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
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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
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Detail of all IIPM branches
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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!
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IIPM - We will change your outlook : Career 360 and Mahesh Peri scam is exposed

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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
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Follow Arindam Chaudhuri on Twitter
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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
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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

LEGACY WITH TRUST

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

Yashish Dahiya
CEO, Policybazaar.com
“Almost Every Indian has grown up looking at TATA trucks, TATA salt, and I am sure Indians know more about brand TATA than any other brand. However, besides size and omnipresence what TATA provides us is a vision. A Vision that says, ‘It’s possible’. It’s possible to be a visionary and succeed in an upright manner. It’s possible to carry old world values with new world dynamism. It’s possible to be an Indian company while growing globally. Brand TATA has been so much a part of every Indians life that a piece of all of us is definitely proud to see a truly Indian multinational poised to conquer the globe.”

Vaibhav Vohra
Director, DPD Continental
“One can not look at Modern India and forget the role that brand Tata played in its making. It’s not only a pioneer in many fields, but also plays a vital role in acting as India’s corporate ambassador in the Global market. Today it is one of the oldest brands that is still growing rapidly. It has also been ranked as most reputed than the likes of global giants such as Google, Microsoft, Coca Cola, etc. Brand Tata’s role in India’s economic development is highlighted by the fact that Tata group has become the first corporate entity in India to cross Rs.2 trillion market capitalization. It is indeed impossible to isolate growth of Indian economy without considering contribution of brand Tata to bring India to a platform where it competes with bigger and stronger economies.”

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

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 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
Arindam Chaudhuri (IIPM Dean) – ‘Every human being is a diamond’
IIPM Best B School – EVENTS
IIPM conceptualized the grand final of Dare ‘10 — the most prestigious of international B-school student quizzes

Life never seemed less busy

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

Sehgal of Nestor Pharmaceuticals also propounds how risk-taking is futile for Indian as he states, “The R&D which are required, involves a lot of cost. There was never much point in Indian manufacturers spending too much on R&D of their own when their new product discoveries could not be patent protected. R&D spending should now be ratcheted up – significantly and rapidly.” Merrily though, Indian pharmaceutical giants have no worries about it at all, and yet stand to earn a mindblowing $200 billion by 2014. God sent mercies for an ailing sector, really! Then there’s Ranbaxy, which has perhaps made the biggest proactive move amongst all in its cadre by pre-planning the first launch of the generic version of Pfizer’s lucrative drug Lipitor.

The Daiichi Sankyo-owned company has scheduled the launch of the first version of Lipitor in November 2011. And this is where you need to raise that tip of your hat for the erstwhile CEO of Ranbaxy Malvinder Mohan Singh (MMS). Yes, he perhaps got the MMS clip long back, forecasted that an opportunistic situation would come to pass, and settled rows with Big Pharmas long before he was ousted from Ranbaxy. While speaking to 4Ps B&M, a market analyst (who tracks a competitor firm and requests anonymity) declared, “Many shareholders thought they got the better of bad luck by getting the better of Singh, but honestly speaking his agreement with Pfizer has the potential of delivering $2 billion in revenues and his deal with the UK-based doc, AstraZeneca, for the Nexium drug can ring home $1.4 billion in revenues for Ranbaxy. Who can embody such vision now? They gave up the long term for the short term!” But who really cares; Daiichi saw it when Ranbaxy’s shareholders couldn’t – it saw a strong generics player, a great presence of Ranbaxy in third world nations and a super low-cost producer of drugs! But who cares?

Then there are also other players like the Indian subsidiary of the €9.3-billion Dutch pharma company, DSM, which has taken pro-active measures to forge new tie-ups with quite a number of global pharma majors for supplying atorvastatin (which is the basic compound that is used to manufacture Lipitor). Worthy of mention, realising the future need for generic drug manufacturing, the company had already entered into a manufacturing agreement with India-based Arch Pharma in 2007. Today, astrovastatin is rolled out of Arch’s plant!

Another point to note for the Indian giants, if they are to really capitalise on making money from the generic models of the off-patent drugs is that they should focus on other markets besides India. Essentially, the five biggest markets for off-patent drugs by 2014 are Japan, Italy, France, Australia, US and Germany. Therefore, it is not just critical to make the most of this opportunity in the country, but also to ensure that geographical diversification and international tie-ups play their part in cracking this drug deal!

But will players like Sun Pharma stop at just making money from these “lost IPR” opportunities? Well, not really as Baldota states, “Investing in R&D and coming out with new formulae that can be filed for patents, or maybe even move beyond just generic drugs, depending on the strategic focus, both can be attractive opportunities...” On the optimistic side, Sehgal of Nestor Pharmaceuticals thumps, “The pharma companies should certainly explore opportunities beyond generics with foreign investors eagerly eyeing up India’s wealth of human resource and its massive domestic market…” Fortune favours the ‘proactive’ brave, isn’t it?

Finally I have an antidote to the popular saying ‘Health is Wealth’… for now folks, for the Indian pharma gang members, the drug deal code is - ‘Wealth is Health’; yeah!

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.
Follow Arindam Chaudhuri on Twitter
1 lakh copies sold in less than 10 days of Arindam Chaudhuri’s “Discover The Diamond In you”
IIPM fights meltdown, places 2300 students By Education Mail Bureau
Delhi/ NCR B- Schools get better - Mail Today Survey
Events at IIPM
Detail of all IIPM branches
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
Arindam Chaudhuri (IIPM Dean) – ‘Every human being is a diamond’

Painting the town red, in total ‘King’fisher style

When IIPM comes to education, never compromise

Saviour to the sector and service to his guests – that’s Kingfisher for you, says 4Ps B&M’s Steven Philip Warner


Chairman@flykingfisher.com – and that’s not a dummy address (you can try it!). And how many times have you heard of dissatisfied customers sending an e-mail directly to the chairman? That for you is the level of service commitment guaranteed by Kingfisher Airlines… To be more direct, Vijay Mallya, Chairman, Kingfisher Airlines, has taken things ‘personally’ to ensure that his customers get the best of crew-service and is further stressing on increased innovative offerings in the future, as he tells 4Ps B&M, “Kingfisher Airlines has always been at the forefront by constantly innovating. The innovations span three broad areas – product and service offering, marketing-related innovations and finally innovations in terms of delivery and distribution. Even in the future, the focus will be on raising service standards even further!” For him, sky indeed ‘is’ the limit!

“Great food, vibrant ambience, in-flight entertainment (IFE) system with about 31 live, video and radio channels, on-time service with the best record of being on-time, minimum cancellations and yes of course, charming hostesses (its USP), making the ride worth remembering for passengers aboard every Kingfisher flight,” quotes an amiable Supreet Kaur, a flight-attendant who worked at Kingfisher Airlines. She further adds, “It’s a great place to work with and such a healthy atmosphere. Yes, sometimes it gets rough ensuring that the passengers get the best of what we call a world-class service, but that’s almost everywhere… And yes, at Kingfisher they’re guests!”

“Superb!” you might remark; but there are also other reasons why Kingfisher Airlines is regarded as a major force of India Inc., especially during the year gone by. So what is the key strategic reason for it breaking into the most admired listing? Well, on one hand when the entire industry bled a most heartrending $500 million in losses during the previous year – all thanks to the unintelligent price cuts, led by the domestic low-lost carriers (LCCs), Kingfisher is not only taking steps to ensure that Indians don’t undergo a nightmare flight, it has even endeavoured to save the entire sector from the fangs of the ‘loss-trap’ monster. And the corroboration of the same can be found in the fact that after Kingfisher acquired a $137 million worth 26% stake in the low-cost king, Air Deccan, (an airline which previously led the price cut policies from the front), it has raised fares substantially, with other LCCs too following suit. And for all those who thought that Mallya was only a strategic investor, he is much more than that; now a literal general at Air Deccan! If this gets a little hard to imagine, did you miss the historic moment when Air Deccan announced a shed-off of its blue & yellow colours and a shift to the time-honoured ‘red’ hue of Kingfisher Airlines; its punch line too changing to ‘Fly’ Deccan (identical to ‘Fly’ Kingfisher!)?

And what about punctuality? Well, “Mallya receives a message on his cell-phone for every Kingfisher flight that leaves the runway across India. He has his eyes glued to his cell phone; perhaps 24 x 7! If there’s even a slight error on the part of the airline officials which causes delays, they’ve had it!” quotes an insider. “You have to be on your toes all the time. The passenger is always right, and that’s a code Kingfisher attendants have got to live by,” adds Supreet, which pretty much explains why Kingfisher is setting some high standards in the Indian domestic aviation scenario. Today, having chosen a new brand ambassador (call her Deepika Padukone), Kingfisher is doing all it takes to make its flight remembered by its passengers as Binit Somaia, Regional Director, CAPA, asserts, “Kingfisher has adopted an effective branding strategy. Hence within a short time-period, Kingfisher has achieved a very positive reputation.”

However, there are still issues that Kingfisher faces at the moment. The chief being, lack of infrastructure, which hopefully will get sorted out before Kingfisher receives 10 new Airbus aircrafts in 2008. Next is the shortage of trained pilots. But here, Kingfisher appears to be ahead of the pack. As per an insider, “Officials at Kingfisher are lobbying to raise the duration that pilots from overseas can stay in India to upto six years and to reduce the time it takes for an Indian national to convert a foreign license to an Indian one which today takes between a half to upto a full year.” As of today, many Indian airlines are even sending across incumbents to training courses in the US. “Kingfisher has tied-up with flight institutes in Arizona and California which offer a nine-month pilot training course for about $45,000 and the first batch is expected to get ready in February 2008. Those who qualify the medical and written rounds will be hired back by Kingfisher.”

Sure enough, when many criticised Mallya’s taste for fashion, even his competitors are talking about his strategic shrewdness. After all, getting everything right – from the seats, inner-flight designing to the cutlery painted ‘red’, seems to be paying-off. And for those not convinced with Kingfisher being ahead of the pack like Praveen Vetrivel, Aviation Analyst, IBA Group, London, who divulges, “Kingfisher claims that they have the best overall product in the Indian airline industry. But having travelled Kingfisher and other domestic airlines in India, I am not entirely convinced that this is the case.” It’s time to send an e-mail.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

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A sizzle & a fizzle!

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Amazon is yet to get ‘on’line in India...

Monumental has been the impact of online retailing on the fortunes of quite a few companies. One such destination is Amazon.com. Recently, the company reported a sky-rocketing second quarter net profits of $78 million (from $22 million for theprevious year), which is as high as three-folds, compared to the last quarter in 2006. And this was despite a relatively modest rise in sales of 35% to reach $2.89 billion.

A majority of Amazon’s sales comprise electronic products and other general merchandise items, which grew in revenues by 55% to $970 million and accounted for 34% of overall business. As far as media is concerned, the book sales at Amazon rose by 27% to $1.8 billion, which included over two million pre-orders for the final edition of Harry Potter book, globally.

Retail analyst, Nolatpal Chakravarti, does agree that e-retailing is a growing concept that the industry is now quickly adopting. With respect to electronic goods being a major part of Amazon’s revenues, he comments, “As far as electronic goods are concerned – mostly comprising e-sales – the trend is not going to sustain longer, as other segments would contribute equally in the future.”

The trends of online-retailing are much visible in regions like North America & the UK as sales by Amazon are up by 38% for the former & 31% for the latter. There is, however, one bastion that still eludes retailers like Amazon – fast developing markets like India & China. On this, Chakravarti adds, “Countries like India & China are still struggling hard due to perception of people to physically feel the product & then purchase.” Concerns of credit card frauds only complicate the matters here. Just can’t win them all, eh?
Edit bureau: Disha Gandhi

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

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When IIPM comes to education, never compromise
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Here’s a retail titan which believes in inculcating values rather than waste time delving over petty issues of attrition & retention there of...

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Audacious! – A word seldom used to describe an industry. But then, rarely has there been an instance of an industry showing such effrontery to prove the market watchers wrong and orchestrate a spectacular turnaround. Any guesses about which sector we’re talking about? It is undoubtedly the Indian retail sector, which is scaling gravity-defying heights. Retailing in India today stands at a never before seen crossroads and is progressing at such a scorching pace that players are readying themselves to entrench themselves fully in the retail sector. From Pantaloons to Shopper’s Stop, from RPG Group to Lifestyle, from Reliance Retail to the yet to be launched Bharti-Wal-Mart venture –all are unveiling new growth plans, lest they miss the retail bus. Factors such as changing demographics, upswing in the middle class population along with growth in disposable incomes and easy financing schemes are making India the next major retail destination of the country. If numbers are any indication of the potential of the sector, then CII has forecasted that organised retailing which stands at Rs.350 billion currently is said to touch the Rs.1.1 trillion mark in the next five years.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

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When IIPM comes to education, never compromise
IIPM, GURGAON
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Nontraditional Distribution Channels

When IIPM comes to education, never compromise

The company is also utilising nontraditional distribution channels, besides regular audio and video outlets to augment its reach. But has the company taken into account recent technological innovations like video-ondemand, IPTV, pay per view et al? “Content ownership & license will clearly be the key differentiator! Moreover, our distribution model will ensure that we continue to have an edge over competition for a long time,” counters Mathur. Further, announcing plans to venture into film production, the group clearly wants to be a big player in the entertainment business. With experts predicting that the entertainment industry is set to grow at a staggering 18% over the next five years, Moser Baer is not misplaced in its optimism.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

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NESCAFÉ

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Discarding the popular Nescafé jingle was a bad idea, the taste continues to get you started...

Nothing wakes you up as Nescafé does – rightfully said and (as you’d agree) wholeheartedly accepted! Nescafé, one of Nestlé ’s internationally acclaimed beverage brands, catering to almost all segments of the market, has created an out of ordinary place in the minds of consumers globally and across the Indian sub-continent. Having sung its way to millions, Nescafé has established itself as a brand which is impossible to forget! Yes, its once popular jingle may have become scarce of late, but its Indiacentric strategy remains intact. And to further stem its position in the face of growing competition, during early 2006, the coffee-maker introduced a new variant of its instant coffee mix – the Nescafé 3-in-1, which was lapped up by consumers as ‘the perfect cup of coffee – no matter what’. After its twopronged strategy of opening Café Nescafé in early 2000s and after its last year’s strategy of targeting institutional buyers (cleverly leveraging the growth in office space), this was the next best thing from the company. Its brand strength has remained intact due to its continued endearment to the youth. However, the brand has lost some of its sheen, as the company has voluntarily curtailed its visibility in the mass market and its fresh commercials no longer retain the once ubiquitous jingle. Aggressive campaigns by HLL’s ‘Bru’ has also caused the slump to some degree.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

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Extra-marital affairs?

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From a small matrimonial service, Bharat Matrimony has plans to become a complete service portal!

If Karan Johar had met this company, then Bollywood would have missed out on the blockbuster Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna (KANK) & King Khan would have got his perfect match in the first go itself. Yes, finding the perfect match – that’s what this company does. We are talking about Bharat Matrimony Group, a venture that started a decade back and has now proliferated into a lucrative organisation. Way back in 1996, Murugavel Janakiraman – the man behind Bharat Matrimony – during his visits to Singapore and USA evinced the popularity of matrimony sites. “Matrimonial sites were popular in those countries, but NRI’s who wanted an Indian match did not find any easy medium. So to address their need we started Bharat Matrimony in 1997,” reminisces Janakiraman, CEO, Bharat Matrimony. And thus started the journey of matching Indians settled in US with desi brides & grooms. After enticing the NRI’s in Uncle Sam’s land, Janakiraman in 2000 started the same online service in India too. The concept was instantly lapped up as Indians were increasingly getting wary of using the traditional newspaper for matrimonial purposes; plus the popularity of internet in urban centres made the matchmaking process much easier, as the idea of seeing millions of customised profiles at the click of a mouse was an appealing concept.

For massive penetration the company tied up with almost all leading portals of the country like Rediff, Sify, Yahoo, et al. With all the leading portal in its kitty, Bharat Matrimony started expanding and ventured into Dubai, Canada and UK. However, it is the key US market that emerged as the cash cow and helped the online company to expand aggressively.

However, paying too much attention to the overseas market resulted in the company missing out big time on the home turf and soon its monopoly was dented with the entry of players like Shaadi.com. Adds Janakiraman, “Competition is tough but if you keep on adding values to consumers, you can create a mark. We started providing absolute privacy through our uniquely designed subscription- based model, authentication & verification of data, horoscope, multi-language services et al. This enabled us to sustain 100% growth.” Not a hollow boast, as today the company has 66 offices across the globe with a turnover of over Rs.50 crore. They have also set up offline centres – Bharat Matrimony Centre – for the tech-savvy couples to be. And just last year Limca Book of Records ranked Bharat Matrimony as the website that facilitates the highest number of marriages in the country.

But creating that perfect match was not enough. Bharat Matrimony needed that extra spice of diversification. “We have experience as a service provider through portals and we thought it’s always safe to have a wider portfolio for sustainability,” explains Janakiraman. So they ventured into online job portals, classifieds, property portals, automobile portals et al. The company just needs to be cautious that these extra-matrimonial affairs don’t put a dent to its flagship venture. We don’t need another KANK, right?

Edit bureau: Angshuman Paul

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

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Alyque Speak!

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“Looking for big bucks? Head for Mumbai. Looking for great conversation? Salaam Kolkata!” Alyque Padamsee told 4Ps B&M.

The inimitable evergreen Ad-guru Alyque Padamsee is an unabashed fan of Kolkata “especially in its new glamorous and sexy avatar, and firmly believes that the Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharya should be invited to Mumbai to clean up the mess because western India’s capital is “slowly going to the dogs!” Never one to miss a beat the savvy, hawk-eyed communicator par excellence, says that he is prepared to offer his “image-consultancy” expertise to Buddha (vis-à-vis Kolkata) along the lines “of the stuff I did for Hyderabad’s Chandrababu Naidu (remember Cyber-a-bad) a few years ago.”

However, the ad-man appears a lot less enthusiastic, when quizzed about Kolkata’s ad scene! “You see, the Bengali sensibility is deeply entrenched and embedded in art culture and similar calling. Besides (unlike the ambitious and driven Mumbaikar), their take on life is a lot more laid back. This dilutes the ambition, wanting to go the extra mile and raising the bar factor in no uncertain terms. A culture-specifi c adda is probably more important than a deadline,” he concludes, laughing indulgently!

A hands on – marketing/communication consultant with some off Kolkata’s hottest groups (Emami, Shree Cement, Sharda Plywood), he re-affirms his argument by pointing to the fact that “Emami and Shree Cement outsource their advertising content from Mumbai. This is very unfortunate, but the clear signal, obviously, is that the Kolkata ad guys have to pull up their socks and get their act together if they want to get back to the big league.” An unstoppable coinage person, he signs off in typical fashion. “As of now, Kolkata is India’s unmatched cerebral-a-bad. No city gives you greater intellectual or cultural joy, but advertising...?”

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

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