Yamaha YZF-R1

Technical Specifications
Engine type- Liquid cooled 4-stroke DOHC
Maximum Horse power: 133.9kw (182.1PS)/12500r/min
Maximum torque: 115.5N. m(11.8kgf.m)/10000r/min
Overall length: 2070mm

The beast: This is a killer machine that will leave you raving and ranting for super bikes thrill. This beast comes with the crossplane crankshaft design. The D-MODE (or drive mode) with rider-selectable throttle control navigates to program YCC-T performance features. The press-formed fuel tank offers a 3-D simulation technology giving the user an unmatchable experience... at least that’s what’s promised!

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
IIPM Related Links

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)
Social Networking Sites have become advertising shops

Sensex to shine in 2010?

How will the year unfold for Dalal Street? Will Sensex regain its lost glory? These are some questions that continue doing rounds in our minds even when the Sensex welcomes the year 2010 on a positive note. Experts do claim that the markets are poised to rise this year.

Dinesh Thakkar, CMD, Angel Broking believes that in 2010, the markets would build on the gains put up in 2009. As per him, the acceleration in the economic activity would hasten the earnings growth for India Inc, supporting the up move. Further, the strong liquidity inflows are unlikely to die down on back of the strong fundamentals and quality of earnings produced by India Inc., supported by reasonable valuations. In fact, as per Thakkar, banking and infrastructure are the sectors that will be out-performers in 2010, on the back of a pick in economic activity and high spend on infrastructure. Others too expect the market to make a new high in 2010 on lower volatility. N. Jayakumar, CEO, Prime Securities, is bullish on the midcap space and advises a bottoms-up approach. Moreover, contrary to what people believe, the year will be low on volatility the principle reason being that a lot of companies are planning to raise money in 2010. Prithvi Haldea, CMD of PRIME Database, believes that there is lot more to come in 2010. It’s quite clear that since October 2008 (when Sensex fell to around 8,000 levels) to January 2010 (Sensex is currently around 17,000 levels), the Sensex has regained ground considerably. But irrespective of that, what is necessary for retail investors to understand is that in a growing economy like India, savings options with much lesser risk rates provide considerably significant returns. And given how infidel stock markets are, it might be better to invest in an LIC policy than on stocks!

Manish K. Pandey

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

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

With hope, all the way

December 7, 2009 will witness world leaders from 192 countries gather at Copenhagen to attend the most coveted conference – the United Nations Climate Change Conference. The conference will supposedly decide the future of our planet, which may go into oblivion if a definite framework on limiting carbon emissions before the expiry of Kyoto protocol is not formulated. UN, in its endeavour to connect with the general public, has devised a cause-related campaign with the leading ad agencies of the world (including O&M, McCann Worldgroup, Euro RSCG, MPG, Draft FCB, Tribal DDB, Colle+McVoy, Saatchi & Saatchi, Digitas, Interbrand) by the name of Hopenhagen, which signifies a more hopeful way of living in the future without any adverse effects of global warming. Seems that the mantra of hope propagated by US Prez Barack Obama will find solace in all the major ‘changes’ taking place in the world.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

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

Pioneer Exposes the fraud called Mahesh Sharma and Mahesh Peri of Career 360 and Barbel Schwertfeger of mba-channel.com
IIPM: An intriguing story of growth and envy
Prof Arindam Chaudhuri of IIPM on MF HUSAIN‎
IIPM Related Links

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

ITC placed a huge order of 4.5 crore

Experts claim that the Indian Premier League is all set to become the next big licensing property in the country, though it is still in nascent stages. “It is just the beginning and we believe licensing will prove to be a major source of revenue for teams participating in the tournament in years to come,” explained a spokesperson for Delhi Daredevils. But reaching that platform will not be a cake-walk by any means as Marya of License India complains, “They have no clarity on what they want to do with their brands till now. But we will be happy to pitch in if they invite us,” he adds, making a public sales pitch for IPL licensing.

In fact, for marketers in India, licensing opportunities are coming in droves from a cross-section of categories and even people. India’s national religions, Bollywood and Cricket are two potential platforms that are just waiting to be tapped. Brand analysts in fact, go so far as to say that even sundry politicians in India – at least the ones with a pan Indian image – also present a great opportunity for the future of brand licensing in the country. “If Obama can do it, why can’t our politicians,” they say. Barack Obama’s ‘Change We Need’ campaign and merchandise sold like hot cakes in United States during and after the 2008 Presidential Elections. And by the way, who says Bihar is backward? Here’s some news to feed on. The state may be falling off the map so far as human development indicators are concerned, but so far as licensing of hot political brands is concerned, this one leads from the front. Already Lalu Prasad Yadav and Nitish Kumar are saleable properties in Bihar, and fire-crackers, dolls and even fodder branded in their names sells like hot potatoes here.

Speaking about Lalu, Marya has a line to add, “Brand Lalu has a lot of unlocked value attached and even today, if copyrighted and utilised well, it will sell like anything.” He however warns that in the case of political brands, there are hardly any which sell beyond a time frame of 5-10 years, of course, the Gandhi brand being the big exception here.

Commercial, character or political, fact is, brand licensing has arrived in India to stay. Nicholas Bloom, AVP – Brand Management, Beanstalk Group remarks, “For licensees, acquiring rights for a particular brand empowers them to intensify their market share in the category and often results in gaining incremental shelf space at retail.” What companies here should note is that having a prominent brand licence can open-up new channels or regions for a licensee’s product(s), that were previously unavailable and can also help a licensee acquire additional licenses or even raise capital.

Surely threats of brand-overstretch or misuse do exist, but does that matter when examples of brands (Electrolux and Anchor) that made more money from licensing activities than from sales of their core products, abound? Sometimes, the brand becomes the father of the basic product; and as far as making money goes, it outruns and outlives even the core product. Go ahead people, indulge in the power and prowess of your super brand!

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

ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL

Rural and under-served community hold the key to success in India, but to get hold of it, one has to be as customised as Max Vijay and Operation Attack

Since liberalisation, customisation of products and services has caught the fancy of the marketers like never before. This has not only helped the companies to add some good meat to their toplines and bottomlines, but has also proved quite handy to them when it comes to tap the under-served markets.

In fact, two such novel concepts that recently joined the bandwagon are Max Vijay (by Max New York Life Insurance) and Operation Attack (by Castrol India Ltd). While Max Vijay empowers the lower strata of the society by giving them a 5 in 1 advantage (flexibility, convenience, simplicity, life cover and savings), Operation Attack, from Castrol’s arsenal aims at providing farmers with the first hand technical knowledge on how by using CRB Plus engine oil they can protect their tractor’s engine even at 300 degree centigrade temperature. Though, these two concepts operate in different domains, but at the end of the day they certainly serve a single purpose – benefit the rural mass.

Both initiatives aim at bringing about a revolution in the industry by benefiting a large chunk of the population, so far untapped and under-served. Sharing his view on the success of Operation Attack, Rajeev Govil, Marketing Manager – Agri & Old Gen avers, “The high visibility activation campaign conceptualised and implemented by the agency in the key rural markets across the country innovatively communicated the brand proposition – ‘protects engine even at 300 degrees C’ – to create the desired impact. The overall campaign more than met the program objectives and resulted in creation of buzz and mass conversions.”

If Operation Attack is for better longevity of the engine, then Max Vijay with its unique concept of ‘Bima Gullak’ wishes for the long life of a poor villager. The company claims that this new product is entirely different from any other existing financial products, from start to finish. For the uninitiated, the policy can be started with a premium amount as low as Rs.1,000 and subsequently top up payments can be made at Rs.10–2,500 per day. Commenting on the impact of Bima Gullak, Anil Mehta, Senior Director, Max Vijay says, “Currently we have sold 80,000 Max Vijay policies, thus touching the lives of over 3.5 million Indians.” In fact, through Bima Gullak the company is now planning to touch the lives of over three million households over the next three years.

But then, just launch of a product/service or presence of a vast target group is not what solves the problem. Taking it to the masses is also equally important. And in both these cases the respective companies have left no stones unturned in achieving the same. While Operation Attack reached out to 17 states using Bus Talkies and live technical demonstration, Max Vijay on its part has now made itself available in 23 states. Moreover, considering that insurance is a complex product, the insurer has roped in corporate agents, NGOs, Financial Institutions, et al, to reach out to the underserved segment.

But, be it Max Vijay or Operation Attack, the underlying fact remains the same – customisation is the key if you want to unlock the wealth that lies at the bottom of pyramid.

Gyanendra K. Kashyap

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 ISBE Programmes
Follow Arindam Chaudhuri on Twitter
IIPM B School on Twitter
Exclusive In chat with Society Magazine - Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri

Yahoo’s latest “It’s Y!ou” rebranding campaign

IIPM: An intriguing story of growth and envy

However, the question is: is this another ploy by Yahoo! to grab new users too, who for long have served the consumer ranks of its competitors? “Yes, it’s both about retention of old ones and getting new users onto the Yahoo! vehicle. In short, it’s ‘Grow and explore’,” shoots back Mathur. Obviously, this is yet another attempt from Yahoo to make its brand indispensable to Indians (and users globally). But has such rebranding strategy worked in the past? And will Yahoo succeed? As far as Harish Bijoor, noted brand analyst is concerned, he doesn’t seem to agree completely with Mathur as he opines, “When it comes to the softer side of online technology like browsers or search engines, brands find it tougher when it comes to returns from just re-branding, as users are very loyal to the particular browser or search engine. So if Yahoo! is actually looking at acquiring new consumers, at the cost of its competitors, it will prove a very difficult proposition.” And what about payoffs? Bijoor opines, “I don’t believe the payoff will be as solid as the company expects it to be, because it is only a little change of identity and product offering that we are looking at in this case. And again, the great loyalty factor will play against the expectations of Yahoo!” On the other hand, Mathur justifies the investments as, “We are looking at personalising and customising the brand Yahoo! And our payoffs will definitely touch our expectations...”

$100 million is indeed a great deal, for Yahoo, being a company that has its roots in technology, could have invested a great part of this amount in something more concrete, like offering a newly innovated service. To this Bijoor adds, “Yahoo could have gone single-handedly through the route of harvesting young people who are just new to the market. The problem is that Yahoo is preaching to the converted, which is really futile! They could do something for new users, maybe something like a Kids Google, that could cater to age group eight years and above.” A slightly different-minded Kapoor however feels that, “This campaign repaints Yahoo! as more vibrant and fresh, as a young and trendy service, and it should do a world of good to Yahoo!” Providing a different solution to the proposed payoff matrix, Diptarup Chakraborty, Principal Analyst, Gartner, hints at a potential sell-off of the brand, “The brand has lost a lot of value and weight in the recent past, and this campaign only appears to be increasing the brand value of Yahoo! to make it more appealing and attractive to potential bidders.”

And how will competitors react? “I do not believe that the competitors need to even react as this outlay is clearly a cost for Yahoo which will eat into its bottom line,” explains Bijoor. While Chakraborty doubles up on the same, a rather assertive Ptak states, “They will be very glad that Yahoo! has spent $100 million to so little effect. It should motivate them to invest much more heavily in technology to create new offerings and services for their customers.” Yes, $100 million is a big sum anyday, but at the moment, it appears to be the best bet for Yahoo! Mathur and his Yahoo! India team is hopeful, and who knows, Yahoo!, Yellow and its yearning, might just click!

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.

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

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

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

Retail in the time of slowdown

IIPM: An intriguing story of growth and envy

Pragya Singh,
Senior Consultant, Technopak Advisors Pvt. Ltd.

However, since organised retail penetration is higher in the big cities, most of the organised retailers did see an impact on their sales. In fact, the slowdown has been a reality check for retailers to take stock of their operations and strategy, especially after most companies scaled up number of outlets at a fast pace, in unviable locations, at exorbitant rentals, charting out ambitious expansion plans and relying on debt in the last few years. Slowdown or no slowdown, the reality would have struck sooner or later. So, it can also be argued that this was in a way not completely undesirable.

The retailers have therefore focussed on putting their house in order through repositioning, renegotiation, restructuring, reconfiguration, and replanning towards robust & efficient business models to develop a stronger proposition and profitability. While some of these strategies would benefit in the long term, others like price-cuts, making organisations too lean etc. can be a double-edged sword and may hit back in the long term.

Some strategies adopted include more empowerment to sales staff by a leading sportswear retailer and increased incentives for added sales by a major electronics retailer. Another leading hypermarket/ department store retailer is resorting to relocation or shut down of stores, which are economically not viable or where rentals are more than market rates, while several leading retailers are trying to lure consumers through extended sale seasons /value merchandise/ freebies and innovative marketing schemes targeted at ‘consumer savings.’ A leading international apparel retailer is looking at repositioning its store by adding space and making the items more affordable.

Other strategies adopted by retailers include:

l Consolidating the operations of various formats to reduce overheads and achieve economies of scale;
l Restructuring of supply chain by reducing inventory and logistics costs to reduce working capital requirements;
l Renegotiation of rentals which have already seen a significant drop across cities;
l Rationalising the HR overheads;
l Resizing of outlets to make them more profitable;
l Focusing on core formats for long term growth;
l Increasing margins by pushing their private labels;
l Negotiating better credit terms and price from vendors;
l Being more selective in expansion unlike before

Organised retail in India is only 15 years old and going through a very steep learning curve. In the first phase, retailers were busy setting up the front-end business and now it has entered a new phase where they are taking a hard look at their business fundamentals, operations and strategies. With the economy now getting back on track, perhaps the best phase in Indian retail sector will come in the next five years, when the sector would see major expansions by the national and international players and at the same time consolidation and operational efficiencies would start reaping benefits.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.

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

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

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

Monojit Lahiri examines the reason for the demise of Onida’s Devil, the latest in a list of disappearing mascots

Exclusive In chat with Society Magazine - Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri

First things first. Why are mascots created? Be it the Energiser Bunny, the MGM Lion, the McDonald’s clown Ronald, the Merrill Lynch Bull, the Eveready Cat, Smokey the Bear, the Jolly Green Giant … don’t they still reverberate endearingly in public memory, projecting their own brand of charm? Smart, evolved and insightful marketers unleashed these characters with a clear focused agenda – create something memorable in tune with the architecture and value of the brand and project it in a warm, human way that will connect simply and easily with the prospective customer. Make the inanimate come alive in an entertaining and public-friendly way so that, soon, it acquires a life of its own. Leverage it creatively to fuel brand recall.

In recent times, however, this thinking has gone in for a re-think! Be it the adorable Murphy-baby, HMV dog, Asian Paints Gattu, they’ve all exited. Even the iconic Maharajah was handed his walking slick and hat (crown?) before the Air India biggies realised their blunder and brought him back. Thank God, the Amul mascot still cavorts around … As this goes into print, Onida’s ‘Devil’ has been put to sleep – the symbol that epitomised the brand and show-pieced several memorable ad campaigns. What’s behind these dramatic shifts? A hysterical anxiety to be perceived as modern, contemporary, tuned-in and global in today’s competitive and cluttered market? A pitch for relevance and the here n’ now, soft focusing mushy sentimentality and obsolescence? Global companies don’t seem to be in such a tearing hurry to bid their mascots goodbye … why us?

Sid Ray, Executive Director of Response (Kolkatta) fires the first salvo. While he completely goes along the way the KFC and McDonald’s mascots have been successfully retained (even when the look and feel of their focus has been Indianised) he reckons that the Devil is a different kettle of fish. “It is possible that the marketing team felt that with capital investment involved in an age of heavy-duty competition, techno-onslaught and product features playing a key role, the Devil and the slogan have been rendered obsolete. They don’t fit into the scheme of things”. Dipankar Mukherjee, VP – Marketing, Ideas (East) agrees. “Competition, technology but most importantly cost structures have, I guess, forced them to re-look and re-invent their focus. Mascots anyway are cute and stuff but at crunch-time, they are unlikely to influence the purchase intent. Other more compelling, market and consumer-driven aspects come into play”. However, both agree that often, new teams, have a tendency to sling out everything that the old team had brought to the table – just to signal their entry and prove a point!

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

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)
B-schools expect higher rate of campus placements this year

60 MINUTES WITH PAWAN MUNJAL

It took us months of constant badgering to catch up with Pawan Munjal. After all, his schedule is packed for weeks ahead with power lunches, conferences and dealer meets. In between he also sewed up multi-million deals for HH’s sponsorship of Champions Trophy and the 2010 Hockey World Cup. Phew! Quick, over to him...

ON TOPLINES & MARKET SHARE

4Ps B&M: Your topline success is because you got it right or Bajaj got it wrong?
PM: I won’t comment on competition but as far as HH is concerned, we got our strategy mostly right. We decided what we wanted to achieve and went about it systematically.

4Ps B&M: What about January when sales were flat? Did you fear that your topline strategy may backfire?
PM: Long before the economy saw the fiscal meltdown or the slowdown hit, the Indian two-wheeler industry was already facing a crisis because of retail finance. But even in a declining industry we were able to maintain growth. We were doing better than the industry. Yes, stagnant sales earlier this year were a cause of concern. (Pauses) Particularly because we were also spending a lot of money, investing in our new plant at Haridwar, building capacity etc. Obviously, as a company, we knew that this was a challenge. But we could see that we were doing better than the rest of the industry. So we said, let’s use this adversity as an opportunity, build on it and go all out on advertising and brand building.

4Ps B&M: So you plan to cross the 4 million mark by the end of this fiscal?
PM: (shrugs) I don’t know where the 4 million figure has come from. But despite all the gloom around the economy, we are sure to exceed that.

4Ps B&M: And will market share go beyond the 60% plus as on date?
PM: The target is the numbers and market share will follow.

THE NEW POSITIONING

4Ps B&M: HH is known as a 100cc bike company. Are you now aiming for a premium position?
PM: (shakes his head) I think what you are talking about is how outsiders perceive us. Inside Hero Honda, we’ve known for a long time that we don’t want to be a leader in just one segment. We want to be a leader in the complete sense of the word, not just in sales, market share and bottomlines. We want to be seen as a prized company to work for. In terms of HR we should have the best practices; in terms of fiscal prudence, we should have the best practices. Coming back to the premium segment, but people forget that we were the first to enter the segment with CBZ.

4Ps B&M: Yes, but that was in the 1990s. Somewhere, Bajaj won that race?
PM: (nods sadly) you are right. In that premium segment we did not manage leadership. But last couple of years we decided that we have to have leadership across segments. We should not be seen as a company for the rural masses only, selling fuel economy products. So we refreshed our portfolio in the segment and have been growing at almost 40% in the segment. We want to be a company that the youth would like to be associated with. And that is why we have been consciously associating with youth centric programs like MTV Roadies, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa and others. Sports is also youth and we’re involved in cricket, golf and now even hockey.

4Ps B&M: And have you been successful in changing that perception?
PM: We’re not there yet. But the perception is slowly changing. We’re moving in the right direction. And it’ll happen soon!

4Ps B&M: So is there a plan to move into the 300-350cc bike segment?
PM: I personally think that the cc of an engine does not matter so much, unless you’re talking 1000 or 1500cc. For the rest, what matters is the image, the aura and the youthfulness of the company. And the last few years, we’ve invested heavily in advertising, marketing and branding. Big budget ads, any worthwhile show on TV, and all big sporting events, you would have seen Hero Honda everywhere. The idea has been to leverage the buzz created.

4Ps B&M: That’s why the shift from Desh Ki Dhadkan to Dhak Dhak Go?
PM: Yes! We launched Dhak Dhak Go in 2008 that is when we really sharpened our focus on the premium segment. Dhak Dhak Go was an evolution from Desh ki Dhadkan to make our brand more youthful and energetic.

4Ps B&M: Now you’ve brought back ‘fill it-shut it-forget it’. Is that not back to fuel efficiency positioning?
PM: Over the years we were doing so much else that the Fill it-Shut it-Forget it thought was forgotten. But fuel efficiency is still the most important buying criteria for consumers in India. Competition is forever touting mileage. The idea to get back the popular slogan was not to talk about numbers and tom tom that we give 90 or 80 kilometers. We wanted to remind consumers that we were the ones that started it all and tell them to start reliving their past.

ON PERSONAL STRENGTHS

4Ps: What makes Pawan Munjal tick?
PM: Relationships. One of the biggest pillars of HH is relationships across stakeholders – people within the organisation, the whole value chain, dealers – it’s actually a strong well-knit team. Take the Haridwar plant. Going from 0 to 4000 units per day, without the backing of suppliers, and with an entirely new team was not easy. But it happened because of relationships and a professional work environment.

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

Outlook Magazine's B School Ranking Scam Exposed
Don't trust the Indian Media!

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Management guru Arindam Chaudhuri’s latest blockbuster book, Discover The Diamond In You
IIPM, GURGAON
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IIPM 2-year full time Programme (leading to the award of the MBA degree from IMI)
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S. Maheshwari, CEO, RNCOS, E-Services

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

“Riding the crest of India’s IT success, Infosys has always set high standards for excellence. It has played a key role in implementing best practices and setting standards in corporate governance and HR management in India. As a key player in the knowledge industry, Infosys has recognized the value of its human assets in maintaining and increasing its strategic competitiveness. The Company has earned India stupendous reputation of a high quality software development destination which has traditionally been known for its low-cost, low-level software solution provider. So, it is justified to call it the “trailblazer” of Indian IT industry. major developments in the Indian IT sector, in recent years, could not have been possible without brand Infosys”

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 Money editor quits, citing interference
Don't trust the Indian Media!

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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
IIPM B School : King Khan, Bollywood Badshah and Quiz Wiz — that’s Shah Rukh Khan for you

Tata Tea Ltd.

IIPM conceptualized the grand final of Dare ‘10 — the most prestigious of international B-school student quizzes

Entry Price: Rs.775
Target Price: Rs.1,325
EPS: 97.85
P/E: 8.65
Time Duration: One year plus
Rationale: Tata Tea has seen strong improvement in the market share for its ‘Premium’ and ‘Agni’ brands in the domestic market. The tea prices have remained firm in last couple of months and it is expected to remain firm considering stable production and increasing demand. It is also looking at expanding in the overseas market.

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
IIPM B School on Twitter
Management guru Arindam Chaudhuri’s latest blockbuster book, Discover The Diamond In You
IIPM fights meltdown, places 2300 students By Education Mail Bureau
Detail of all IIPM branches
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM 3-year full-time Integrated (MBA BBA) Programme
IIPM 2-year full time Programme (leading to the award of the MBA degree from IMI)
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

Who said it’s getting murky at Merc?!

4Ps B&M: Do you believe that the increasing competition will pose a threat to your leadership position and especially are the aggressive launches by BMW a point of worry for you?
WA: For us, the important thing is to have a set of satisfied customers as it will be the only factor, which will drive sales & profitability going forward. If you look at India overall, we believe that we have a very good product portfolio and network density. We are currently investing Rs.150 crores in the network itself, both to increase its reach and to ensure that the Mercedes Benz retail experience is the best in the country.

4Ps B&M: When you talk about increasing the reach, are you referring to opening more dealerships in the Tier-II and Tier-III cities?
WA: The expansion will definitely happen in the Tier-II and Tier-III cities basically driven by two things, one is the overall situation of the city i.e. how many people are making what kind of money and how many cars are already on the road. These are some parameters that will determine where we will set up the shop next. The way we set up is in a very structured manner i.e. we will set up the service centre first, moving to sales and then slowly upgrading the sales & service experience to ensure that we give the best retail experience. If you look at the metros, we have new investments coming up there too. We are opening a new showroom in South Bombay, Gurgaon. In fact, by the first half of 2010 we will have 20+ new facilities across the country.

4Ps B&M: You also mentioned about upgrading your retail experience, what is that all about?
WA: This is an investment to upgrade our facilities for e.g. we are moving from a smaller facility to a relatively larger facility so that the consumer can savour more of the Mercedes brand.

4Ps B&M: Is it something like a boutique showroom, which BMW did recently?
WA: BMW is relatively new to the country and so are their investments. We are making all the possible efforts to ensure that Mercedes is not left behind. But I don’t think we will do a boutique showroom rather we will focus on opening significant showrooms, which will give an opportunity to the consumer to experience what Mercedes brand is all about and also experience our product portfolio.

4Ps B&M: But the per cent growth that BMW filed was almost double that of Mercedes in the last fiscal. Do you believe that it will pose a threat to your leadership position?
WA: That’s particularly because of the lower base that they have. If you look at the growth of Audi, it is currently three times to that of BMW.

4Ps B&M: Agreed but BMW again has a target of 3,000 units this year and if Mercedes does almost the same the company did in the first half (1500 units) don’t you think it will be a threat to your leadership position?
WA: For us the important thing is to have the right product and the right processes in the right year in front of the Indian consumer, which will drive both the sales and profitability going forward. We have a good position in the C & the S-class segment and we will roll out the E-class soon, which globally outsells competition.

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.
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 By Swati Sharma
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Detail of all IIPM branches
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IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM, GURGAON

The BIG Man’s Holy Grail...

Behl is banking on BIG TV’s present Pay per View (PPV) bouquet to deliver. The DTH player has recently spiced up its PPV offerings with live shows, exclusive concerts, et al, while other players have stayed with mere movie content in the segment. BIG TV, in fact, was the first player in the industry to come up with a monthly subscription plan for movies in their PPV bouquet, enabling customers to view them anytime during that month as opposed to charging separately for each featured movie being offered in that month. “The response for our PPV services has been very encouraging,” agrees Behl, confident about the imminent success of their strategy. After all, as per estimates, India’s PPV segment is estimated to grow at 16% annually to log revenues of $11.3 billion by 2012. Behl is hoping for the segment to emerge as a key driver of the DTH business not only in India, but the whole of Asia. His hopes are not misplaced. Independent market research has shown that India will remain a leading PPV market in Asia with superior growth prospects in the near future.

“Over the next few years, Reliance BIG TV expects PPV to contribute nearly 10% of its revenues,” says Behl. No wonder, Behl is now also planning to introduce sports and events content in its PPV bouquet. Having already bagged the rights for the commemorative concert for Michel Jackson – ‘Live In Bucharest: The Dangerous Tour’ – the company is also in talks with other Indian and international content providers to offer more such content on their platform. Behl says that they are also looking at adding more meat to their overall content strategy. BIG TV is lining up a slew of interactive features and a major revamp of its filmed entertainment content, besides bringing in whole new range of channels, which were not available to Indian TV viewers in India till now. Rumour has it that BIG TV will be offering the entire FOX bouquet to its consumers shortly.

The other strategy that Behl is deploying to beat rivals in the segment has been drawn from his experience while working with HUL’s Vim brand almost a decade ago. “Consumer Insight is the key. While with HUL, I visited my rural consumers and even washed utensils in their homes to understand customer psyche,” he says, adding that he is planning to conduct a similar exercise at BIG TV to find out what more services could the viewers want and need. Besides, the focus is also on providing the latest technology (ahead of competitors) to consumers. With this in mind, BIG TV had launched DTH services on the MPEG 4 platform (while others like Dish TV and Tata Sky are still sticking with the MPEG 2 platform).

However, some of the enthusiasm at BIG TV has not really translated into action. At the time of launch only, BIG TV had announced that it would be coming out with a DVR based set top box that would allow consumers to record and pause live TV. But it’s almost a year now (and Tata Sky and Sun Direct have already launched the technology) and there has been no news from BIG TV of the same. Quiz Behl on that and he is prompt with his reply. “We will be offering it shortly. We are looking at providing more options to customers to choose from,” he says. The plan is also to price the DVR competitively for which BIG TV guys are currently exploring all options to offer modified DVR sets at a cheaper price. The strategy may actually stand Ambani junior’s DTH ambitions in good stead - and allow him to prove his prowess in yet another consumer-centric business.

As for Behl, the uphill journey has only just begun and requires a great deal of hard work. But then, his almost child-like passion for everything has already become the stuff of legends at ADAG. Sources who work closely with him never cease to sing paeans about his involvement with everything big and small. “Unlike other CEOs who delegate more, he worked round the clock during the BIG TV launch, rolling up his sleeves with the rest of us to ensure it went smoothly,” says a team member on conditions of anonymity. Added to his deep well of marketing expertise and seeking spirit about consumer insights, this focused approach is precisely what has endeared him to Anil Ambani. This BIG man is certainly turning out to be one big asset for the ADAG camp!

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.
Management guru Arindam Chaudhuri’s latest blockbuster book, Discover The Diamond In You
IIPM fights meltdown, places 2300 students By Education Mail Bureau
Delhi/ NCR B- Schools get better By Swati Sharma
Events at IIPM
Detail of all IIPM branches
IIPM set to beat economic slowdown
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM, GURGAON