Why do they kill themselves?

As Jiah Khan's suicide shows, expenditure on mental healthcare is minimal

Jiah Khan, a 25-year old Bollywood actress, who committed suicide by hanging herself made news as she was in the show business. While ordinary victims of suicide become statistics, celebrities who kill themselves become the talk of the town. Earlier show business stars like Guru Dutt, Parveen Babi, Nafisa Joseph, ‘Silk’ Smitha, and the legendary Hollywood celebrity Marilyn Monroe also took their lives. Why did these rich and famous celebrities take such a drastic step?

According to World Health Organization (WHO) estimates, India records one of the highest suicide rates in the world, with 1.7 lakh victims every year. Over half the total suicides among women and 40 per cent of suicides among men in India are between the ages of 15 and 29 years.

Jiah Khan, began her career in filmdom with two high profile movies, ‘Nishabd’ and ‘Ghajini’; she was also a part of the multi-starrer ‘Housefull’. She appeared to have had a promising career ahead of her, or so we thought. Why did she then kill herself?

Suicide is synonymous with speculation. Did Jiah suffer from depression? If that was so, was it due to personal or professional reasons? It is believed that she was dissatisfied with her romantic relationship and the roles that she was offered in forthcoming films. Speculation is also rife that she was indeed suffering from depression for a short while. Did she receive appropriate help if that was the case? We cannot be sure but mental health issues, to a large extent, are still a taboo topic in Indian society. It is still looked down upon as a strict no-no, a subject which does not attract much debate in the public domain. One of the main causes of suicide is depression- or what we would generally consider as feeling low or down-and-out. However, depression is not just ‘feeling blue’. All people tend to feel sad sometimes but most are able to move on from that feeling to a more positive state of mind. A depressed person stays with the sadness for a longer period of time and his/her mood also affects and disrupts his/her day-to-day life.

Global statistics regarding the subject are quite revealing. They show that depression affects one in five women and one in 10 men at some point in their lives. Depression is, therefore, a serious public health concern. However in the case of India, there is still a social stigma attached to approaching a mental health professional for help. It need not be so; depression is an illness like any other. If you had diabetes, would you not see a doctor? How does one distinguish an onset of depression from feeling sad or ‘blue’? Some of the symptoms of depression are a prolonged feeling of sadness over a period of more than two weeks, loss of sleep or sleeping more than usual, reduced or increased appetite, irritability, loss of pleasure in normal activities and generally decreased energy levels.

However, the good news is that depression can be treated. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders published by the American Psychiatric Association classifies depression into different types. According to Dr Chittaranjan Andrade, head, Department of Psychopathology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, (NIMHANS), Bangalore, the treatment for depression would vary depending on the type of depression. Treatment usually includes medication and/or psychotherapy.

Today two crore- or about 20 million - Indians suffer from mental illnesses, but between them there are only 3,500 psychiatrists and 1,500 psychiatric nurses to take care of their needs. Otherwise India has only one psychiatrist for every 400,000 people – one of the lowest ratios anywhere in the world. Not surprisingly, the country’s health care budget spends less than one percent on mental healthcare, which is shocking to say the least.

As responsible citizens, we take initiatives to help people suffering from cancer or other physical illnesses. A cancer survivor will be heard and appreciated by many but can we say the same for a survivor of depression? Does he or she get a platform to speak about what they went through or are going through?

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

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

E-waste in India: Time to bell the cat!

ANIRUDH RAHEJA explores how lack of proper enforcement in E-waste management and recycling may lead to far reaching consequences. Government bodies, corporate and consumers need to join hands to tackle this growing menace

After a spectacular class XII results, Abhay is all set to join his choice of college next week. And he’s busy shopping for branded clothes and the latest techcessories like smartphone, tablet that will match his über cool personality. Satisfied with his purchases, he goes home and trashes his old mobile. His simple act of discarding his old mobile is a part of the 350,000 tonnes of electronic waste released by India every year (Centre for Science & Environment data). Just like Abhay, millions of us discard electronics without giving a second thought that how this electronic waste or E-waste is going to be recycled.

For the uninitiated, E-waste is basically all gadgets like computer and mobile phone and their accessories; electronics like TV, refrigerator, microwave, AC and all other household appliances that have reached their end-of-life period, are no longer fit for their original intended use and are destined for recycling or disposal. But the rudimentary methods of E-waste disposal in India are fast becoming a big cause for concern to which the government and corporate sector have just woken up. "The government has recognised the perils of E-waste and has left no stone unturned in implementing the waste management rules,” says Rohan Gupta, COO, Attero Recycling.

With technology changing at a supersonic speed, companies are reacting by launching newer models of their products practically every year, or even earlier in some cases. So from the time when the revered TV was placed in the centre stage of our drawing rooms watched by an entire generation without even a thought of replacement; today people switch their TV sets from plasma to LCD to LED to 3D Smart TV, all in the course of a few years. Ditto is the case with mobile phones. The obsolescence rate of electronic goods is so high that by the time one is able to adjust to a particular model, the company fine tunes the product and flourishes the market with an upgraded model, thereby luring the unsuspected consumer! And in this game of one-upmanship against the competition and with profit maximisation being the only goal, these companies often turn a blind eye to the rising problems of E-waste. However, according to Hitendra Chaturvedi, Founder & CEO, GreenDust, “In India consumer awareness has started but it will take time to reach out to general public due to our demographics, vast population and economic health of majority of people.”

Out of the total 40-50 million tonnes of E-waste generated throughout the world, India’s contribution might not be really big but it is gradually picking up steam. This is because Indian populace is traditionally conservative and don’t like dump old things fast. As a result nearly 70% of the E-waste comes from government offices and corporates. While addressing a seminar on “Management and Handling of E-waste” organised by the Institute of Technical Education and Research (ITER), L. K. Tiwari Member-Secretary of Orissa State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) said, “E-waste is one of the fastest growing waste streams in the world, and a survey conducted in 2007 found that over 3,00,000 tonnes of E-waste was generated in India, which is expected to touch 8,00,000 tonnes in 2013.”

As per a UN report, India will post a staggering 500% growth in generating E-waste by 2020, closely followed by China at 400%. By the year 2020, India’s E-waste generation will touch 1.72 million metric tonnes. In 2010, E-waste (Management and Handling) Rules were passed under the Environment (Protection) Act, but lack of implementation and enforcement has made a mockery of the Act. So the need of the hour is to ensure the proper implementation of the introduced rules and regulations. “While the new law is certainly a step in the right direction, it is important to keep a vigil to ensure that these laws are properly implemented or enforced. We expect government support in ensuring that only credible companies are allowed to recycle the E-waste so that it is processed in an environmentally friendly manner," Gupta asserts. A report from GBI research predicts that global revenues from E-waste recovery market may shoot up to $14 billion in half a decade from now, amidst rising concerns of the governments for safe disposal and even increase recycling across diversified geographies. The recovery market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 10.8% in the ongoing decade till 2020.
According to the Ministry of Environment and Forest, out of the 65 cities that are heavily generating E-waste in India, Mumbai leads the pack with 60% E-waste, followed by Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai and Kolkata. It is encouraging that in India, about 70% of the E-waste generated is recycled for further use, but the underlying issue is that 95% of this recycling is being done in an unorganised manner, without any adherence to rules and regulations, thereby putting human life to risk as well. “India’s E-waste sector is still very unorganised and fragmented,” says Chaturvedi.

It is evident that technological advancements have pushed up the standard of living in urban Indian, but at the same time, in the absence of any proper law, it is also creating health issues for those involved in the recycling of E-waste. A normal home computer contains toxic substances like cadmium, mercury and Beryllium et al. The workers (majorly children in age group of 6-14 years) entrusted with the recycling job are prone to serious health problems and ailments. The average age of their survival is 35-40 years. Another cause for worry is that with stringent laws in their home countries, the developed nations across the world are taking advantage of the legal loopholes, weak environmental laws and availability of cheap labour India and are dumping their toxic E-waste in India. And as of now, we don’t posses technology, legal framework or even infrastructure to tackle these problems.

There have been initiatives by some corporates, who have taken serious note of this issue. Corporate giants like Nokia and Apple have started encouraging their customers to bring back their old electronic gadgets and get them recycled. Even Indian companies like Attero Recycling and GreenDust have been actively promoting recycling of toxic waste under their “take back” model. Attero has recently joined hands with International Finance Corporation (IFC) for their “Clean India” initiative, under which they will be directly in touch with rag pickers and scrap dealers to collect and boost their plans to safely dispose of the electronic waste.

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

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

More lethal, Virulent strains

Coronavirus and H7N9 are the latest to emerge

Another deadly strain of virus is gaining notoriety among the medical fraternity across the world. Its name is Coronavirus and its lethal manifestations have already become a hotly discussed topic among medical practitioners and across health forums in the Middle East. The virus was identified in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, only last year. But in recent months it seems to have travelled afar, making its baleful presence felt in European countries like Britain and France, especially among people who have been late visitors to Gulf countries. Though the attack of the virus has so far been mostly confined to countries in and around the Middle East, there are apprehensions that a serious outbreak could erupt in the near future. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has found that “Coronavirus can be passed between people in close contact,” making people highly susceptible to the virus.

As per the WHO, the virus has already taken 18 lives in the Middle East and Europe. Around 34 cases of Coronavirus infection have been registered across the globe on the basis of blood tests so far. But that could be the tip of an iceberg as there is a huge probability of several such cases having gone ignored, as awareness about the virus is still very low. Most governments and their health establishments are still clueless about the virus and its implications. But the concern that the virus could touch off a global pandemic is not unfounded. Given the genesis and geography of its provenance, several reports have highlighted that the possibility of the virus travelling outside Saudi Arabia is high as the country is expected to witness a huge flux of pilgrims during October for Hajj. Intermixing of people is sure to increase the chances of this virus spreading its wings beyond the originating country.

As with Coronavirus in the Gulf, another virus called H7N9, a new bird flu strain, is creating panic in China, leading to the deaths of 32 people so far. Both these new viruses have the potential to touch off a global pandemic. In the past, policy neglect has led to pandemics fanning across the world. A decade ago, SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) emerged from south China and spread to Hong Kong before going on to engulf the whole world, including America, Africa and Europe. Delays in taking action by the local public health authorities allowed the virus, which was initially confined to just one country, turn into a pandemic and create global havoc . Between November 2002 and July 2003, SARS claimed 775 deaths worldwide. The virus spread the way the Coronavirus and H7N9 are emerging today before becoming virtually impossible to control at a global level.]

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

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

Is Apple losing the plot?

Angry investors and bad press have done Apple much damage. Can CEO Tim Cook do anything to pump some pride into what was until recently a mammoth $658 billion-worth corporation? By Steven Philip Warner
Five months into his tenure at Apple, Tim Cook invited a select group of Apple’s shareholders at the company’s conference center at 4 Infinite Loop building. The idea was to get those investors to understand the company and its new CEO better. In their few and many years as Apple investors, the shareholders had never believed, seen or heard of a calm Apple CEO. Jobs wouldn’t have bothered to entertain a lot of dozen-odd investors, out on a ‘bus tour’ of Apple’s campus. That summer (in August), Apple became the world’s most valuable public company ever (with an m-cap of $623 billion), beating the previous best of $620 billion set by Microsoft in 1999. But that’s when the dream ended.

The past half-a-year has earned Cook a bad name. Today, Apple is battling where it used to crush.


Disappointing reviews of its new launches – MacBook, Siri, Apple iMap – and some grossly misguided HR strategies (like the hiring of John Browett as Head of Apple’s Retail business and his firing in 9 months flat, and the firing and rehiring of Scott Forstall, the man behind the Siri and iMaps fiascos and one who was responsible for failing to make the iOS 5 and iOS 6 seem upgrades to the previous iOS versions) have weighed heavy on Apple’s stock price.

Cook is trying hard to regain lost ground. What is not true is that Apple is dying soon. Each day of his tenure, Cook has added $117.33 million to Apple’s m-cap. In the six quarters gone by, the company has reported a growth in its quarterly revenues and earnings on a y-o-y basis. The topline achieved in the most recent quarter ($54.51 billion; Q1, 2013) was the highest ever in the history of the company. In his year as CEO (FY2012), Apple’s revenues grew 44.58% y-o-y to touch $158.51 billion. Good numbers.


Cook realises that he has made mistakes. If the Siri and Apple Maps were jokes, the launch of the more expensive, thinner iMac, and the iCloud (that works only as well as Maps does) are areas where Cook will have to reinvent.

The form factor and lack of innovation with the iOS 6 introduced on the iPhone 5 and the hardware of the iPhone 5 are two other chapters from which he could dig out a lesson or two. Cook needs to understand that on the OS front, it has to fight with open source forms. One bomb is Android. So what should Cook do? In more ways than one, under Cook, Apple needs to open up. Within 12 months of his becoming CEO, Cook launched the 7.9-inch iPad mini that was 33% smaller and priced about 25-40% less than the iPad. Result? In Q1, 2013, the iPad mini outsold the original tablet 3:1. Today, tablets contribute to 20% of the company’s topline. The same magic needs to be repeated for the iPhone. This needs introduction of larger screen phones and lower-priced models that would give the company more market power in fast growing telecom markets like China and India. There is more to the introduction of the low-priced iPhone – a move that would prove beneficial for Cook and the Apple stock. The low end iPhones that Apple would deliver would call for margins of about 38%. That would be lower than the current 50%-levels that this category contributes, but would have dual benefits of making the company competitive in a tough environment and not dilute earnings at the same time. The right thing for Cook to do would be to introduce such a mid-range quality product at the $320-$340 price range (a low-cost 3G device, with at least 8GB of memory and a hardware similar to the iPhone 5). The low-end iPhone would be an indication if his claim is true.

Additionally, such an introduction would give rivals sleepless nights. As per Credit Suisse, this introduction would also help the iOS capture 40% share in the $300-$400 market. If Cook delivers the low-priced handset soon, when Gartner comes out with its market share findings in Q4, 2013, Apple’s share amongst smartphones will read between 24-28% (currently 20.9%).

In December last, of the 60-plus analysts covering Apple, only one rated Apple’s stock ‘Short Sell’ (as per Bloomberg data). Cook knows that most in the investor community believe it when they hear the sky is falling. It’s over $400 billion-plus in value he puts to risk each time. Cook cannot underestimate competition from Samsung – which is the smartphone leader today and threatens Apple’s dominance in smartphones. Its Galaxy S IIs, S IIIs and the newly launched S4 and the Notepads are ways for the users to consume larger screen phones. Apple could also replicate the Note’s multi-window home screen. It has been Samsung’s best user interface to date. It wouldn’t hurt Apple.

On the OS front, there is much work to be done still. Working along the lines of offering fresh user interface skins with each OS released, offering services web apps (to users who want to access Facebook or Amazon, or YouTube, rather than having to get into the App Store each time), or even doing something similar to Microsoft’s Live Tiles interface (that provides updates from web services to users without bothering to open apps) could be a start. Cook has to self-disrupt the closed world of iApps to an extent.

Finally, there is a big PR problem that Cook has to deal with. And it all starts with flamers and fanboys offerings concerns about Apple’s lack of innovation. At present, Apple spends the least on R&D and absolute terms amongst all bluechip Silicon Valley giants. It spent 2.2% of its topline on R&D in FY2012, as compared to Google, Cisco, Microsoft & Oracle – all of whom spent in excess of 10% of their revenues on R&D. Cook could divert a couple of billion dollars more into his labs and avoid another Maps or Siri debacle.

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

IIPM Global Exposure
IIPM Best B School India
IIPM B-School Detail
IIPM Links
IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face

BBA Institute

The new buzz word in Motown: Affordable luxury

 The Indian automobile industry is facing one of its toughest periods in over a decade. In the period between April 2012 and February 2013, the industry registered a negative growth of -4.64% in the passenger cars segment. Sales of small and medium automobile segments are slacking off, which is in sharp contrast to the scorching pace of growth witnessed till a couple of years ago. Between FY2005-06 and FY2010-11, passenger car sales blazed at 15.2% per annum. That fell to 4.7% in FY2011-12, before languishing this past financial year.

The only silver lining has been the luxury end of the car market, which has been an exception to this anaemic trend. While the overall passenger vehicle industry has grown at a CAGR of 19.04% in the past four years, and the luxury vehicle segment has grown at a CAGR of 32.02% during the same period. Currently, of total car sales of 2.5 million, the luxury segment contributes only 1.2%. But the segment has been growing steadily over the past couple of years and is expected to contribute 4% of the total car sales in the next eight years. Experts believe that demand for luxury cars will rise to at least 50,000 vehicles by 2015, from 25,000 units sold in 2012.


Mercedes-Benz, which came to India in 1994, was the largest seller of luxury cars in India till a couple of years ago when fellow German rival, BMW, beat the company to the numero uno position in 2009. That year, Mercedes recorded 3,202 units in sales whereas BMW sold a good 3,587 units, topping the sales chart. Audi, which was then just making its presence felt in the Indian market, registered 58% of whopping yoy growth in 2009, selling 1,987 units. Since 2009, the competition has gotten more intense and scalding hot. The German players have been at each other’s throat, straining their muscles to outperform in the competitive luxury car market, which has grown thicker with the entry of newer players like Volvo and Jaguar Land Rover.

On one hand we have the entry level luxury brands like BMW, Audi, Mercedes and Volvo; on the other hand there are the mid-level luxury brands like Jaguar and Land Rover (starting from about Rs.5 million) and then there are the ultra-luxe brands, some of the biggest names in the sports car and super luxury segment, like Bentley, Lamborghini, Rolls Royce, Ferrari, Aston Martin, Maserati and Bugatti. The arrival of these big guns in the Indian market over the past two years has further redefined and segmented the luxury car market. So we now have the entry-level, mid-level, super luxury, sports cars and SUVs. Another key trend in this luxury space is the sudden upsurge in the entry level cars starting as low as Rs.2.2 million.

The trend was kicked off with BMW launching its X1 SUV model and lowering the entry level of its luxury cars to about Rs.2.2 million (ex-showroom). The idea is to generate volumes and so players like BMW are launching new products in the affordable luxury segment, where the demand actually is. In the process, the traditional luxury segment has now morphed into the premium category with most luxury car makers moving towards affordable luxury. In order to vroom ahead in this new “affordable luxury” category, BMW has introduced its sub-brand Mini Cooper, which it introduced at last year’s auto show in Delhi. It is planning to launch three models of this sub-brand in India − Mini Cooper, Mini Cooper convertible and Countryman, priced aggressively between Rs.2.49 million to Rs.3.19 million. Rivals Audi and Mercedes have also taken steps to create excitement in the entry level luxury segment. Last year saw Audi introduce its Q3 model (priced at Rs.2.67 million) while Mercedes has launched its B-class priced competitively at Rs.2.10 million, which competes with BMW X1 (priced at Rs.2.24 million).

As the churn in the luxury car market gets thicker, players are pulling out all the tricks to stay ahead in the competition by creating new segments and looking for new markets to generate demand. “As we move into the future, we are well positioned with a forward-looking strategy, progressive roadmap along with an exciting and emotional portfolio to tap the available market opportunities,” says Philipp Von Sahr, President, BMW India. So, BMW is tapping the market for commercial use of luxury cars such as premium hotels and cab owners and has gone for selling the stripped versions of its traditional luxury cars to generate incremental demand.

Likewise, Audi is contemplating to launch several initiatives on the pro\duct front this year. It plans to assemble the entry level Q3 SUV, which is giving good competition to the BMW X1, in India by the second quarter of this year. The price of Audi Q3, which starts from Rs.2.6 million, is expected to come down further once Audi starts assembling the Q3 in India. The car maker at present assembles sedan A4, A6 and SUV Q5, Q7 in India. Even, Mercedes has plans for expanding its product portfolio. “We would be launching one or two products, starting this year, with a B-class launch. And soon we would be launching an A-class product as well. Secondly, we are investing heavily on production at our factories. We want to make our CKD (complete knocked down) units because it take 2-3 years to get the CKD portfolio ready,” says Debashis Mitra, who was Director, Sales & Marketing, Mercedes India, before quitting just a few days ago.

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

BBA Management Education

David vs Goliath!

In Maharashtra, domination of the Sharad pawar family over Cooperatives is being challenged, reports Chandran Iyer

People in Maharashtra are “cut up” at the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) for two reasons. One is the infamous foot-in-mouth comment by the Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar whose crass  `urine' remark at a rally to denigrate a farmer who was on hunger strike at Mumbai's Azad Maidan demanding relief from drought, has put the party in a corner. The other and potentially more dangerous - the terrible state of affairs in the state’s powerful cooperative sector which is mainly controlled by the NCP.

Sharad Pawar’s dream of becoming prime minister in a coalition government after the 2014 General Elections stands significantly dented with nephew Ajit Pawar's  freewheeling speech at a rally at Indapur where he  said, “If there is no water in the dams of Maharashtra, how can we release it? Should we urinate into it? If there is no water to drink, even urinating is not possible”.

While the crowd present there cheered momentarily at Ajit’s crass remarks, NCP supremo and his uncle, Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, distanced himself from his nephew,  pulling him up publicly at a rally. Ajit, quick to recognize the gaffe, sat on a ‘fast’ to  “atone” for his sins, describing it as “One of the worst political blunders of his life.’’

The token repentance fast which Ajit Pawar undertook under media glare may, perhaps, help soothe the frayed nerves of farmers facing an unprecedented drought this season. But what could take a long time to heal – if it does – is the festering wound in Maharashtra’s cooperative sector, well in control of the Pawar clan and its minions.

But this carefully choreographed family rule and utter domination of the state's cooperative sector is under threat for the first time. The one-man demolition army who has taken on the might of Sharad Pawar’s political muscle is Raju Shetty, farmer and independent MP from Hatkangale constituency of Maharashtra who has been snapping at the big man’s heels giving him sleepless nights by mobilizing farmers against him.

Shetty looks prepared to go all the way. He told TSI, “Until a few years ago, people in western Maharashtra  regarded Sharad Pawar as messiah of the Cooperative movement. His strangle-hold on the state’s sugar lobby and the Maharashtra State Cooperative Banks made him immensely powerful. But that grip is now slipping as I and my organization are holding rallies and exposing the NCP for what it is – a party more interested in feathering their own nests rather than look at the welfare of farmers”.

Like the David versus Goliath story, Shetty has considerably eroded the domination of Sharad Pawar in  western Maharashtra by spearheading a successful agitation for higher sugar-cane prices from sugar cooperatives.

Shetty’s first serious challenge to Pawar came before General Election, 2009. His Swabhimani Paksha party, which was set up the same year, defeated NCP’s Nivedita Mane by 95,000 votes despite a severe fund crunch. It is true though that Shetty has not been able to replicate this success in subsequent elections to local self-government bodies and continues to remain the lone MP from his party.


Says Ashok Kulkarni, top notch consultant to most sugar industries in Maharashtra, “Cooperative sugar factories (CSF) in Maharashtra are the fountainhead of corruption. What is shocking is that the state government doles out sugar factories to MLAs, MLC’s and other political leaders in which 90 per cent of the money invested is that of the public. The CSF and the District Cooperative Banks in Maharashtra often work hand-in gloves as both are under the direct control and tutelage of politicians”.

Since Cooperative sugar factories and Cooperative district banks are not run professionally – their sole existence is to rake in the money – many of them are in a complete mess.

Kulkarni, who has also conducted an in-depth study of corruption in sugar factories, had filed a writ petition in the Bombay High Court to inquire into the working of these factories. Based on his petition the high court on December 13, 2010, had asked the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) to submit ‘performance audit report’ of management of cooperative sugar factories in Maharashtra for the period between April 2007 and March 2010.

In 2006, Kulkarni had written a letter to the Bombay High Court pointing out to wide-spread malpractices in the Cooperative sector. It was turned into public interest litigation (PIL). Among other things, Kulkarni had complained that government was allowing new Cooperative factories to come up in areas where there was no sugarcane available.

Said Kulkarni, “Sugar factories in Maharashtra and District Cooperative banks have more often than not made news for the wrong reasons: corruption, nepotism, favoritism and gross mismanagement.  The state is losing hundreds of crores of rupees in subsidies and soft loans which are provided to the Cooperative factories because of mismanagement. Licences are issued for starting factories in areas where enough sugarcane is not available. Several Cooperative sugar factories in the state have shut down or making severe losses while many district cooperative banks have been dissolved”.

The mess appears to be getting worse. For instance the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on May 29, 2012 dissolved the board of directors of the NCP-controlled Sangli District Central Cooperative Bank for rampant irregularities and blatant violation of the Banking Regulation Act.  This was done following a recommendation made by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard).

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

IIPM Global Exposure
IIPM Best B School India
IIPM B-School Detail
IIPM Links
IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face

BBA Institute

A nation of tax dodgers?

India needs an immediate solution to the tax evasion problem

If filing tax to the government by an individual can anyhow be connected with the degree of patriotism of a person, India presents a dark picture to the world. The Revenue Department recently issued notices to 35,000 assessees who have failed to file I-T returns. Similar notices were sent a few weeks ago to an equal number of people. But the bigger shock was that among those 70,000, only 10,000 felt it necessary to disclose their incomes and filed tax returns in response to the letters. This is putting tremendous pressure on the Revenue Department, which has a target to generate revenue of Rs.5.65 lakh crore under the direct taxes category for the current fiscal year. Evading taxes is more of a norm than an exception in India. Everyone, starting from an individual to a giant corporation, finds it conevenient to cheat the government by evading taxes. This is why in spite of being a country of 120 crore people, there are only 3 crore people who pay taxes. How much does this evasion cost the nation and its economy?

Tax to GDP ratio is a very relevant indicator to understand the strength of an economy. Unfortunately, India scores poorly at it. While 70% of the nation’s income comes from income tax for developed countries, it is only 18% for India. Moreover, the direct tax contribution is 60-65% for rich countries while India gets merely 35%.

That is why India is termed as a ‘poor tax performance’ country, ranking at the bottom even among the BRIC nations in tax collections. However, all this dodging affects the economy severely. According to a research article published by Businessweek, India losses Rs.14 trillion ($314 billion) every year due to tax evasion. For the uninitiated, income tax rate has dropped down to 30% from 97.5% in 1971. In fact, the corporate tax incentives too are diluting our tax collection. For instance, states like Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh provide tax rebate for setting up manufacturing units. So many manufacturers open their subsidiaries in those states only to fully exploit the tax benefits. This way, India ends up losing Rs.800 billion every year.

Thus, the government cannot ignore the implications of revenue foregone as a result of tax evasion. There is a need for spreading greater awareness of tax payment. At the same time it has to show people that it is making the right use of the tax collected as people have lost faith in the government and have no idea how the money is spent.

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

BBA Management Education

Brian Keith to Dave

The following moving love letter was written by American World War II veteran Brian Keith to Dave, a fellow soldier he met and fell in love with in 1943 while stationed in North Africa, on the occasion of their anniversary. It was reprinted in September of 1961 by ONE Magazine – a groundbreaking pro-gay magazine first published in 1953. The original letter is held by the Library of Congress.

October 27th, 1945

Dear Dave,

This is in memory of an anniversary — the anniversary of October 27th, 1943, when I first heard you singing in North Africa. That song brings memories of the happiest times I’ve ever known. Memories of a GI show troop — curtains made from barrage balloons — spotlights made from cocoa cans — rehearsals that ran late into the evenings — and a handsome boy with a wonderful tenor voice. Opening night at a theatre in Canastel — perhaps a bit too much muscatel, and someone who understood. Exciting days playing in the beautiful and stately Municipal Opera House in Oran — a misunderstanding — an understanding in the wings just before opening chorus.

Drinks at "Coq d'or" — dinner at the "Auberge" — a ring and promise given. The show 1st Armoured — muscatel, scotch, wine — someone who had to be carried from the truck and put to bed in his tent. A night of pouring rain and two very soaked GIs beneath a solitary tree on an African plain. A borrowed French convertible — a warm sulphur spring, the cool Mediterranean, and a picnic of "rations" and hot cokes.

Two lieutenants who were smart enough to know the score, but not smart enough to realize that we wanted to be alone. A screwball piano player — competition — miserable days and lonely nights. The cold, windy night we crawled through the window of a GI theatre and fell asleep on a cot backstage, locked in each other’s arms — the shock when we awoke and realized that miraculously we hadn't been discovered. A fast drive to a cliff above the sea — pictures taken, and a stop amid the purple grapes and cool leaves of a vineyard.
The happiness when told we were going home — and the misery when we learned that we would not be going together. Fond goodbyes on a secluded beach beneath the star-studded velvet of an African night, and the tears that would not be stopped as I stood atop the sea-wall and watched your convoy disappear over the horizon.

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

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

Book Review: The Armies of South Asia

Gung-ho in the Neighbourhood

The economic surge in Asia has been discussed for long. But, there also has always been another aspect attached to South Asian matters. The effect of insurgency and terrorism has not let the economic growth to pan out across the spectrum in the region. Sri Lanka could come out of the civil war after a protracted conflict, Pakistan is yet facing the violent results of its nurturing of religious terrorists, and Afghanistan is mired in a state of total collapse with the international community scrambling to extend support to run the country.

Simultaneously, the other countries are affected similarly. Nepal is struggling to keep the democratic government running with the Chief Justice agreeing to run the ‘election government’. Bangladesh has often been witness to political violence, which has been a major challenge to the socio-political stability of the country. Maldives is in the grip of the politics of vendetta.

The countries in the region are in different stages of the national evolution and so are their key governing institutions. The armies of the countries mentioned above have been playing an active role in these conditions. Although a glance of the Title might let a reader believe that this would be another attempt to pitch the arms and systems and show the graphic representation of India being the strongest. But, nothing can be as wrong as this.

It requires mentioning that once a reader begins, he/she will find the title suitable. This book is an attempt to give the readers a fair idea of the genesis of a strong tool, Army, in the seven countries it has covered. The chapters are country wise and each chapter begins with the security environment of the country. The chapters on each country has information about the security environment and the geopolitical and strategic significance. It moves ahead with the geographical terrain and the respective country’s threat perceptions.

With issues related to security coming to the fore in recent times, the Armies are often in the news. This might generate a lot of questions like will the army take over, will there be a rise in the radical elements within the forces? Here, in the book, one can find issues like structure, civil-military relationship, their recruitment, training, weapon sources and also the future prospects.

In encompassing so much, it demonstrates a thorough knowledge of the country. By reading the chapters one can surmise quite clearly that they have all the important information. The highlight is that country experts, people who have been monitoring developments in the specific countries, have been brought together for this highly informative volume.

Another good point is that this book has not served as another addition the attempts to overlook the negative perceptions about India and its role, which comes out at times. The introduction serves the purpose of placing everything in perspective and is mentioned under the heading ‘India Challenge’. It reads, “The negative perception of India in most of the neighbouring countries, despite India’s sustained confidence-building measures and several unilateral economic and political initiatives, seems near constant.” The above lines from the book on the one side arouse the reader’s interest and sets the stage for an objective assessment of the role of the Army of the respective countries and also to get an understanding of the perception which rests in the minds of the people across these nations.

Every chapter has its own interesting articulation. As in the chapter on Bangladesh, the writer mentions, “Not only does it (Bangladesh) carry the historical baggage of an inherited strategic culture of Pakistan that has been traditionally anti-India, but also the perception of repatriated soldiers and officers who later formed the bulk of the Bangladesh Army.” While, on the one side it is talking about the composition which formed the officers and men of the Bangladesh Army, it also makes a person understand that one needs to approach such issues with sensitivity.

Every chapter has information about the force organisation, which is interesting. The chapter on Pakistan mentions, “In 2006, the government (Pakistan) set up separate commands in its three services equipped with nuclear weapons and missiles capable of retaliating for any first nuclear strike.”

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

BBA Management Education

Size doesn't matter

India needs a complete overhaul in its car taxation policies 

In the year 1998, India rolled out policies to encourage CNG based vehicles and also gradually phased out polluting public transport, at least from the metro cities. India has also been advocating policies to address the problem of pollution and vehicle density. However, in spite of arrays of policies and laws, nothing has worked out efficiently. Amidst all policies, the car taxation policies, that could have been a major deterrent, are still being ignored. India still continues with the old formula of levying taxes based on the size of the car while the Western world has rejected it completely and has taken the right measurement to control pollution by implementing vehicle taxes on the carbon dioxide (CO2) emission rates.

From the Union Budget 2012-13, we can easily comprehend how taxes are levied on cars based on its sizes. As per the budget, “excise tax on small cars (not exceeding 4 meter in length and with engines no larger than 1.2 lts) rose from 10 per cent to 12 per cent. For cars longer than 4 meter but engines smaller than 1.5 lts, the tax increased from 22 per cent to 24 per cent. And for all cars with engines greater than 1.5 lts, the budget reinstated the tax rate of 22 per cent plus Rs 15,000 with a flat 27 per cent tax rate.” Indirectly, this treatment was intended to discourage gas-guzzling vehicles and strengthens incentives to cut fuel use and CO2 emissions. But it directly neither imposed taxes on CO2 emission rates nor restricted people to purchase highly polluting vehicles. However, the recent advice by the Supreme Court to levy 25 per cent green tax on diesel cars may be a good initiative if proper action is taken.

The United Kingdom had replaced the car tax rate based on engine size by the car's CO2 emissions rate in 2001. Even Ireland has implemented a policy to levy motor tax charges on the basis of seven CO2 emission bands with lower emissions resulting in lower charges since 2008. In the same light, countries like France, Germany and Sweden have adopted the policy of levying vehicle taxes on the CO2 emissions rates of passenger vehicles. A very recent OECD report has highlighted that “By 2050, the number of premature deaths from exposure to air pollution is projected to more than double to reach 3.6 million a year globally, with most deaths occurring in China and India.” Moreover, car makers are also taking advantages of this taxation policy by coming up with small size, high end cars. So, it seems the days of experiments are over.

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

BBA Management Education

How will the ‘Age of Big Data’ affect management?

Will access to Big Data further enable fact-based decision-making or analysis paralysis? Will analytics, as well as the supply of analytics-savvy managers, so badly lag ‘big data’ that it will only lead to confusion and misguided decisions? An exclusive HBS Working Knowledge article.

Ideas and trends converge from time to time in a way that suggests the possible shape of the future. Sometimes I think I can comprehend what they may mean. But other times I know I need help. This is one of those times.

Just two decades ago, we didn’t have Google and other information sources; storage constraints would not have permitted Google to provide everyday access to the ‘world’s information’. If we had had the information, we couldn’t have accessed it effectively anyway. Email systems were not widely available, let alone mobile devices with capacity to access the data. Now the capacity to store and access information through cloud computing is so great that we are entering a post-Google era in which new organisations like Factual (founded by a former Google employee) have set as their goal that of providing access to all of the world’s facts. Presumably this means data such as the location of every factory in the world, data that has not already been massaged and spun. Some facts have to be acquired and organised. Other facts are generated by so-called digital sensors operating worldwide in industrial equipment, autos, and the like. By linking the sensors, an ‘industrial Internet’ can be created. These trends appear to have ‘opportunity’ written all over them, particularly for those who are training now for jobs in data analytics. In addition to less wasteful marketing efforts (we should be able to know, for example, ‘which half’ of advertising is effective, thereby making an old marketing saw obsolete), they should produce more effective business strategies and inject added certainty into the appraisal of opportunities for new business startups. Furthermore, analytics (not the data) should be a source of continuing competitive advantage. In his new book, Charles Duhigg describes how the retailer Target uses data on consumption patterns to discern and address promotions to pregnant customers, perhaps even before they’ve announced their pregnancy to friends (and Target competitors). This is particularly important because pregnancy is one of those life events associated with significant shifts in consumption habits.

A problem is that the shortage of experts in data analytics (some call them ‘data whisperers’) is so acute that it may be years before a sufficient supply can be trained. The McKinsey Global Institute estimates that up to 190,000 are needed now in US, along with 1.5 million managers capable of using their work. The shortage appears to be growing along with the potential for competitive advantage associated with data analytics.

This all raises many questions. Will the age of big data eliminate most or all uncertainty from business decisions for those most able to make effective use of ‘all the facts in the world?’ Will it fuel the next ‘gold rush’ for talent in a quest for competitive advantage? Will analytics, as well as the supply of analytics-savvy managers, so badly lag ‘big data’ that it will only lead to confusion and misguided decisions? Or is this just the latest management fad? How, if at all, should this affect education for management? What do you think?

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

BBA Management Education

In pursuit of happy capitalism

Policies should be directed at making the environment for entrepreneurship far more enabling in India than what it is today. However, entrepreneurs must also contribute to the larger social goal in their own interest

Eight out of the world’s top ten richest people on the Forbes’ The World’s Billionaires 2011 List are self-made, that is, people who have not simply inherited their fortunes, but have built them over time due to their entrepreneurial vision, exemplary leadership and years of hard work. And of course, a huge majority in this list hails from the US, a country that has successfully nurtured the spirit of entrepreneurship since ages; and is also the nation with the highest GDP in the world. These people are the perfect embodiments of leadership, who inspire millions to live their dreams and make them a reality, even in the most unfavourable of circumstances. But there is something more compelling that these entrepreneurs manage to achieve. Through employment generation and equitable wealth creation within masses, these entrepreneurs contribute immensely to nation building and to the subsequent upliftment of disadvantaged sections.

In other words, it cannot ever be overstated that promoting entrepreneurship is absolutely essential for progress – and more so if it’s the case of India that we’re discussing. The Economic Survey for 2011-12 laments that while India is the world’s 4th largest economy, it is also the poorest among G-20 nations in terms of per capita income, which was around $1,527 in 2011. It has been also estimated by the World Bank that India has more than 400 million people living below the poverty line; UN confirms that more than 700 million Indians live on less than $2 a day. These figures are shockingly mammoth.

Entrepreneurship could very well be the only real hope for India to create virtuous cycles of employment to ensure that a massive majority of these disadvantaged classes are uplifted in quick time. If China could manage this kind of a feat, then I fail to understand why can’t India? Between 1981 and 2004, China got more than 600 million people out of poverty – this is more than has ever been achieved by any nation in history. UNDP data estimates that the incidence of rural poverty in China went down from 30.7% in 1978 to 1.6% in 2007. These electrifying improvements correspond to the spectacular rise of Chinese manufacturing and the growth of hundreds of thousands of Chinese entrepreneurs throughout the nation – and all with the proactive support of the State, which ensured continued public-private coordination throughout this growth story.

Leave the macro story, even at the micro/corporate level, promoting entrepreneurship – even within an organisation – is critically essential, The most respected Peter F. Drucker strongly believed that no organisation can dream of being stupendously innovative unless its employees are die-hard entrepreneurs; warriors who live and die with the consistently burning desire to start something new! If I were to expansively summarise the import of his iconic book Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Drucker defined an entrepreneur as an innovator and vice versa. Indeed, that key character trait that separates these entrepreneurs and innovators from the rest is ‘passion’. In a path-breaking May 2007 official Microsoft research release (‘The Rich Have Money – And Passion’), the Harrison Group, a leading international research firm, showed how 70% of America’s big family fortunes are less than 13 years old (that is, they’re not ‘inherited’) and more importantly, that “the people who amassed those fortunes are primarily entrepreneurs – risk takers for whom wealth is a by product of pursuing their passion!”

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

IIPM Global Exposure
IIPM Best B School India
IIPM B-School Detail
IIPM Links
IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face

BBA Institute

Indira Gandhi’s proudest moment: Victory of 1971

Events that led to the surrender of the Pakistani forces in 1971, saw Indira Gandhi earning the name of ‘Iron Lady’. Her uncompromising attitude won India a war that even four decades later, is highlighted in history books as event that made India proud of its empathetic foreign policy and powerful armed forces

Forty one years ago on December 16, 1971, the Pakistan Army – under the-then the commander of the Eastern Command of Pakistan, Lt. Gen. A. A. K. Niazi – surrendered to the Indian Army at the Dhaka Racecourse (also known as Ramna Racecourse ground) in Bangladesh. The surrender of the Pakistan army – before the-then commander of the Eastern Command of India and the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Indian and Bangladeshi forces, Lt. Gen Jagjit Singh Aurora – was a landmark event that will be remembered as one of India’s most glorious moments. Also, India’s victory over Pakistan and the birth of Bangladesh (the erstwhile East Pakistan) have gone down in history as the-then Indian PM Indira Gandhi’s biggest achievements.

The victory of India over Pakistan in the war of 1971 has been one of the most successful wars ever fought in the history of democratic India. It became a shining example of how resolute leadership at the political and military levels can bring desired results. This war not only resulted in the surrender of 93,000 prisoners of war but also brought a new country into existence. What was so special about this episode? It happened to be the only instance that saw a new nation being born as a result of a war between other nations.

In many ways, it was the 1971 victory that made Indira Gandhi the icon that she is today. It was also a time of some hardcore nationalistic diplomacy during a time when the whole world had turned against India for its decision to go ahead with the war. The United States had exercised an enormous amount of pressure to avert India’s attack and even threatened India with dire consequences. But Indira Gandhi chose to ignore it.

Under Indira Gandhi’s leadership, India provided shelter, food and medicines to about 10 million people who in their attempt to escape attacks by the Pakistani army, fled East Pakistan to flock to the states of West Bengal, Tripura, Meghalaya and Assam. India extended full support to the Bangladeshi freedom fighters providing them arms and training facilities. India sent its troops to fight against the Pakistani forces under a Joint Command with Bangladesh – at the fag end of a nine month-long war that put Bangladesh on the world map. The success was achieved with the support of civilians and well-organised rebels under the ‘Mukti Bahini’. Indira Gandhi’s stand was also solidly backed by the erstwhile Soviet Union.

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

 

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

"It is one of the ideas I am most proud of"

Dr. Li Ka-Shing doesn’t really need an introduction. With a net worth of $25.5 billion, the Hong Kong business magnate has built one of the greatest business empires. In this interview, he speaks about the goals of his charitable giving and the role of his gifts in transforming lives through learning

Can we reflect a bit on the idea behind the Li Ka-Shing Foundation? It would be great to have some insight regarding your motivation to set up an independent foundation, and perhaps about the particular aims that the foundation’s projects have tried to further. You have referred to it in the past as your ‘third son’ Li Ka-Shing (LKS): It is one of the ideas I am most proud of. Maybe even the idea I am most proud of. I had made donations before [the Foundation was set up in 1980]and giving had been part of my life ever since my companies had achieved enduring success. But, I was worked over by thoughts about what would happen if times would turn bad and cash would be tight and scarce, and by the fact that without a system and an independent entity that implements it, this philanthropic work could not develop and grow on its own. Running a business is difficult work and takes a lot of time and attention, and there are additionally many temptations which could lead one away from the hard work that philanthropy requires. Then, early in the morning, I had the thought of creating the Foundation and thinking about it as a ‘third son,’ an independent, autonomous entity that would pursue its mission, stay true to its course and have the resources to do so.

The ‘third son’ metaphor is particularly suggestive for Asian cultures – educational, even.

LKS: That is true. In fact, I refer to the Foundation as a ‘him’ in some of my messages, to reinforce the imagery of personhood. It is a powerful metaphor in a culture where wealth is passed predominantly along family lines. Thinking about an instrument for doing social good as a child – as your child, in particular – focuses you as the giver on building an entity that is robust, one that has inner strength.

It is relevant that the over-arching goal of the Foundation is ‘to promote a culture of giving’ for which the Foundation itself is a paradigm example?

LKS: This is true. There is an example in the act of setting it up, especially in a culture in which these organizations are unusual. But, the Foundation tries to develop and nurture a culture of giving within its projects as well. For example, we have built and are supporting hospices for terminally ill cancer patients in China. To date, we have built 42 hospices that care for 20,000 terminally ill patients every year, enabling them to spend their last days in comfort and dignity.

I sense a strong commitment, a bias, even, towards projects – such as the hospice for the terminally ill and the surgical cleft lip and palate repair centres that address, and redress slights to human dignity. Would you agree?

LKS: I do feel a special commitment to helping people lead their lives in dignity. As is often the case, it relates to a personal experience. I was 15, and my father had passed away a year earlier. A relative whose circumstances were even direr than mine and who was having a very difficult time making a living in Hong Kong said that she needed to bring her children back to Chaozhou. I gave her enough money for food for her whole family during their long boat journey back to mainland. This was a heavy burden for me at the time, as I was poor, and had to work hard to support my own family. But she had no one to turn to except me. On the day that they were to depart on the ship, she came to me, crying. She said that all the food they had prepared for the six-day journey had been stolen. I had no other resources. But I felt compelled to help her. So, I took the clothes that my father had left behind and pawned them for cash. It was my first and only time in a pawn shop. I took the cash, bought food, and returned to the pier only to see that their ship had just raised the first sail to set off. I hired a sampan to go after them, but a sampan is no match for a sailboat in terms of speed, and we fell farther and farther behind. But, I noticed that everyone on their ship had gathered on one side, waving to me and yelling something I could not understand. I was too far away to hear what they were saying. The ship finally raised all three sails and gained greater speed. We went after them for over an hour to no avail. Finally we had to give up and turn back. I was certain I had disappointed my relative and I felt heavyhearted. Later, I received a letter from her. She had returned to her home village. She said that my attempt that day to catch up to them to give them food had touched the captain and all the passengers. They all shared their own food with her family. My attempt had gained her their respect. The passengers on the boat were shouting at me to go back because they wanted to let me know that they would themselves take care of my relative and her children. They took care of her, because they saw that she was cared for by someone else. This episode will always stay with me. It shows how care can restore and even create dignity, which, once created, begets more care.

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

 

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

B And E This Month

share price
The world in thrall of Apple’s magical success
Nothing succeeds like success and the stratospheric rise of Apple’s shares in recent months defy the laws of business gravity. Its share price has been on a steroidal sprint ever since Apple became the world’s most valuable public company back in August, elbowing out long-time rival Microsoft from the tech pedestal. After the company announced its earnings for the first fiscal quarter of 2012, its share price picked even greater velocity, climbing 22% over the past three months, and sending its market cap gyrating above $650 billion. The past few days have seen its share price ascend to heart-stopping vertiginous heights, climbing over $700, in large part hopped up by the blockbusting sales of iPhone 5. Estimates say Apple would have sold between six and eight million units of iPhone5 in its first weekend on the shelves. So maddening has been the demand that over two million units sold out in the first 24 hours of its launch and they has been vanishing faster from shop shelves than would woolen sweaters from Antartica. Some analysts are predicting that the iPhone5 could eventually drive the price of Apple stock to a staggering $850 in the weeks to come. Apple’s stock price will have to to climb to $1067 for the company to hit a trillion dollars in market cap. If the success of its iPhones are an indicator, Apple can well keep marching ahead and sew up 30-60% of the mobile computing market, which seems like the easiset and fastest route for the company to touch the one trillion dollar milestone. If Apple becomes the first company on the planet to reach that goal, it would indeed be the most befitting tribute for its legendary former CEO and founder Steve Jobs.

on the hunt
Brazil could be its next big playground
China’s Lenovo Group, the world’s second-largest PC maker, will be buying out Brazil’s largest domestic PC manufacturer CCE. The deal is estimated around $150 million. Brazil is a promising consumer market where Lenovo will also be able to retail mobile phones and televisions as part of its growing product line. The company recently announced plans to build a $30 million factory there. The acquisition will also help Lenovo climb to third spot in PC sales in Brazil from the current seventh position. Many Chinese tech companies have set up base in Brazil like Foxconn, which has installed a local manufacturing facility to make phones and notebooks. Lenovo also plans to invest $100 million in research and development in its Brazilian facility over the next five years. The Brazilian technology market for smartphones, TVs, notebooks, PCs et al is worth roughly $124 billion. China continues to be Lenovo’s biggest market with 42% of sales coming from there, but due to slowing growth there, the company is rapidly scaling its operations in the fast growing and promising BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) markets.

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

BBA Management Education