Movie Review: Yamla Pagla Deewana 2

You would be a brave moviegoer indeed to subject yourself to this monstrosity, especially if you’ve been through one round of the Yamla Pagla Deewana assault.

The Deol trio possesses oodles of charm all right. But does that mean that the threesome would be just as appealing when they indulge in outright buffoonery? Watch Yamla Pagla Deewana 2, directed by Sangeeth Sivan, if you aren’t sure of the answer. But if you are, stay away.

Dharmendra, Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol are joined by an orangutan in this moronic comic caper about a father and son duo that is out to con the world in the face of stiff resistance from the third member of the family – an honest son/sibling who swears by mehnat ki kamaai.

Sunny Deol is Just One Singh, as Johnny Lever (in the guise of a bumbling avatar of Shahrukh Khan’s Don) puts it after being pilloried mercilessly by the Super Sardar.

And the ape is Einstein – yes, that is what the orangutan is called – and his IQ is higher than the two men in its charge in London, Dharam Singh Dhillon (Dharmendra) and Gajodhar Singh Dhillon (Bobby Deol). These two guys are Varanasi thugs who have landed in the UK in the hope of swindling a wealthy nightclub owner, Sir Yograj Singh (Annu Kapoor), of his riches.

Varanasi was the setting of the first film and that is where the sequel opens. Dharam Singh’s upright son, Paramveer Singh Dhillon, is now a UK bank loan recovery official who takes it upon himself to protect the interests of the man that his dad and brother are trying to dupe. The conmen have no idea that their intended prey is deep in debt and is struggling to save his business.

There are two girls in this soup, both daughters of the bankrupt tycoon. Gajodhar has his eyes on one of them (Neha Sharma), while Paramveer falls for the other (Kristina Akheeva).

The rigmarole make about as much sense as Dharmendra’s attempts to communicate with the orangutan. Gibberish infects the entire film and the air of inanity thickens to such an extent that what is supposed to be humorous repeatedly takes the shape of tiresome gags.

On a serious note, it is hard to believe that 77-year-old Dharmendra is in such dire straits that he is reduced to this. One can only pray and hope that the generous rabba that Sunny Deol keeps appealing to in the film, will save the Deols from any further misadventures of this nature.

The spirit of Salman Khan is invoked on numerous occasions in the course of YPD 2 and Bobby Deol even spouts lines from films of the Dabangg star.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2013.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri

and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles

IIPM’s Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri – A Man For The Society….
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM makes business education truly global
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman

ExecutiveMBA

Sidney Herbert to Florence Nightingale

Crimean War was fought between Russia on the one hand and the Ottoman Empire, Great Britain, France, and Sardinia on the other. The causes of the conflict were inherent in the unsolved Eastern Question and dispute between Russia and France over the Palestinian holy land. British statesman Sir Sidney Herbert, who was head of Britain war office, wrote this letter to Florence Nightingale urging to mobilize and train nurses for the war victims. Nightingale responded positively and was awarded with the sobriquet “Lady with the lamp” when war got over.

16 Feb 1855, Crimea


You will have seen in the papers that there is a great deficiency of nurses at the Hospital of Scutari.

The other alleged deficiencies, namely of medical men, link, sheets, etc., must, if they have really ever existed, have been remedied ere this, as the number of medical officers with the Army amounted to one to every 95 men in the whole force, being nearly double what we have ever had before, and 30 more surgeons went out 3 weeks ago, and would by this time, therefore, be at Constantinople. A further supply went on Thursday, and a fresh batch sail next week.

As to medical stores, they have been sent out in profusion; lint by the ton weight, 15,000 pairs of sheets, medicine, wine, arrowroot in the same proportion; and the only way of accounting for the deficiency at Scutari, if it exists, is that the mass of stores went to Varna, and was not sent back when the Army left for the Crimea; but four days would have remedied this. In the meanwhile fresh stores are arriving.

But the deficiency of female nurses is undoubted, none but male nurses having ever been admitted to military hospitals. It would be impossible to carry about a large staff of female nurses with the Army in the field. But at Scutari, having now a fixed hospital, no military reason exists against their introduction, and I am confident they might be introduced with great benefit, for hospital orderlies must be very rough hands, and most of them, on such on occasion as this, very inexperienced ones. There is but one person in England that I know of who would be capable of organising and superintending such a scheme; and I have been several times on the point of asking you hypothetically if, supposing the attempt were made, you would undertake to direct it.

The selection of the rank and file of nurses will be very difficult; no one knows it better than yourself. The difficulty of finding women equal to a task, after all, full of horrors, and requiring, besides knowledge and goodwill, great energy and great courage, will be great. The task of ruling them and introducing system among the, great; and not the least will be the difficulty of making the whole work smoothly with the medical and military authorities out there. This it is which makes it so important that the experiment should be carried out by one with a capacity for administration and experience. If this succeeds, an enormous amount of good will be done now.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2013.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri

and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles

IIPM’s Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri – A Man For The Society….
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM makes business education truly global
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman

ExecutiveMBA

Movie Review: Go Goa Gone

Saif Ali Khan is a bit of a freako in B-town who, despite enjoying star-lineage, is truly different.  The Chhote Nawab has a definite life beyond movies, is a voracious reader, known to have a scintillating wit and is forever open to the unconventional.  Story goes that when the director-duo went across to Saif for a narration in the hope of getting him to play the lead role, initial zap & bewilderment [“a movie about zombies?  Are you guys nuts?”] was followed, very soon, by hysterical laughter and a firm commitment to not only act, but produce the film as well!

As expected, G3 is bizarre and has zero reference to context in terms of anything Bollywood has ever done in this unusual, crazy genre.  What for chrissake is a zombie-com??  This could pose as a huge roadblock with fans of the usual B-town staple [toilet humour, action & rom-com] but audiences with open minds and willing to enjoy the whacky & weird are in for a treat!  Three fun-loving guys & their girlfriend rock at a rave party in Goa hosted by a mad-looking Russian and get bombed with booze & drugs.  They wake up to find that they are in zombie-land.  Scared like hell, they run helter-skelter, clueless about the next move and given some kind of protection by the crazy Russian, who himself is scared shit too but doesn’t show it, feigning bravado.  Its pure, unadulterated madness cut loose unleashing wisecracks powered with manic energy on an overdrive.

The performances are uniformly good – Kunal Khemu, Vir Das, Anand Tiwari and the girl Puja Gupta.  Saif as the crazy Russian [with that funny golden hair] is superbly spot-on too.  It’s a very different genre with the concept of zombies coming centre-stage and all the action around them offering a novel experience.  The camera work – lensing Goa & Mauritius – is sumptuous, the music appropriately wacky, but as a narrative – situations & dialogues – can sometimes be a bit tiresome due to its repetitiveness & forced gags.  After all, how long can you keen the zingers going fresh, hilarious & original, na?  Everything considered, however, a great bold leap into a whole new fun-land!  Heavily recommended for al lovers of whacky fun!  Bravo Krishna & Raj … Go, Goa, Gone will go places!

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2013.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri

and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles

IIPM’s Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri – A Man For The Society….
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM makes business education truly global
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman

ExecutiveMBA

The end of poverty

Will World Bank's plans to eradicate poverty by 2030 succeed?

Jim Yong Kim, President of World Bank, has set out on an ambitious goal. He is looking to remake the world in his own image that will surely appear utopian to many. What Kim wants is to have “a sustainable world where all households have access to clean energy. A world where everyone has enough to eat. A world where no one dies from preventable diseases.” That looks like a tall order but the World Bank has a plan of its own. It is to eradicate extreme poverty by 2030. At a time when the world is yet to recover from a full-blown recession and where more than one-fifth of the population still languishes in dire poverty, Kim's chances of fulfilling his dreams may look improbable, if not impossible.

However, this bleak economic picture is not deterring the World Bank from pursuing its lofty goals. Its stated mission “to end extreme poverty within a generation” has not been compromised. The target itself is an update of the Bank's Millennium Development Goals (MDG) set in 2000. It was born out of the Bank's desire to end the misery of 1.3 billion people living on less than $1.25 a day. The MDG goals, according to World Bank, are reasonably supported by the organization’s data, which showed a drop in absolute poverty from 43% in 1990 to 21% in 2010.

However, there are two impediments in the way of accomplishing Kim’s dream. First, the environmental challenge of climate change could act as a big dampener to economic growth and development. The lives of 360 million people would be in jeopardy by the turn of the century if the root causes of climate change and its devastating effect on food grain production are not tackled. Experts predict that catastrophic climate changes would be brought about by noxious emissions and increasing pollution to the environment. Environmental abuse would lead to a rise in the global temperature by as much as 4 degree Celsius – an outcome that must stopped at all costs. Second, the developing and underdeveloped nations will need to catch up with the richer nations through sustainable economic development if they aspire to lift their teeming masses out of poverty.

The problem is that lifting the first impediment can have a negative impact on the second. That is because industries in the developing world are mostly environmentally non-compliant and polluting. So enforcing emission norms would mean shutting down manufacturing units. That is one reason why the geographical pattern of poverty reduction is largely lopsided – only 45 out of 84 developing countries are on track towards meeting the environmental goal. Likewise, the prospects of achieving sustainable economic development appear not too bright considering that it requires adroit planning, inclusiveness and uniform wealth distribution, which are often missing in the developing countries’ economic agendas.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2013.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri

and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles

IIPM’s Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri – A Man For The Society….
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM makes business education truly global
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman

ExecutiveMBA

EPA proposes, industry disposes

Why its environmental proposals have failed to pass muster

The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) deadline of April 13, putting a ceiling on greenhouse gas emissions on new factories, has fallen flat on its face. As a result, it has been forced to extend the deadline. The emission target was set by the EPA a year back to limit the release of CO2 per unit megawatt hour of electricity for new factories to 1,000 pounds. But the target makes life difficult for factories, especially coal plants, which on an average emit about 1,768 pounds of CO2. Given this reality, it's not surprising that the EPA directive has prompted over two million outraged comments, forcing it to extend the deadline and ponder on the validity of the imposed targets.

This is not the first time that the EPA has been constrained to stretch its deadline. Even before, complainants have moved court, putting the brakes on EPA's plans. Most of these legal manoeuvres have been prompted by economic reasons. But to say that the impasse was created only because of stakeholders wanting to protect their financial interests would be stretching things a bit too far.

Of course the EPA move would affect the economy negatively, at least in the short run. But it also goes to show that policy wonks haven’t got their maths worked out prudently. The EPA model for Tier 3 improvements doesn’t factor in, according to the Environ International Corp, any health betterment for the people. On the contrary, as per the American Petroleum Institute, the gasoline price will be hiked by 6-9 cents per gallon. And that’s an indirect cost on top of the $10 billion direct capital outlay. Clearly, the internally made model of EPA is flawed to its roots. It neither provides a solution to human health improvements nor does it help in mending the economic frailties as they exist.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2013.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri

and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles

IIPM Global Exposure
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His madam's voice

Attacks by Trinamool leaders on institutions are prompted by Mamata Bannerjee

Attacks by Trinamool Congress leaders on rivals and institutions in West Bengal has more to do with the diktats issued by Chief Minister and party supremo Mamata Bannerjee than any criticism of Marxist regimentation.

Naturally then, when the ebullient all India general secretary of the party Mukul Roy took head on the State Election Commission (SEC) and launched a vicious personal campaign against the State Election Commissioner Meera Pandey, going to the extent of describing her as the stooge of CPI (M), it became crystal clear that he was merely doing his leader’s bidding.

The Bengal Chief Minister can go to any extent to attack and malign her political adversaries, as was evident during her war of attrition with the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the UPA government. Following in the foot steps of his supreme leader, Roy used choicest invectives against Pandey, a fact which irked even Governor M K Narayanan to make a point: ``All I have to say is that such intolerant utterances about somebody who is carrying out constitutional responsibility is unfortunate.” Attributing motives to SEC’s refusal to hold panchayat elections on a single day as suggested by Mamata and hher team, Roy remarked “ I have a strong feeling that a conspiracy is under way to delay the election in order to keep  the CPI(M) happy. I think there is an understanding with the CPI(M)”. But that was not the worst; he added for good measure that ``she was seen in company of some senior CPI(M) leaders”.

Senior bureaucrats have not taken these jibes and allegations lightly. They are waiting for the right moment to hit back. They say their rulers have developed a habit of attacking and insulting officers to cover up for their own failures. State Election Commissioner Pande is known for sticking to rules. In the past, she has even antagonized senior Left Front ministers but the political leadership always appreciated her sound bureaucratic approach and allowed her to function.

Mamata in fact favoured holding panchayat elections in December this year in a single phase. The time was important for her as she did not want intra-party feuds to dominate electoral proceedings. But the major problem against holding elections then was revision of electoral rolls and completion of delimitation of the wards. It is said that at least 10 lakh new young voters have been enrolled. In addition to the present incumbents, officer bearers of the panchayats would continue to be in office till May 30, 2014. Obviously there was little that the new representatives would have done if the elections were held in December. Later the government suggested a two-phase poll. But in view of the high stakes and sensitivity of the elections, Pande preferred not to take a chance and suggested a three-phase poll.

A closer look will reveal that irrespective of whatever Roy has been saying, the fact is that Mamata has made it an ego issue. She has come to brook no challenges to her decisions. Pande by sticking to her stand, therefore, is guilty of opposing the chief minister. The SEC intends to hold the elections in April, 2014, so that the new members would be ready to take charge after May 30 and it makes sense.

It is worth recalling that the same Mukul Roy addressing Trinmool workers on December 1 last year had said that panchayat elections will be held in April-May and asked all party members to sink their differences and work unitedly. He should be able to answer what significant changes had taken place since then to necessitate a change in his party’s and the state government’s stand.

West Bengal Panchayati Raj Institutions have altered the face of the state. There has been all round development in the quality of life for the rural population. The villages now have an institution which has transformed their standard of living to a higher level than under the present Left Front regime.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2013.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri

and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles

IIPM’s Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri – A Man For The Society….
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM makes business education truly global
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman

ExecutiveMBA

Shrinking hemlines

A slashed defence budget will further hit the Indian Army's modernisation programme. Mayank Singh reports

The Indian Army is calling it blue murder. Why? Due to lack of sufficient government initiative, their most important weapons systems are fast depleting. Operational capabilities are being hit. The military top brass says the time for lip service to defence preparedness is over; the need is to take the arms modernisation programme to another level. The question is, will it happen? 

Insiders say the basic military hardware required for any warfare - artillery guns, air defence guns and missiles, light helicopters, night fighting capabilities and strike capability in high altitude – are fast running out, if they are not already gone. Among a plethora of other reasons, this slack defence preparedness is due to faulty defence budgetary allocation. Although the finance minister hiked the defence budget by 5.3 percent to Rs 2,03,672.1 crore (US$ 37.4 billion), there are wheels within wheels. The 2013-14 defence budget is pegged at Rs 1,93,407.29 crore but faces the twin threats of high inflation and an adverse rupee-dollar exchange rate. Military insiders say it will make even the current level of preparedness difficult to maintain.

Modernisation is a continuous process; no military in the world can boast a permanent state-of-the-art weapons system, From time to time, given the high level of Research and Design (R&D), arms are bound to become obsolete. It calls for a cautiously drawn mixture of state-of-the-art, obsolescence and obsolete weapons and systems.

What is the composition? Explains an Indian Army officer dealing with planning and modernisation issues, "Around 15 to 20 percent is state-of-the-art, about 60 percent falls in the obsolescence list, still in use and not yet obsolete, and around 15 to 20 percent comes under the obsolete category.” But alarm bells are ringing as most of the arms and equipment are approaching their limits. The only thing that can help is money or indigenisation, both of which are not evident anywhere on the horizon.

As early as May 2012, the Ministry of Finance mandated a 10 percent cut in all non-plan expenditure excluding subsidies, interest payments, salaries, etc. It is important to remember that all defence expenditure comes under non-Plan expenditure. This has resulted in a nominal reduction in defence revenue expenditure but the reduction in defence capital expenditure has been substantial, amounting to Rs 10,000 crore which caters for modernisation and procurement.

It appears as if austerity is meant primarily for the Ministry of Defence (MoD). Of particular concern to the army is the further decline of the share of the defence budget in GDP, which is now the lowest since the past five decades since 1961-62, a throw back to the Indo-China border conflict, when it was only 1.66 percent. It is 1.79 percent of the current GDP which was 1.90 in 2012-13. Naturally, the army will have to take the burden of this reduction.

The army with an approximate budget of Rs 99,707.8 crore,  accounts for 49 percent of the defence budget followed by the Indian Air Force (Rs 57,502.9 crore) and Indian Navy (Rs 36,343.5 crore). Although, the navy’s share has decreased the most by 1.4 percentage points, the army’s share has declined by 1.3 percent.

Last year, the army with an approximate budget of Rs 97,302.54 crore accounted for 50 percent of the defence budget which was down by one percent; out of this the modernisation budget of the military had declined by three percent to Rs 13,804.02 crore.

This year, in 2013-14, the air force is the only service which has increased its share in the total defence allocation from 24.9 percent to 28.2 percent. According to MoD officials, the reduction in defence capital expenditure was arbitrarily taken by the Ministry of Finance.

But the problem is not confined only to allocation of funds. Laxman Kumar Behera, Research Fellow at Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), says that in the past few years, the MoD has not been able to utilise a large sum of money, particularly in the capital acquisition segment of the budget which is also the main source of the modernization plans. Between 2002-03 and 2011-12, the underutilised money touched a staggering Rs 35,500 crore mark.

There are still no accurate estimates of how these reductions and under utilisation in defence expenditure will finally impact the defence acquisition and modernisation programme. The reality on indigenous defence production does not make for pretty reading. Ordinance factories are taking years to assimilate even those expensive technologies which India is buying from other countries under various transfer of technology agreements. As far as the budget allocated for R&D is concerned, the less said the better – at the moment it remains pure lip service.

Says Behera, an expert on defence budgeting, "The focus on indigenisation has become a lip service as the budget shows. This is evident from the utilisation and allocation of resources for the ‘Make’ projects under which domestic industry, particularly private sector, is required to design and produce advanced platforms for the armed forces. Of the total allocation of Rs 89.2 crore made in 2012-13, not a single rupee was utilised. Now, the allocation has been slashed to a mere Rs 10 crore in the new budget.”

India's position becomes particularly precarious when contrasted with the defence modernisation programmes of its powerful neighbour. China, the world's largest growing economic and military power, has been modernising at a rapid pace for over a decade, backed by a double-digit annual hike in its defence budget. At $ 115.70 billion, China’s official defence budget for 2013-14 is 10.7 percent more than the previous year and it is over three times India’s planned defence expenditure.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2013.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri

and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles

2012 : DNA National B-School Survey 2012
Ranked 1st in International Exposure (ahead of all the IIMs)
Ranked 6th Overall
Zee Business Best B-School Survey 2012
Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri’s Session at IMA Indore
IIPM IN FINANCIAL TIMES, UK. FEATURE OF THE WEEK
IIPM strong hold on Placement : 10000 Students Placed in last 5 year

BBA Management Education

Alagiri alone

The elder brother has lost decisively to younger brother Stalin. Appanasamy analyzes the agony of Alagiri.

M.K Alagiri, the elder son of DMK patriarch M. Karunanidhi, appears lonely, desolate and shocked. If he had read up a bit of Indian history, he would have still been lonely and desolate, but not shocked. More than 300 years before Christ was born, the younger son of King Bindusara vanquished all his elder brothers and became Emperor Ashoka. More than two hundred years before Bahadur Shah Zaffar was exiled in Burma ending the Mughal dynasty in India, one of his more famous predecessors Aurangzeb had usurped the throne from his elder brother Dara Shikoh. Even in modern dynasties, Alagiri would have found similar examples. In the 1970s, when Indira Gandhi was giving the final touches to the Establishment of the Gandhi dynasty in the country, she chose the younger son Sanjay Gandhi to inherit the mantle and the throne. Mercifully, there was no fratricidal battle here as the elder son Rajiv Gandhi had absolutely no interest in anything except flying planes. It is only the inexplicable cruelty of destiny and history that made Rajiv the ruler of India.

Alagiri seems to have lost decisively to his younger brother M.K Stalin in the race for leading the DMK after Karunanidhi. The final nail in the proverbial coffin seemed to to be hammered on March 30 when Stalin chose Madurai, the so-called stronghold of Alagiri, to celebrate his birthday and his anointment as the successor. Barring a few die hard loyalists, Alagiri helplessly watched enthusiastic DMK cadres desert his camp with gusto and embrace Stalin as the new leader. Well before this very public humiliation and sidelining of Alagiri in Madurai, the patriarch Karunanidhi had made it crystal clear to DMK cadres that Stalin would lead the battle against arch rival J. Jayalalitha, the current Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. Just in case, Alagiri still nurses some illusions, the DMK has served show cause notices to a few loyal supporters of the elder son for anti-party activities. Their crime? They ostensibly boycotted the March 30th birthday celebrations of Stalin in Madurai as a gesture of support for Alagiri. The rest seem to have got the message loud and clear and have fallen in line.

According to reliable sources in Chennai, Alagiri tried the twin tactics of a virtual and veiled revolt and an emotional appeal to his father. Both seem to have failed. When DMK was deliberating the withdrawal of support to the UPA government over the Sri Lankan Tamil issue, Alagiri seemed to be the sole voice of dissent insisting on continuing the frayed alliance. But to Stalin and the patriarch Karunanidhi, the message from grassroots cadres was unmistakable: it was imperative for the DMK to sever all ties with the Congress for its own political survival. Once the decision to withdraw from the UPA was announced, other ministers belonging to the DMK promptly resigned. Alagiri refused and sent in his resignation separately two days later, after holding meetings with Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram. Clearly, that angered his father Karunanidhi even more. Sensing the collapse of his revolt, Alagiri flew down to Chennai and apparently had an emotional meeting with his father. According to sources, Alagiri complained that he was hurt because he was in charge of the southern flank of the party and was not even consulted when the decision to withdraw support to the UPA was taken. Apparently, Karunanidhi bluntly told his son that he never took interest in party affairs and hence  had no right to complain. Karunanidhi seems to have added sarcastically that visiting Chennai and meeting his mother does not constitute party activities.

For seasoned observers of Tamil Nadu politics, the recent speculation over who will inherit the mantle from Karunanidhi seems to be pointless. According to them, the inheritor was decided way back in the Emergency during the 1970s when Stalin led youth DMK cadres against the Indira regime. Stalin was jailed and tortured. Alagiri apparently stayed away from politics at that crucial juncture. Subsequently, Stalin served as a Mayor of Chennai and kept in touch with grassroots party workers at all levels. Even during 2001, when Jayalalitha, after storming back to power had ordered the arrest of Karunanidhi, it was Stalin who faced her wrath rather than Alagiri. According to party insiders, Karunanidhi seems to have noticed how Stalin has always been prepared to go to jail and face troubles as it is considered part and parcel of political life. In contrast, Alagiri prefers to avoid all that. They cite the example of, how Durai, Alagiri's son sent absconding and evaded arrest for more than a 100 days when he was accused of illegal granite mining. DMK sources say Karunanidhi was not happy with it as it created a perception that family members of the DMK had so much earnings that they needed to hide it. The party is very sensitive on this issue after Karunanidhi's daughter Kanimozhi had to spend a long time in Tihar jail in the 2G scam case.

DMK insiders say that Karunanidhi was incensed when he heard reports about his elder son hobnobbing with the likes of P Chidambaram. The DMK still nurses a deep sense of betrayal over the manner in which A Raja and Kanimozhi were treated by the Congress. More important,  DMK leaders know that Congress big shots like Chidambaram are worried because they have virtually no chance of winning Lok Sabha seats without an alliance with either DMK or AIADMK. Given this backdrop, DMK leaders think that Alagiri was allowing himself to be used by the Congress.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2013.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri

and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles

IIPM Global Exposure
IIPM Best B School India
IIPM B-School Detail
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"13% is too ambitious"

B&E: Your guidance is much lower than NASSCOM’s industry guidance. What is your view?
V. Balakrishnan (VB): The NASSCOM growth rate is ambitious. It’s not going to happen. If you look at the IT-BPO model in India, around $70 billion is exports. Around 30-35% of it is captives and captives are not growing. Secondly, two large companies – both Infosys and Wipro – have said that growth will be muted at around 5%. So, I don’t see how the industry will grow at 13%. It’s too ambitious.

B&E: Why is it getting difficult to predict client budgets?
VB: Before the financial crisis in 2008, whenever there was any change in the environment, it took at least 2-3 quarters for it to get reflected in client spending. But after the crisis, which was a wake up call for most corporates across the world, the change is very quick. When they see the environment moving in this manner, they immediately go and cut down all expenses. So the reaction time has come down. Also there is a lot of time taken for signing a contract.

B&E: You predicted the Bear Stearns debacle. Do you see any other major corporate crises coming up?
VB: Now creditworthiness is not a problem, because most of the problem has moved to the government. Now the creditworthiness of governments is being questioned, not the companies. I don’t think you will see any blow ups in the corporates. You will see blow ups in the government! Breaking up of Europe is a reality, the question is when.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2013.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri

and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

 

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles

 

2012 : DNA National B-School Survey 2012
Ranked 1st in International Exposure (ahead of all the IIMs)
Ranked 6th Overall
Zee Business Best B-School Survey 2012
Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri’s Session at IMA Indore
IIPM IN FINANCIAL TIMES, UK. FEATURE OF THE WEEK
IIPM strong hold on Placement : 10000 Students Placed in last 5 year

BBA Management Education

"Stagnancy in reforms is the top concern for most firms"

Director General, CII, discusses the general sentiment within India Inc. And the steps to be taken for revival with K. S. Narayanan of B&E

B&E: What is the general mood of India Inc. especially after the RBI not approving a rate cut? What is your view on RBI’s concerns related to inflation at present?
Chandrajit Banerjee (CB): India Inc. is unhappy with the RBI’s decision not to cut rates. It is not able to understand the RBI’s lack of concern about economic growth. CII believes that inflation is being driven by two factors. The first is the supply-side bottlenecks in the agricultural sector as a result of which food prices are rising especially for perishables. The second factor is the rise in the price of international commodities. Keeping interest rates high will not tackle any of these factors.

B&E: What are India Inc.’s key expectations in terms of reforms that can bring back growth in manufacturing and services?
CB: I would like to highlight two key reforms that would help bring back growth in manufacturing and services. Implementation of GST would rationalize the indirect tax structure and has the potential to raise India’s GDP growth rate by 1-1.5%. The other reform is to allow FDI in multi-brand retail, which will not only bring in investments and create jobs but also deal with the inflation problem.

B&E: Assuming the current scenario continues in terms of policy measures, what is your outlook on growth returning to 7% plus levels?
CB: If the current scenario continues, it will be hard for growth to return to 7% plus. However, we will continue to raise these issues with the government and hope that they will be resolved sooner rather than later.

B&E: Data on cash being retained by companies seems to indicate relatively lower risk appetite. What are the major factors affecting confidence and denting investment prospects?
CB: CII’s 79th Business Outlook Survey conducted earlier this year revealed that stagnancy in reforms is the top concern of most firms, followed by high interest rates and high raw material costs.

B&E: How is the situation back home influencing India Inc’s decisions w.r.t. investing in overseas markets?
CB: Indian companies will invest wherever opportunities arise and the business climate is positive. Indian companies are trying to diversify out of the traditional markets of US and Europe; and seeking destinations such as Middle East, ASEAN, Africa and Latin America. At the same time, developed markets will continue to be attractive, especially at current depressed valuations.

Read more.....

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2013.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri

and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles

 

2012 : DNA National B-School Survey 2012
Ranked 1st in International Exposure (ahead of all the IIMs)
Ranked 6th Overall
Zee Business Best B-School Survey 2012
Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri’s Session at IMA Indore
IIPM IN FINANCIAL TIMES, UK. FEATURE OF THE WEEK
IIPM strong hold on Placement : 10000 Students Placed in last 5 year
IIPM’s Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri – A Man For The Society….
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM makes business education truly global
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman
IIPM B-School Facebook Page
IIPM Global Exposure
IIPM Best B School India
IIPM B-School Detail
IIPM Links
IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face

"India has a world class resource belt"

The Economy is staring at a high degree of uncertainty, but Hindustan Zinc Ltd. (HZL) has posted strong numbers on the back of a strong demand environment in the domestic market as well as internal efficiency enhancements. Akhilesh Joshi, CEO & Whole Time Director, Hindustan Zinc Ltd., discusses the company’s outlook with Virat Bahri of B&E

B&E: On an year on year basis, Hindustan Zinc Ltd. has grown its zinc, lead and silver production by 6%, 56% and 35% respectively in FY 2011-12. How do you find the domestic demand environment currently for these commodities and what is the scope ahead?

Akhilesh Joshi (AJ): Developing countries, including India, will continue to outpace the rest of the world on the back of urbanization, infrastructure development, automotive industry growth and increase in the usage of coated steel. India, being a high growth-high demand market, is among the lowest ranks globally in terms of per capita consumption of zinc and therefore, the demand potential holds a lot of promise. Also, the global outlook for the zinc market is expected to be positive with the demand-supply gap expected to progressively widen on supply shortfall and robust consumption growth. Consequently, zinc prices are projected to be in a secular uptrend.

Growth in lead metal demand, similarly, is expected to be strong; driven by growth in replacement battery demand & the automobile market. India, along with the other BRIC countries, has become a sought after manufacturing hub for major OEMs. For the coming years as well, the lead market is expected to be strong; keeping in line with the growth in demand and the current supply-demand gap from the primary source within the country.

Indian demand for silver, in turn, increased by 12% to around 3,550 tonnes in FY 2012, as compared to the previous year. Indian silver demand is expected to grow further on the back of prospective growth in industrial segments and with silver becoming a preferred investment asset along with gold.

B&E: HZL posted revenue of Rs.114.05 billion (yoy growth of 14%) last year and net profits of Rs.55.26 billion (yoy growth of 13%). What critical challenges did HZL have to face during the fiscal with respect to maintaining bottomline growth?

AJ: Significant increase in input commodity prices has been one of the main challenges. However, we have more than offset the impact of increase in COP and have had a double-digit growth in profitability on the back of strong volume growth, improved silver prices as well as operational efficiencies.

B&E: The Indian economy posted a sub-7% growth in GDP in the previous fiscal, which has disappointed global investors. How does this slowdown in the economy affect your strategic direction? How do you expect to ensure continued growth in this scenario in the current fiscal?

AJ: Our world-class assets, cost effective operations, strong growth pipeline & strong liquidity position provide the backbone to our business and ensure our profitability & sustainability. We had done significant organic investment even during the global economic meltdown in 2008, since we believe that a slowdown in the economy is in fact the correct time for building an asset-base. We therefore continue to make investments in our business and also pursue aggressive greenfield & brownfield exploration. In the current fiscal, our revenue growth will basically be driven by the volume ramp up from our newly added lead-silver capacities.

Read more.....

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2013.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri

and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles

 

2012 : DNA National B-School Survey 2012
Ranked 1st in International Exposure (ahead of all the IIMs)
Ranked 6th Overall
Zee Business Best B-School Survey 2012
Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri’s Session at IMA Indore
IIPM IN FINANCIAL TIMES, UK. FEATURE OF THE WEEK
IIPM strong hold on Placement : 10000 Students Placed in last 5 year
IIPM’s Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri – A Man For The Society….
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM makes business education truly global
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman
IIPM B-School Facebook Page
IIPM Global Exposure
IIPM Best B School India
IIPM B-School Detail
IIPM Links
IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face

The road ahead for Asia

The economies of Asia are maintaining their impressive growth trajectories. Yet the global backdrop in 2012 is one of uncertainty: the eurozone is grappling with its sovereign debt crisis; and more generally, stagnation in the major industrial economies is stunting demand for Asia’s products. For these reasons, experts forecasts that growth in Asia will ease to 6.9% in 2012 (from 7.2% in 2011) before coming back to 7.3% in 2013.

More regional than global
From the collapse of Lehman Brothers in September 2008 through the initial stages of the global recovery in 2010, external factors generally dominated Asia’s growth outlook such that countries and subregions largely moved in sync. In contrast, 2011 has seen general factors give way to country-specific factors driving the outlook. For instance, for South Asia, growth in 2011 fell sharply to 6.4% from 7.8% in 2010. The fall was largely determined by the marked slowdown in India where growth fell to 6.9% from 8.4% in 2010, mainly reflecting its marked monetary tightening in the face of persistent inflation and slumping investment. Going forward, while East Asia’s growth will moderate to 7.4% in 2012, growth in Southeast Asia is seen picking up to 5.2% for 2012 and to 5.7% in 2013.

Inflation to moderate in 2013

Across subregions, higher food and fuel prices drove up inflation in developing Asia to 5.9% in 2011 from 4.4% in 2010. In Central Asia, South Asia, and the Pacific, average inflation rates reached around 9% in 2011 while it was more moderate in East and Southeast Asia, where inflation continued to be contained at around 5%. However, inflation in developing Asia is set to recede as economic activity softens. Assuming relatively steady global oil prices and easing food prices in 2012, regional average inflation is forecast to slow to 4.6%. Besides the external price developments, domestic policies may play a role in, for example, South Asia, where some reduction in heavy fuel and power subsidies are expected, and will set a floor for any reduction in inflation.

Read more.....

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2013.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri

and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

 

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles

 

2012 : DNA National B-School Survey 2012
Ranked 1st in International Exposure (ahead of all the IIMs)
Ranked 6th Overall
Zee Business Best B-School Survey 2012
Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri’s Session at IMA Indore
IIPM IN FINANCIAL TIMES, UK. FEATURE OF THE WEEK
IIPM strong hold on Placement : 10000 Students Placed in last 5 year
IIPM’s Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri – A Man For The Society….
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM makes business education truly global
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman
IIPM B-School Facebook Page
IIPM Global Exposure
IIPM Best B School India
IIPM B-School Detail
IIPM Links
IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face

Dubai: back from The Brink

The City that once Conjured visions of Grandeur and Globalisation is trying its best to shake off The Misfortunes inherited from its recent debt crush and property bust. Syed Khurram gives a ground-zero walkthrough report

First impressions usually leave a deep imprint behind. The first glimpse of a city — its buildings, traffic, shops, roads and numerous others things that are part of the urban ecosystem — can convey a lot about its mood and character. So the sight of a stately limousine immediately upon entering Terminal 3 of Dubai Airport only reconfirmed my notions about the city and its multi-splendoured riches. In all these years of living in India, I have never come across a limousine at any of the airports I have passed through.

Driving on Dubai’s smooth roads feels like cruising on a pleasure yacht. The difference is that instead of navigating the vast expanse of sea, you speed past ribbons of smooth asphalt and imposing skycrapers that can make your neck go stiff and your jaw drop. While driving down to the hotel, I couldn’t resist asking the driver: “How are things here?” The driver, a stoutly-built Peshawri Pathan replied in a matter-of-fact way: “Sab theek hai, pahle se ab achcha hai.” Was he hinting at something? Could it be that he was referring to the Arab uprising in the neighbouring Gulf countries, the political hot potato that many Muslim sheikdoms in the region are currently wrestling with? Or was it just a general observation about Dubai’s economy that had lately run up against a great debt wall but is now limping back to recovery?

A short while later, I was back on Dubai’s streets, intent on savouring its urban charms and feast my eyes on its many ravishing landmarks. If ever a traveller is searching for an immersing shopping experience, Dubai is the place to be in. Beyond doubt, Dubai’s array of exotic shopping malls and super-rich wonder stores are a hog-heaven of consumerism. And though one comes across people from all nationalities looking out for the best they can buy, Indians in particular are a common sight. Some places, like the Meena Bazar in Bur Dubai, feel straight out of India and you could be forgiven for thinking that you are taking a stroll in an Indian market.

As you amble along the streets taking in the sights and sounds of the city and its breathtaking cityscape, you cannot but marvel at the ingenuity of the builders for giving shape to magnificent dreams cast in marble and stone. The sheer scale and grandiosity of the edifices around makes you wonder about the kinds of resources and skills that went into their creation. At times such in-your-face opulence leaves you wondering about whatever happened to Dubai’s property bubble bust, and if the talks about the emirate’s once bustling economy now being laid low are just overblown apprehensions.

Dubai’s high rises and exquisite malls are still the cynosure of tourists’ eyes but they probably don’t reflect truly the economic sores that were inflicted in the wake of the property crash. About two years ago, after years of breakneck real estate expansion for which it relied on international borrowing, Dubai found itself on the edge of a precipice as debts swelled to well over 100% of GDP. The $110 billion debt burden and the real estate crash have since exacted a heavy price in terms of stalled economic growth and investors’ flight. And although Dubai has been able to avert a debt disaster, it has not yet fully recovered from the crisis and continues to pay the wages of its past profligacy and reckless property expansion. “The situation has improved slightly and things are not like it was in mid-2008 or 2009. But still there is no economic stability in the real estate and hotel industry” says V.B. Shetty, Group General Manager, Ramee Group of Hotels & Resorts.

Read more.....

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri

and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

 

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles

 

2012 : DNA National B-School Survey 2012
Ranked 1st in International Exposure (ahead of all the IIMs)
Ranked 6th Overall
Zee Business Best B-School Survey 2012
Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri’s Session at IMA Indore
IIPM IN FINANCIAL TIMES, UK. FEATURE OF THE WEEK
IIPM strong hold on Placement : 10000 Students Placed in last 5 year
IIPM’s Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri – A Man For The Society….
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM makes business education truly global
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman
IIPM B-School Facebook Page
IIPM Global Exposure
IIPM Best B School India
IIPM B-School Detail
IIPM Links
IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face
IIPM – FLP (Flexi Learning Program)

A SHAKY RECOVERY

The imprints of the financial meltdown are receding slowly & steadily from global economies and there is a visible recovery in capital and financial markets. However, the recovery is still uneven across geographies and asset classes. Also, With increasing concerns over sovereign debt in the Euro Area & S&P’s downgrade of US treasury bonds, the world economies could slip again .

Emerging again...
The unforgettable financial crisis of 2008 had put global financial markets in a tizzy. Now, that same growth seems to be coming back on track. As the trends clearly indicate, the growth of the world’s financial stock comprising of equity market capitalisation and outstanding bonds & loans has increased from $175 trillion in 2008 to $212 trillion in 2010. As a matter of fact, the resumption of growth trends is particularly because of the new equity issuances mainly coming from the emerging market companies in 2010, which totalled around $387 billion. Moreover, the increase in the IPO deal volume occurring in emerging markets and an 11.8% ($6 trillion) increase in the market capitalisation figures will also add to the future growth.

...But depth yet to arrive

Developed countries have much deeper financial markets than those found in emerging economies. Financial depth in the US, Japan, Western Europe & other developed countries is near or above 400% of GDP compared to around 280% in China, 209% in India & less than 200% in the other emerging markets. Moreover, every country has different components of financial depth. For instance, Japan’s financial depth is due to the size of its huge corporate bond market, while stock market capitalisation, corporate bonds, financial institution bonds & securitisation is the highest in US et al. While there is potential for growth in each and every individual asset class, the final share varies from country to country.

Read more.....

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri

and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles

2012 : DNA National B-School Survey 2012
Ranked 1st in International Exposure (ahead of all the IIMs)
Ranked 6th Overall
Zee Business Best B-School Survey 2012
Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri’s Session at IMA Indore
IIPM IN FINANCIAL TIMES, UK. FEATURE OF THE WEEK
IIPM strong hold on Placement : 10000 Students Placed in last 5 year
IIPM’s Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri – A Man For The Society….
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM makes business education truly global
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman
IIPM B-School Facebook Page
IIPM Global Exposure
IIPM Best B School India
IIPM B-School Detail
IIPM Links
IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face
IIPM – FLP (Flexi Learning Program)

Stop Missing The Woods Already!

The Indian Automotive Market has seen a very Internecine Battle for Small Cars, but Unfortunately, Precious little has been done to Encourage Green Technologies in Cars. B&E wonders when The Hybrid Revolution will actually take off.

“Save the environment. We owe it to our future generations.” Even amidst all the greenwashing that the world gets exposed to nowadays, a statement like this would never fail to grab your attention. But the first world often alleges that in developing economies like India and China, environment often gets substituted by economy. And if they trace the first world path to economic growth, the earth is really headed to its doom.

A recent study by Yale suggested that India’s CO2 emissions grew by almost 8.7% to reach 1.6 billion tons, thereby making India the world’s third largest emitter of CO2 after China and US. While economic development can hardly be compromised, can’t India develop more responsibly than the West did and manage the two seemingly contrarian objectives. While leapfrogging is a buzzword for us in so many different ways, shouldn’t it also figure in our entire approach towards the environment?

The Indian automotive industry is a case in (counter) point, which produced 1.62 million vehicles in April 2011; a growth of around 23% yoy. The small car battle has led to massive competition but unfortunately, in a country where economy (again!) makes more sense than environment, the evolution of green cars hasn’t really taken off. The diversification, albeit visible, is much more towards CNG and LPG powered vehicles. Renewable sources are still being dreamt of as future technologies. More current is a blame game from all corners and a deplorable lack of accountability.

That is why the ‘Bijlees’ are few and far between. We’re neither talking about India’s entertainment baron, nor are we referring to ‘electricity’ per se. Actually, ‘Bijlee’ was an electrically powered three wheeler developed by Mahindra Mahindra (M&M) in strategic collaboration with Jayem Automobiles in 2003. Despite India’s unique position from where it can consolidate itself as a leading promoter of green technology in an era of global power shifts, all that the project could convincingly generate was a subsidy of Rs.8 lakh on electric component excise duty. Unfortunately, the taxes remain intact with high cost of lithum ion batteries and imported technology, which kept it away from the consumer. The green story saw another initiative when Chetan Kumar Maini, the man behind Reva, India’s only electric car to date, came into the limelight in 2007. But electric cars haven’t been fortunate enough to be mass sellers in India.

Read more....

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri
and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist). For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles

2012 : DNA National B-School Survey 2012
Ranked 1st in International Exposure (ahead of all the IIMs)
Ranked 6th Overall
Zee Business Best B-School Survey 2012
Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri’s Session at IMA Indore
IIPM IN FINANCIAL TIMES, UK. FEATURE OF THE WEEK
IIPM strong hold on Placement : 10000 Students Placed in last 5 year
IIPM’s Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri – A Man For The Society….
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM makes business education truly global
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman
IIPM B-School Facebook Page
IIPM Global Exposure
IIPM Best B School India
IIPM B-School Detail
IIPM Links
IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face
IIPM – FLP (Flexi Learning Program)