhi where his two elder brothers stayed in connection with their (Kashmir Art) business.

The 16-year-old boy was full of joy as he left his home in the Lal Bazar area of Srinagar in April 1996. It was his first tour outside Kashmir. He could have never imagined that he would not be able to see his family for the coming 14 years.

Maqbool's journey out of Kashmir proved to be a horrible turning point in his life. A few days after he arrived in Delhi, a bomb blast ripped through the Lajpat Nagar market in south Delhi, killing 13 people and injuring 38.

Soon after the incident, the Special Cell of Delhi Police arrested 10 accused from different parts of the country. Maqbool was among them. Nine of the arrested people, including a woman, hailed from Kashmir. Mohammad Naushad, the sole exception, was from Delhi. Maqbool, the youngest of the accused, was initially kept in the juvenile jail of Tihar for a couple of years and was later shifted to the main prison.

On April 8, 2010, a Delhi court convicted 6 of the 10 accused and acquitted four others, including Maqbool.

Mohammad Ali Bhatt, Mirza Nissar (both from Srinagar) and Mohammad Naushad were sentenced to death and three others, including the woman, were held guilty under the Explosive Substances Act and the Arms Act to face a maximum punishment of seven years' imprisonment.
Maqbool is now trying to resume his normal life but he is still shaken, physically as well as mentally. His happiness at rejoining his family has been overshadowed by the pain of losing his father and sister during the period he was in prison. Before entering his Srinagar home on April 11, Maqbool went to the cemetery to pay his respects to his father Syed Muhammad Shah and sister Hadeesa Bano. He embraced the graves and broke into tears.

Everyone else was in tears too. His father died a year after his arrest while his 24-year-old sister passed away a month after she had visited him at Tihar. Family members say that both the father and his daughter were traumatised by Maqbool's arrest. When Maqbool returned home, the first thing he noticed was a huge walnut tree in the middle of the lawn. The tree was planted by his father a few years before Maqbool's arrest. 'I was stunned to see a huge tree with fruits as it was very small when I had seen it last time,' Maqbool tells TSI. 'Every thing has changed here. It is like a new world for me,' he adds.

These days, youngsters at home, are teaching him how to operate a mobile phone as there were no mobile phones in Kashmir (due to security reasons) when Maqbool had left home 14 years back.

'There was only one landline in this whole area at that time and now every person is having a mobile phone in his pocket,' he exclaims.

'I have learnt how to receive a call. I can also play a game. Now I am learning how to find contact numbers from the phone memory,' he says.

Maqbool is excited in a similar way about the 'money machine'. One of his childhood friends took him to an ATM to show him how it worked.

'The money machine is really a miraculous thing. I will certainly open an account in the bank once I get some money so that I too can use this cash-dispensing machine,' says Maqbool. Maqbool is also taken aback by the spiralling price rise that has affected the Valley. 'Every thing is so costly,' he says. He was surprised when a salon owner charged him Rs 45 for a shave and a hair cut.

'I used to pay only Rs 15 in those days. Now they charge more than triple. It is really worrisome,' he tells TSI.

Maqbool is also amazed by the maddening traffic on the roads. He says, 'It seems every one here owns a car. Every road is full of vehicles. We used to play cricket even on the link roads of the Lal Bazar but now they too remain full of vehicles.'

These days Maqbool is invited for lunch and dinner by his relatives and friends. But he hardly recognises many of them. 'Those who were small kids at that time have grown up and I find it difficult to recognise them,' he says.

Maqbool feels that 'Kashmir has changed, developed and progressed over the past 14 years.' However he is sorrowful over the condition of his own home. 'My brothers were businessmen. They would collect papermache products from craftsmen in Kashmir and sell them to Delhi shopkeepers. But now they have lost all that business. Now my brothers are themselves working as craftsmen. Poverty becomes evident once one visits my home. Every one around has grown rich but my family has lost every thing due to this unfortunate occurrence,' says Maqbool.

'We closed down our business in Delhi as the police had seized all our business documents and bill books. We had some savings at that time but we lost it too, fighting for justice in courts,' adds Maqbool's brother Syed Hassan Shah.

'They have ruined us by imprisoning my innocent son for 14 years. How could they think that a child was involved in such a big crime? I have lost my husband and daughter due to this,' 75-year-old Zoona Begum, Maqbool's mother, tells TSI.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPI(M) has urged the government to compensate Maqbool for gross violation of human rights.

CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat recently demanded in the Rajya Sabha that Maqbool should be 'adequately compensated" for the injustice he has faced.

'The Centre should intervene and give him a job to ensure a secure life. He has been a victim of a totally flawed investigation and we cannot shrug it off as collateral damage. We should rehabilitate him in order to send the right message to the people of Jammu and Kashmir,' Brinda said in Parliament.

'The society and the country owed compensation to Sayeed Maqbool Shah for gross violation of human rights,' she added. The demand by a Rajya Sabha member has raised Maqbool's hopes.

He says, 'I hope they (Central Government) will pay attention to this demand. It is the moral responsibility of the government to provide me with all the facilities that I need to lead a respectable life. And, it is the very least I am asking for. I am not asking for justice because I know they can not deliver. the same.'

'They detained me illegally, charged me with serious crimes and imprisoned me for 14 long years. Now they themselves accept that I was not guilty and they have released me. But I want to ask them that who will give me my 14 years back? Can they return me my youth? Can they bring back my educational career? Most of all can they bring my father and sister back,' asks a visibly annoyed Maqbool.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM BBA MBA Institute: Student Notice Board
Run after passion and not money, says Arindam Chaudhuri
IIPM BBA MBA B-School: Rabindranath Tagore Peace Prize To Irom Chanu Sharmila
IIPM Prof Rajita Chaudhuri: The New Age Woman

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Fighting floods, inviting funds

IIPM BBA MBA Institute: Student Notice Board

B S Yeddyurappa, the first BJP chief minister in south India, will complete two years in the office on May 30. busy organising the much hyped Global Investors’ Meet to be held in June, he claims it would throw open new avenues of development in the state. Some would agree, others not. B S NarayanaSwamy grills the CM on issues political and social exclusively for TSI

You’ve been in office for two years. Are you satisfied with the work done by your government so far?

A person should not be satisfied with the results at any point. Because once you are satisfied, you are likely to stop working hard. We have done a lot of work in the last two years, but a lot more remains to be done in the coming years.

Your government is going to spend hundreds of crores of rupees on the two-day Global Investors Meet (GIM) next month in Bangalore. How feasible is the move to invite huge investments when the state is facing a severe power crunch?

Some brainless people are spreading the rumour that we are spending Rs 1000 crore on GIM. Actually, the expenditure is not even Rs 100 crore. As for the power crisis, I would like to inform you that the government is not going to provide power to every new industry. Many industries would generate power for themselves and would perhaps give the surplus to us. There’s no need to worry.

I am sure that in terms of the overall development of the state, the GIM will become a milestone. We are expecting to attract huge investments—about four lakh crore rupees, to be precise—in a number of areas such as infrastructure, micro and small enterprises, tourism, education, power and health. We are focussing on development in both rural and industrial sectors and simultaneously to generate employment. Many global industrial giants are participating in the event.

It’s being said that the government is more interested in global investment than in rehabilitating lakhs of people displaced by last year’s massive flood?

During the last two-three decades, more than 350 villages have been repeatedly ravaged by floods. But previous governments did not care to make any arrangements for the rehabilitation of those affected. Last year’s flood was of unprecedented magnitude. Now they (the Opposition) are accusing us of not paying attention to this matter. But the fact is that my government is keen to rehabilitate flood-affected people, and we have already done a lot for them. We have distributed the compensation money and have allotted dwelling units to the affected. We are planning to allot around 10,000 more houses this month. It was delayed due to the model code of conduct for the gram panchayat elections. We have acquired around 5000 acres of land to build more dwelling units for the affected. The process for laying power lines and providing drinking water is on. Why, even union home minister Mr. P. Chidambaram appreciated our efforts and speedy work towards rehabilitation.

According to a recent study jointly conducted by FICCI and KAF (Konrad Adenauer Foundation), 42 per cent of the investors are not happy with conditions in the state. They say starting a business here is difficult…

As compared to the neighbouring states, Karnataka has far better conditions and infrastructure for investment. Perhaps the only difficulty is the power supply. But we have already taken steps to generate sufficient power. I hope Karnataka would be self-sufficient in the power sector very soon. The Opposition says that the power crisis is not as much about production as it is about distribution? Is it true?

They make these accusations to hide their own mistakes committed during their rule. The power leakage during distribution has come down by 25 per cent in our regime.

Your government has repeatedly been accused of trying to protect some tainted ministers. The Opposition has been demanding their dismissal but you have not yielded so far?

It’s not the Opposition’s job to advise as to who should be in the cabinet and who should be thrown out. It’s the people, and not the Opposition, who decide who is tainted and who’s not. And the people have given their mandate to us. There is no tainted minister in my cabinet. The Opposition keeps levelling such accusation just for the sake of it.

What do you think of the Governor’s show-cause notice to your tourism minister G. Janardhana Reddy, seeking explanation on his alleged involvement in some illegal activities?

I don’t want to comment on this.

Experts have opined that the recently inaugurated Mysore airport has failed to meet international standards…

I have already made it clear that we will extend full support to the agencies concerned for putting in place the safety mechanisms in Mysore airport and the other proposed airports in Shimoga and Gulbarga. We have instructed that passenger safety should be given priority in the construction of these two airports.

Why has your promise of granting more power to the Lokayukta not materialised yet?

The issue will be discussed in the coming Legislative Assembly session. We will take a decision soon.

What’s your opinion on the UPA government’s proposed amendments to the RTI Act?

The central government should not take any decision in this regard in a hurry. It should allow for a national debate on the issue and then consider all shades of opinion before taking a final decision on the amendment to the RTI Act.

Which department in the state has been the best performer in your view?

I would not like to mention any particular department. All the departments are development-oriented though some departments need to initiate more reforms. I am glad to mention that in the rural development area, we are the number one state in the country. Also, Mysore is rated as the second best city in Indian in terms of sanitation and overall cleanliness.

Your government has seen many controversies during the two years of your rule. How do you feel regarding these imbroglios?

We have passed through many agni pareekshas (trials by fire) successfully in the last two years of my regime. We are confident that we will complete the remaining three years just as successfully.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
Run after passion and not money, says Arindam Chaudhuri
IIPM BBA MBA B-School: Rabindranath Tagore Peace Prize To Irom Chanu Sharmila
IIPM Prof Rajita Chaudhuri: The New Age Woman
IIPM’s Management Consulting Arm - Planman Consulting

IIPM Lucknow – News article in Economic Times and Times of India
Planman Consulting: The sister concern of IIPM
Planman Consulting
Social Networking Sites have become advertising shops

Consistency = brand recall

What role does branding and advertising play in NGOs fund raising strategy?

Effective branding helps an NGO show how they are different from other organisations and reinforce their credibility. If a nonprofit looks like it threw together its logo, website, or other materials and sends inconsistent messages, the idea communicated to donors can be that the organisation isn’t buttoned up. I’m generally not a fan of advertising: it’s useful to change perceptions on an issue (for instance, why you shouldn’t drink and drive) but it’s not a cost-effective way for most nonprofits to increase their own fundraising or visibility. These days, social media seems to be a much more effective way to raise visibility – by having something meaningful to say. Staffing for social media and developing a clear strategy can be hard, but it’s definitely more cost-effective to implement.

How can they ensure brand recall? What strategies can be adopted to break through the clutter and ensure that people and authorities notice their efforts?
Being consistent is probably the best way to develop brand recall. Using the same logo, colour, style of images and messages over and over and over again helps ensure that donors and other audiences realise they are all coming from the same organisation. If I visit your website, read your newsletter, get invited to your event, hear your staff person speak – all those points of contact should reinforce the same ideas.

There are several celebrities that can be seen associated, both directly and indirectly, with some or the other NGO? Do such associations really help?

Whether a celebrity is helpful or not depends on a few variables. First, how committed is the celebrity to the cause? Are they willing to work to represent it accurately and thoughtfully? Secondly, is the celebrity appealing to the nonprofit’s target audience? The best use of a celebrity to advance a cause I’ve seen in recent years is Alicia Keys’ support for an organisation here in the US called Keep A Child Alive. She’s been a tireless advocate for their cause and has helped raise over a million dollars by asking her fans to text in a donation on their mobile phones at her concerts and television appearances.

There are cases where NGOs have been accused of misusing funds? Doesn’t it make the role of a genuine NGO difficult?
Yes, scandals in the nonprofit sector are rare but they can have deep impact because they make donors more wary of giving. In the US there are several charity watchdog groups that allow donors to see how a credible third-party assesses the organisation such as Charity Navigator or the Wise Giving Alliance. I encourage all nonprofits to be as transparent as possible about how they work with their donors.

Sarah Durham is the Founder of US-based Big Duck, a communication agency for non-profits, and the author of “Brandraising: How Nonprofits Raise Visibility and Money Through Smart Communications”

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
Award Conferred To Irom Chanu Sharmila By IIPM
IIPM’s Management Consulting Arm - Planman Consulting
IIPM Lucknow – News article in Economic Times and Times of India
IIPM: Planman Stars – Event management made easy

IIPM enters into media education
Social Networking Sites have become advertising shops

Million dollars of investments in R&D in the name of innovation.

Let’s begin with some real brand valuation figures here: The Millward Brown Optimor 2009 Most Valuable Global Brands rankings honours the Japanese Toyota as the number one global auto brand, with a brand value of $29.91 billion. The others that follow in the list are: BMW ($23.95 billion), Porsche ($17.47 billion), Mercedes ($15.50 billion), Honda ($14.57 billion), Nissan ($10.20 billion), Ford ($5.92 billion), Volkswagen ($5.84 billion) and Lexus ($4.55 billion). The Interbrand/BusinessWeek’s Annual Ranking of the Best Global Brands for 2009 shows that the top valued auto brands in the world are: Toyota ($31.33 billion), Mercedes-Benz ($23.86 billion), BMW ($21.67 billion), Honda ($17.80 billion), Ford ($7 billion), Volkswagen ($6.48 billion), Audi ($5.01 billion), Porsche ($4.23 billion), Ferrari ($3.52 billion) & Lexus ($3.15 billion). Two lists, one surprise – none of the names mentioned in the two much-revered lists given above (read as: the most valued auto brands in the world) feature amongst the top sellers of four-wheelers in the country. As per SIAM’s report, the top five sellers of four-wheelers in the country are – Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. (with a market share of 47%), Hyundai Motor India Ltd. (16%), Tata Motors Ltd. (15%), Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. (7%) and General Motors India (4%), clearly indicating that for starters, global brand equity amidst a plethora of brands in the Indian four-wheeler market means nothing more than just a number! Of course, if we talk about the luxury car-market in India, everyone knows that the products in this segment sell due to their prestige and brand values, as even Debashish Mitra, Head - Marketing & Sales, Mercedes-Benz India shares with us, “In luxury cars, the consumer has made his mind towards a particular brand before going in for the final purchase. Thus the brand in such a case makes a lot of sense.” But as far as the mass car market is concerned (the most critical segment, as far as the Indian market is concerned), the secret here is to realise that in order to have a best-selling brand in the Indian auto market, all you need to do is focus on marketing your vehicle well, which most necessarily needs to be a cost leader (and therefore competitively priced) with an engine that doesn’t catch fire!

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM enters into media education
IIPM makes record 10,000 placements in five years
TSI exposes b school ranking scamsters Mahesh Peri of Career 360 and Premchand Palety of C fore. - For Complete Sting Operation Video Click Here
Pioneer Exposes the fraud called Mahesh Sharma and Mahesh Peri of Career 360 and Barbel Schwertfeger of mba-channel.com

Detail of all IIPM branches
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM 3-year full-time Integrated (MBA BBA) Programme
IIPM 2-year full time Programme (leading to the award of the MBA degree from IMI)

It all started here!

25 years back, Nestle introduced its Maggi brand in India at a time when nobody used to eat noodles. Nestle had no idea that it was about to rewrite history, as Nestle went on to lay the foundations of the convenience food industry in India. Nestle managed to market Maggi brilliantly by promoting it as a convenience food brand. Maggi had a very clear-cut positioning as an instant noodles product and this was highlighted through the punch line ‘2 Minute Noodles.’ Critically, those were not just kids who were the daily consumers of Maggi, but even working couples with less time on their hands to cook food for themselves. With the launch of Maggi noodles, Nestle created an entirely new food category in the Indian packaged food market. Because of its first-mover advantage, supported by an aggressive marketing strategy, Nestle has successfully managed to retain its leadership in the instant noodles category over the years; a leadership that continues till today across segments (Nestle grew in India by 17% this year. Rs.4,000 crore plus is the expected turnover this FY). Nestle has followed this concept globally for diverse products. For example, Nestle is the largest canned pumpkin seller in the US, with around 90% market share.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM enters into media education
IIPM makes record 10,000 placements in five years

TSI exposes b school ranking scamsters Mahesh Peri of Career 360 and Premchand Palety of C fore. - For Complete Sting Operation Video Click Here
Pioneer Exposes the fraud called Mahesh Sharma and Mahesh Peri of Career 360 and Barbel Schwertfeger of mba-channel.com

IIPM: An intriguing story of growth and envy
Prof Arindam Chaudhuri of IIPM on MF HUSAIN‎
IIPM Related Links
Detail of all IIPM branches
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM 3-year full-time Integrated (MBA BBA) Programme
IIPM 2-year full time Programme (leading to the award of the MBA degree from IMI)

GOTTA ADAPT TO BE ADEPT

Kunal Lalani on why free-thinking, independent & flexible agencies are needed to quickly address the fast changing needs of brands today

Once upon a time there lived a king. He believed his kingdom was ‘his people’; who loved him, followed him, and were truly loyal to him. In fact, he knew that it was only because of his people and their faith in him that made him what he was. He had a highly learned team of people, who were supposed to know everything and who, with their worldly knowledge, were believed to speak only the gospel truth. They, as claimed, knew everything about people and how to keep them happy. And as long as the people were happy the king had his kingdom. The highly revered league was supposed to regularly update the king about his popularity and advise him on his future plans to maintain it. Everything was convenient and the advisory team with their old knowledge of the people behaviour continued to advise the king. All was well till the time that times changed. And with change came the crying need to find new and more lucrative territories to include in the kingdom (expand) and the need to fight other kings who were getting stronger (nimbler competition). The key need was to understand the change and act quickly.

The erudite advisors, although loyal and holding big resources in their hands, were neither fast nor flexible. They thought that the people in the new territories and the new world are still the same as the people in their old territory were. Alas! That was not true. The king finally understood the problem and hired a local man with the local knowledge of the people behaviour. The new man was quick to offer solutions. He was independent, fast, flexible, and knew how to adjust. He came with the power of knowing the finer nuances of the territory behaviour and helped the king win countless battles and expand his kingdom. The king was happy and decided to switch from the erstwhile big and slow advisors to the fast, efficient, highly flexible local man for his advisory role.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
TSI exposes b school ranking scamsters Mahesh Peri of Career 360 and Premchand Palety of C fore. - For Complete Sting Operation Video Click Here

Pioneer Exposes the fraud called Mahesh Sharma and Mahesh Peri of Career 360 and Barbel Schwertfeger of mba-channel.com

IIPM: An intriguing story of growth and envy
Prof Arindam Chaudhuri of IIPM on MF HUSAIN‎
IIPM Related Links
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM 3-year full-time Integrated (MBA BBA) Programme
IIPM 2-year full time Programme (leading to the award of the MBA degree from IMI)
Exclusive In chat with Society Magazine - Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri

So what’s your value added service?!

Although VAS adds to the revenue stream of telecom operators, it has not yet achieved mass adoption for most product offerings. And 3G too may not be able to make the situation any better, says Saket Agarwal, CEO, Spice Digital.

4Ps B&M: While the telecom sector has been virtually untouched by the ‘R’ word, how has it played out for a VAS company like Spice Digital?
SA: Although operators have continued to add subscribers but these subscribers are different from the ones acquired earlier in terms of their disposable incomes and usage pattern due to which revenues have been under tremendous pressure. As a VAS company, we help the operators to grow their overall revenue pie, but we are still a cost constraint to them. Additionally, there are many other external factors that have impacted our business. For instance, TRAI’s policy, which makes taking consent from subscribers before activating any service imperative.

4Ps B&M: Given the current situation where average revenue per user (ARPU) are falling, how is Spice Digital helping operators improve its ARPU?
SA: As a VAS company, we offer various kinds of services to our subscribers. However, we’ve realised that there is a skew in the consumer profile and consumers that are under served by mass media are far more willing to brace entertainment-based VAS. For instance, there are places in the country where we still do not have FM and people in these areas are more likely to subscribe to Mobile radio to listen to the latest Bollywood songs. So, we see a huge pent up demand in these set of users and the consumption levels for them are too on the higher side.

4Ps B&M: Are your products catering to the mass market?
SA: See, if we talk about mass adoption, then for any service to be termed as a blockbuster product, it should be subscribed by more than 5% of the total subscriber base. However, there are only two products that fit that bill – our flagship product mobile radio and the popular VAS Caller Ring Back Tone (CRBT). The other services are niche services which can be classified broadly as devotional services, mandi rate services or eduacational services where we offer services from the lowest common denominator. So, Angrezi Seekho is another flagship niche product that we have launched. To cater to a vast audience, most of our services are offered on the voice platform as it’s assumed that all those who have phone know how to make a call and are therefore well versed with the voice and can speak. So we have content that goes in multi language to suit the needs of a greater set of audience.

4Ps B&M: How will 3G change the rules of the game for Spice Digital?
SA: According to me, 3G will be another niche. Let’s look at it this way. There has been quite a while since GPRS was first introduced, but till date only 30% of the handsets in the market are GPRS-enabled leave alone customer having subscribed to it or not. It’s noteworthy that a typical GPRS handset starts at a price point of Rs.4,000 and this price barrier will be double for 3G. Although BSNL & MTNL have been offering 3G services for a while but there haven’t been much takers for the same. The point here is not about getting into technology but about affordability and I believe that 3G will initially receive a lukewarm response.

Surbhi Chawla

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
TSI exposes b school ranking scamsters Mahesh Peri of Career 360 and Premchand Palety of C fore. - For Complete Sting Operation Video Click Here

Pioneer Exposes the fraud called Mahesh Sharma and Mahesh Peri of Career 360 and Barbel Schwertfeger of mba-channel.com

IIPM: An intriguing story of growth and envy
Prof Arindam Chaudhuri of IIPM on MF HUSAIN‎
IIPM Related Links
Detail of all IIPM branches
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM, GURGAON
Exclusive In chat with Society Magazine - Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri

AS UNIQUE AS IT GETS!

Nandan Nilekani, Head, Unique Identification Authority of India

After doing his bit at the corporate level, Nandan Nilekani is now doing his bit as Minister of Cabinet rank. His mandate? To brand every Indian with a own unique identity. The task ahead is Herculean, but such is the level of confidence that India places in Nilekani that most believe, if anyone can do it, it is this man from Infosys! “Nandan is a wizard and has command over hardware and software. He is the only one who can deliver the goods,” believes political commentator, Zafar Agha.

As head of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIAI), created with an initial outlay of $20 million, Nilekani must issue a unique identity number to 1.2 billion Indians. The move is aimed at strengthening the delivery of public services like banking, health, food distribution, et al. So what’s the key USP that makes this brand a best seller on the racks? Trust and reliability! Will Nilekani prove successful at making the first stage of 100 million identity cards over the next three years a possibility? Well, we’ve got three more years to answer that question; but for now, we vouch for the fact that this brand will continue selling... his unique blend of corporate excellence and social commitment give Nilekani all the ingredients to fill in the ‘performance’ gap for India’s political and bureaucratic ineptitude. Politicians better watch out!

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.

The Sunday Indian:- B-SCHOOL RANKING SCAMSTERS EXPOSED!
For Exclusive Footage by Sunday Indian Click Here

Outlook Magazine's B School Ranking Scam Exposed
Don't trust the Indian Media!
IIPM exposes Career 360 and Mahesh Peri scam
IIPM - We will change your outlook : Career 360 and Mahesh Peri scam is exposed

IIPM: An intriguing story of growth and envy
Prof Arindam Chaudhuri of IIPM on MF HUSAIN‎
IIPM Related Links
Management guru Arindam Chaudhuri’s latest blockbuster book, Discover The Diamond In You
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM 3-year full-time Integrated (MBA BBA) Programme
IIPM 2-year full time Programme (leading to the award of the MBA degree from IMI)

Creativity? What’s that?!

IIPM: An intriguing story of growth and envy

After reeling under slowdown for most part of the last one year, the Indian auto sector has a reason to rejoice as the recently passed festival season has been the best in terms of banking volumes since the slowdown struck. And to further encash on the frenzy, auto majors have announced a slew of launches in order to ensure adrenaline rush. So be it Chevrolet Cruze, refreshed Honda Civic or Indigo Manza, all are trying to create the desired waves in the industry. The up-coming period is crucial for the auto sector and great emphasis is being laid on advertising to enhance brand visibility. However, a quick look at the TVCs of auto companies gives a sense of deja vu as creatives of most of them are similar. Invariably, viewers get to see similar ads describing the features of the product and when it comes to brand building, creativity comes much later in the picture. Explains Ayyappan Raj, Business Director, McCann Erickson, “You can’t be much different in your approach while making an ad for auto as it also needs to explain the features of the product offering.” Take the case of Maruti’s Swift ad or Hero Honda’s Karizma ZMR ad – both undoubtedly create the desired excitement but are not clutter breaking by any means. But as Raj adds further, “The bottomline is that the ad should be able to get the initial desired volumes.” This makes it all the more imperative for the ad-frat to choose the conservative way.

Pawan Chabra

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.

The Sunday Indian:- B-SCHOOL RANKING SCAMSTERS EXPOSED!
For Exclusive Footage by Sunday Indian Click Here

Outlook Magazine's B School Ranking Scam Exposed
Don't trust the Indian Media!
IIPM exposes Career 360 and Mahesh Peri scam
IIPM - We will change your outlook : Career 360 and Mahesh Peri scam is exposed

Prof Arindam Chaudhuri of IIPM on MF HUSAIN‎
IIPM Related Links
IIPM ISBE Programmes
Follow Arindam Chaudhuri on Twitter
IIPM B School on Twitter
Exclusive In chat with Society Magazine - Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri

Of hush hush moments...

Exclusive In chat with Society Magazine - Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri

Nandini Dias, COO, Lodestar Universal

4Ps: Which was the defining moment of your Nano success?
SS: The big high came when Ratan Tata publicly applauded our work at the time of Nano’s live launch. We delivered this campaign in adversity. The client did not want to spend the usual Rs.50-60 crore required in a normal car launch so we were on a tight budget. Even the time to implement was less as everything was hush hush until the last moment.

4Ps: How would you define Lodestar’s USP for clients?
ND: I like to believe that we are known for our strategy and innovation, as you see in the Nano campaign. A recent survey conducted among the top 200 clients in India has ranked us at the top in nine parameters.

4Ps: But you’ve lost some key clients over the last few years?
SS: Every business has its churn. The trick is to minimise that churn. We have contained ours at just 5-6% of total revenues. Agencies lose businesses because of three reasons – international alignments, consolidation or else because they’ve picked up some accounts in desperation and are being unable to service them properly. We’ve lost businesses over the last few years because of the first two reasons. We lost Mudra Garments as the Birla Group consolidated with Group M and Intel went because of a global re-alignment.

ND: Some clients also change agencies because of remuneration considerations. I however feel that such clients lose out on the learning and knowledge that your incumbent agency may have picked up over the partnership years. Clients lose out on that learning.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.

The Sunday Indian:- B-SCHOOL RANKING SCAMSTERS EXPOSED!
For Exclusive Footage by Sunday Indian Click Here

Outlook Magazine's B School Ranking Scam Exposed
Don't trust the Indian Media!
IIPM exposes Career 360 and Mahesh Peri scam
IIPM - We will change your outlook : Career 360 and Mahesh Peri scam is exposed

IIPM Related Links
IIPM ISBE Programmes
Follow Arindam Chaudhuri on Twitter
IIPM B School on Twitter
Management guru Arindam Chaudhuri’s latest blockbuster book, Discover The Diamond In You
B-schools expect higher rate of campus placements this year

Will Jet escape the turbulence?

IIPM 3-year full-time Integrated (MBA BBA) Programme

naresh goyal-owned jet Airways seems to be hitting the headlines for all the wrong reasons for quite some time now. From pocketing consistent losses quarter after quarter to conceding its market leadership to Vijay Mallya’s Kingfisher Airlines, Goyal is certainly having a tough time. Further, Jet Airways has rubbed its employees the wrong way once again by issuing pink slips to its pilots after the sacking fiasco that it was into last October. This proved to be the last straw on the camel’s back, as it led to three days of strike, which grounded the coveted services of the airline and disrupted many travelling plans. Moreover, even after almost a year the cost saving alliance with Kingfisher Airlines, the airline is yet to show any positive result. All this put together is surely hurting the current standing of this private aviator and of course the overall customer perception of the airline. Even the low cost players like IndiGo and SpiceJet are taking fast strides and becoming a threat to Jet’s current market share. So what should be the plan of action for Goyal to save grace in these trying times? Surely, it is high time for Goyal to avoid any further hiccups. “The key is to ensure that capacity remains in line with demand and high emphasis is given on providing consistent and quality services,” advices Hatim Broachwala, Aviation analyst, Khandwala Securities. Thus it is now or never for Jet Airways to hold on to its market standings.

Ratan Lal Bhagat

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.

“We will change your outlook” - The Sunday Indian on B-SCHOOL RANKING SCAMSTERS EXPOSED! A must read...
For Exclusive Footage by Sunday Indian Click Here

Business Standard Exposes the Outlook Magazine Money Editor
Don't trust the Indian Media!

IIPM ISBE Programmes
Follow Arindam Chaudhuri on Twitter
IIPM B School on Twitter
1 lakh copies sold in less than 10 days of Arindam Chaudhuri’s “Discover The Diamond In you”

IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM 2-year full time Programme (leading to the award of the MBA degree from IMI)
B-schools expect higher rate of campus placements this year
IIPM B School : King Khan, Bollywood Badshah and Quiz Wiz — that’s Shah Rukh Khan for you

Stringer goes ‘Slim’mer

IIPM 3-year full-time Integrated (MBA BBA) Programme

Last few months, the markets had been rife with rumours that Sony would reduce the price of its PlayStation 3 from $399 to $299 and will launch a new trimmer model called PlayStation 3 Slim, which will hit the market on September 1, 2009. Finally, at the opening ceremony of the Gamescom Expo held in Cologne, Germany, Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Kaz Hirai took the wraps off the new console and announced that ‘Slim’ has the same features and functions as the old PS3, but it’s 33% smaller, 36% lighter, and comes with a 120GB hard drive. Losses from TV and video game businesses have already been a headache for its Chairman and CEO, Howard Stringer for the last four years. The PS3 is not doing as well as Sony had hoped while landing into this business. Since the day Sony and Nintendo released their consoles in November 2006, PS3 cumulative sales (23.8 million) have been less than half of the sales of Nintendo Wii (52.6 million). So the launch of PS3 Slim is not a no-brainer. The PS3 slim’s lower price tag and upgrades are an attempt to reclaim the ground lost to Nintendo Wii and Xbox 360. But analysts do not foresee a bright future of PS3 Slim, as it will cost to the company to market the product. Rob Enderle, President and technology analyst, Enderle Group says, “It is an improvement but it would cost them the market, so it has a very high risk”. He further says, “Games systems are all about games and the PS3 has lagged the Wii and the Xbox, PS3 Slim does not fix that”. In the coming months, Microsoft and Nintendo might lower their console prices making the PS3 Slim the most expensive for recession-hit shoppers. Secondly, while the ordinary high-definition Blue-ray DVD players cost little, who would prefer Sony? However, “Only if it is marketed right, it could provide a fourth quarter pop,” says Rob. So, it will be better if Sony jumps into the business of selling in-house games effectively (Sony profits mainly from selling games it develops in-house), otherwise it will sting Stringer again.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.

“We will change your outlook” - The Sunday Indian on B-SCHOOL RANKING SCAMSTERS EXPOSED! A must read...
For Exclusive Footage by Sunday Indian Click Here

Business Standard Exposes the Outlook Magazine Money Editor
Don't trust the Indian Media!

IIPM ISBE Programmes
Follow Arindam Chaudhuri on Twitter
IIPM B School on Twitter
Management guru Arindam Chaudhuri’s latest blockbuster book, Discover The Diamond In You

IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM 2-year full time Programme (leading to the award of the MBA degree from IMI)
B-schools expect higher rate of campus placements this year
IIPM B School : King Khan, Bollywood Badshah and Quiz Wiz — that’s Shah Rukh Khan for you