Monday, December 10, 2012

Mark Sanborn, bestselling author & an authority on leadership and customer service, tells Sushmita Yadav how one failure in life can be a life-changing experience and put you on the winning track

Q. What has been the most memorable moment of your career? 
A. Receiving the Cavett Award from the National Speakers Association. The award is based on service to NSA and the speaking profession, and not professional achievements and success. So I found that award to be most meaningful. To me, great leadership always benefits the greater good. In business, profit is essential, but it should not be the only goal. Profit should be the means to greater purposes which include not just growth for the organisation but also benefits for employees, customers and the greater community.

Q. You are among the most sought-after speakers on corporate training. What preparations do you do before a lecture? Which has been your most memorable one?
A. All my presentations are memorable to me because an audience has shared with me its most valuable resource: time. I take all my opportunities to speak very seriously. My goal is to combine what I know and have developed (my intellectual property) with the specific needs, objectives, and aspirations of the audience. That means spending time talking to organisation leadership about their objectives for my presentation, research that I conduct using the internet and —most importantly — reflecting on what I can say that will be most helpful in meeting the client’s objectives.

Q. You emphasise on passion in both professional and personal life. How passion is vital to one’s growth and how one can best utilise it?
A. I believe passion is the fuel of greatness, but I also believe that it is not enough to be passionate without a process for achieving your goals and desires. Passion without process is like gasoline without an automobile. You need both to get to reach your destination.

The first step to identifying your passion or passions is to ask the question, “What matters?”. We are most passionate about those things, personally and professionally, that matter most to us. And remember, you can be passionate about four things: what you do, how you do it, why you do it, and whom you do it for. Click here to read more...

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Monday, December 03, 2012

The onus is on HR to come up with the best plan of action to attain this goal successfully.

During a turnaround, the HR is expected to lead from the front and stay proactive in its dealings with the employees. The crisis is to ensure the ship (organisation) revives from near-drowning and starts floating smoothly. Any change management is important to set the agenda for change, take the employee onboard and ensure that they understand the importance of change. It is imperative that they gain commitment to delivery, execute effectively, and monitor and communicate progress regularly. Even small achievements need to be celebrated, since that will make sure that employees are engaged and motivated.

The best strategy to be applied during times of change by an organisation is to identify its top performers. It should ensure that the best employees and high-potentials are retained, as trying to retain all employees will not be successful.

Monday, November 26, 2012

HR plays a significant role in turnaround situations by creating and deploying people strategies.

As a first step, we conducted several group sessions to gauge the pulse of employees. The exercise provided valuable insights. These were used to create focused communication to address the insecurities and issues faced by them. Over 20 sessions were conducted by a team of managers to communicate “what’s happening and why”, “what can be the possible outcome” and “the available opportunities in the new environment”.

To ensure the message was right and consistent, briefings were conducted in partnership with the HR team. Performance appraisals were conducted in a fair and transparent manner. It ended with promotions and enhanced responsibilities to deserving individuals. Rather than cutting costs on training, we invested in development programmes in the areas of skill enhancement, change and leadership management. The assurance of job security provided stability to the environment. All this was further supported by conceiving an atmosphere of energy and positive change – billboards of success stories were introduced. ‘Wall of Fame’ and ‘Appreciation Wall’ were launched by employees.

Moreover, employee referral schemes were revised to attract best in class talent. All of the above were conceptualised and closely monitored by us but driven by business. The results were transformational – annual attrition levels dropped to below 2 per cent, as compared to the industry standard of 30 per cent. We retained most of our employees by ensuring that issues were addressed. Trust in leadership increased, while individual goals were aligned to organisational objectives. The fundamental learning is that leadership and business sponsorship are two sides of the same coin in driving people excellence. Read more...

Thursday, November 22, 2012

If an employee is performing and yet not getting his dues then obviously there is a disconnect.

Q. How far has HR been successful in meeting the expectations of the organisation? 
A. It cannot be generalised. HR has been contributing significantly, and that is why the importance of HR has been growing in the industry. If HR is aloof from the business needs and goes by the book then it cannot contribute.  

Q. How can HR help at the time of a merger or an acquisition? 
A. HR can significantly contribute in case of a major change by communicating with the employees the benefits of change and how the people and organisation will stand to gain if they adopt change. Automation, it was seen in 1980s, was generally met with resistance by the employees but gradually generations transformed and became tech savvy. Also, it is important to note that change is not always beneficial so a thorough investigation and analysis is required. Amalgamation of two cultures in an M&A, retention of high performing staff, implementation of best practices are some significant deliverables of HR which cannot be underestimated. Click here to read full interview...

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Thursday, November 01, 2012

While HR has been busy transforming itself to a strategic role, the CEO’s hr wishlist has kept growing

Ever since the publication of McKinsey’s ‘War for Talent’ research, chief executive officers and business leaders have emphasised the need for their organisations to manage and leverage their human capital by effectively attracting, developing and retaining talent, in line with the organisation’s objectives and direction. The world of business since then has grown, both in size and in complexity. Complex and large projects require large teams, which more often than not are diverse both geographically and culturally, and compose of people across a variety of educational backgrounds. Technology today has also made it possible for teams to work together virtually without ever having to have in-person interactions. HR faced a daunting challenge. The need of the hour was to develop HR professionals who were not only skilled in their domain, but would have enough knowledge and expertise to be able to contribute to a marketing manager, or a finance director’s talent management needs at the input level. It was then imperative that the HR function, as it stood in yesteryear, had to relook and revamp its roles to help large and complex organisations in making human capital a key strategic advantage over competitors. From where HR was, to what it needed to be, was a paradigm shift from being merely administrators of decisions made by others to becoming key decision-makers affecting business outcomes. HR leaders succeeded to a great extent and most business leaders today believe that the HR is making exceptional contributions in strategic areas, including talent management, succession planning, engagement, recruitment and retention and that senior HR executives have done a great job in their role of a business partner.

The business world, however, has been changing faster than ever, with significant shifts in scope and character. Organisations are learning to deal with disruptive technology, shifts in economic power, talent mobility and black swan phenomenon. Naturally therefore, while HR has been busy transforming itself from the tactical to the strategic, and has deservedly received ‘a seat at the table’, the CEO’s wishlist from the HR function has kept growing. Business leaders today expect HR managers to have a much deeper understanding of business over and above their essential HR skills. Read More...

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Thursday, October 25, 2012

Showing The Ropes

His passion for education earned him the sobriquet ‘the change maker’. Prof. R.S. Sirohi joined Invertis University in January 2011 with an aim to provide quality education to rural students. His experience with prestigious institutions, including IIT Delhi as Director, helped him to take up this challenge. “When I was appointed Vice-Chancellor of the Invertis University at Bareilly, I realised that rural India is still untouched by the outside world of learning. It was an eye-opening and painful experience for me,” says Prof. Sirohi.

A vast experience in education sector, Prof Sirohi says, helped him best in introducing many revolutionary concepts in Invertis. He opines that students in rural regions are devoid of conducive educational environment and do not have an enjoyable learning experience. Formal education is very important as it helps in building a strong foundation. At the same time, transparency is essential for any system to function smoothly. “Transparency is missing from the education system which has invariably affected the quality of education,” he laments and adds that India has witnessed mushrooming growth of private universities and educational institutions but there are very few which provide quality education. Click here to read more...

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Monday, October 15, 2012

On a Correction Course

It has been a return to the roots for Mr. Ankur Bansal, when he gave up a plum career in the USA to come back to Indiaand take up the reins of a ‘philanthropic’ initiative that his grandfather took up in 1996.

Established 15 years back, New Delhi Institute of Management (NDIM) has been an All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), Ministry of HRD, Government of India, accredited institution since inception. It offers management courses that are delivered to students through a slew of modern teaching techniques such as, the Case Study Method, Lecture Method, Seminars, Field Visits, Group Projects, Role-Playing, Experiential Learning and Simulated Exercises.

And looking after the entire management and operations related activities of the institution since 2008, has been Mr. Bansal. He completed his schooling and college education in New Delhi and pursued his C.A. and MBA from Carnegie Mellon University, USA. While, staying there, he choose investment banking as a career and had stints with Bank of America Securities, among others, to later return to India. Click here to Read More....

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Thursday, October 11, 2012

She Writes Story Contest winner: Sheela Jaywant

Sheela Jaywant is one of twelve winners of the MSN-Random House She Writes a Story Contest', as chosen by our judges. Her story 'Yokemates' features in the 'She Writes: A collection of Short Stories' published by Random House India and available at all leading bookstores.


Sheela Jaywant has worked in a multi-specialty tertiary care hospital for many years and for half a decade in a five-star hotel. And in earlier avatars, as a librarian, teacher and UNICEFvolunteer. As an author of three books, Quilted: Stories of middle-class India, Melting Moments, and The Liftman and Other Stories, as well as a columnist and translator, she found that creative writing couldn't pay the bills. So she wrote three books of short fiction and did two translations alongside her day job. Later, many of her stories found their way into anthologies. When people ask her where she gets her ideas from, she says: 'you'.


read an extract from sheela jaywant's story 'yokemates'

Between Margao and Canacona, Vijay couldn't find a petrol pump easily, but every other kilometre, a bhaiyya from either UP or Bihar manned a sugarcane-juice stall. 'These so-called "outsiders" fulfill so many needs,' he thought. 'They till the farms, help with the harvests and build roads and homes, like the Goans did in the Gulf.'

Vijay had crossed over to Panaji at seven in the morning, by ferry, from Betim in North Goa. Taking the bridge across the Mandovi would have been another three kilometres. The ferry was free, even for cars. By nine he had passed bustling, chaotic Madgaon, a town that was still robust, but not as graceful as Panjim any longer. Of course, it still prided itself as the state's commercial capital. The merciless April sun seemed to have melted the tar road. The haze, the blinding glare through the windshield, and the guess that he might make a loss that day made the drive torturous. After the Karmal ghats he headed further south towards Chauri. The windows were still down, but there wasn't any breeze. 'The cashew crop from the jungles should be good,' he thought hopefully, for the cashew tree loved heat and humidity.

Through the eucalyptus trunks, he could see the occasional jungle-cashew tree dotted with yellow and orange fruit, like fluorescent, colourful ornaments from Dubai which the Catholics hereabouts put up on folding plastic trees during Natal, the season that stretched from the second week of December until after the New Year was brought in. Like wipers on a monsoon day, his eyes darted from side to side. For kilometres together, he could see only eucalyptus. Of course, there was the occasional mango tree, laden with fruit just waiting to ripen, kept warm and secure until May under the shade of the leaves. It was difficult to get someone to pluck mangoes or coconuts. Whether skilled or unskilled, a labourer took four hundred rupees per day, for five hours of work. No one worked the full eight hours.



in her own words: sheela jaywant Have you always been a writer? 

What made you start writing?
My first 'work' was a verse I'd written for the Illustrated Weekly of India, perhaps in the fourth standard. Have always been good at languages and writing short stories and essays.

What inspired you to enter She Writes?
Saw the request on the Net, and thought, why not send my story.

Why did you chose the category you did?
It fitted my story.

Do you have a writing routine - e.g. do you have favourite places to write/favourite times of day/do you write longhand or on a computer?
I prefer mornings, or late at night. At the computer. And I'm comfortable in my own corner.

Who is your favourite author?
Vikram Seth, Hanif, and some Marathi authors, too.

Which book has inspired you the most?
Can't say, each plays a role.

Which key piece of advice would you give to any other budding writer?
Be prepared for hard work, daily work, and hardly any payment. Preferably, have a day job to subsidize this love/passion.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Going for Gold

EduRiser Learning Solutions (P) Ltd. hosted the “Search for the Lost Dutchman’s Gold Mine” (LDGM), an open programme focussed on discovering effective collaboration and productivity based behaviour
in Mumbai in the month of June. LDGM was an experiential programme based on a collaborative business simulation, and was designed to be an engaging and fun session. EduRiser Learning Solutions provides optimal end-to-end solutions to the learning needs of private and government organisations, PSUs and educational institutes among others. It provides content development services in English as well as vernacular languages. The firm has domain specific expertise across verticals and uses effective modes of course delivery which include classroom training, e-learning and blended learning. The learning solutions provide focus on various areas of business such as sales, softskills, behavioural transformation, leadership, management development programmes, business simulations, as well as product, process and functional and induction programmes. The half day programme at the Residency Hotel in Mumbai was aimed at frontline to top management professionals across departments and business functions. Mr. Solomon Salvis, CEO of EduRiser Learning Solutions, facilitated the programme. The participants at the event included companies like, Vodafone, Wockhardt, Nomura, Ultratech and Kotak Mahindra Bank. Read More 

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Monday, October 08, 2012

THE CITI NEVER. . .

Adversity is a great teacher, and is an opportune time for some leadership lessons. US Gen. George S. Patton, who won many accolades during World War 2, was famous for his handling of adversities in warfare. During one operation in Sicily, he is said to have told one of his lieutenants that he had complete faith in him. To prove it, Patton went home and, you guessed it, slept! He used to famously quote, “Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they’ll surprise you with their ingenuity.”

Not letting down his board’s belief, it seems Citigroup CEO Vikram Pandit’s classy ingenuity – and that of his valued predecessors – has not only surprised, but even shocked the damned pants of Citi’s investor groups. Look at their performance on the ingenuity scale – for an organisation that had enviable smashing profits of $24.5 billion in 2005, the six months ending June 2008 have been pure genius – a killing loss of $7.6 billion! With one top US institution filing for bankruptcy (Lehman Brothers), the other (Merrill Lynch) being taken over by another (Bank of America), and the IMF estimate of gross losses suffered by the industry because of the sub-prime crisis crossing a gut wrenching $1 trillion, is Citigroup – one of the worst hit institutions in the US – going to be the next disaster on the West Coast? Boasting an asset size close to $2.1 trillion as on 2008 [double that of, say, India’s GDP], if Citi falls, Patton or no Patton, nobody’s going to sleep again for many months!

Not the least Victor J. Menezes, retd. Senior Vice Chairman of Citigroup, who reverted to us commenting, “I do not wish to get involved in any such media interactions concerning Citibank.” Truly speaking, the problems that Citigroup had piled up for itself were there for everybody to see; and as surprising as the analysis might be, the fact is nobody was ready to bell the billion-dollar pig and send it to the butcher’s. That Citi’s future is in grave danger can be easily viewed from the way share prices have plummeted. It’s a massacre on the bourses, with Citi’s share price falling from $55 in January 2007 to a pathetic $14 on September 17, 2008!

On September 15, 2008, Citi’s shares plunged by 15%, & on September 16, by another 7%, as news of Citi’s exposure to Lehman’s bankruptcy came to light. Lehman named Citigroup amongst its “largest unsecured creditors,” with a numbing $138 billion of Citigroup’s money tied up in unsecured Lehman bonds. Consider that Lehman’s gross outstanding debt is $613 billion dollars! So Citi is exposed to almost an unbelievable 23% of Lehman’s crash!

As B&E had analysed just a few weeks back in its cover issue Murders & Acquisitions [August 7, 2008], Vikram’s predecessor, Charles Prince, is an equal, if not better conspirator in this bloodbath. In 1998, he, as the Chief Administrative Officer [under Sandy Weill, then CEO], engineered the utterly disastrous $140 billion merger of Citibank with Travelers Group ten years back. Former Citi Chief Executive John Reed, who engineered the deal with Sandy Weill, confessed to the Financial Times in April 2008, “The specific merger transaction clearly has to be seen as a mistake,” and he was ‘unclear whether the company’s model or management deserved the greater share of the blame for its problems.’


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Saturday, October 06, 2012

INDIA: ORGAN DONATION

Gap Between Demand and Supply

At present, out of the 1,50,000 patients requiring kidney transplants, only 200 get kidneys by way of donations from the deceased. As per Multi Organ Harvesting Aid Network (MOHAN) Foundation in Chennai, efforts by the states of Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Karnataka have increased the rate of cadaveric donation from 0.08 per million in 2008 to 0.1 in 2010. In most developed nations, the cadavers conversion is around 25% to 30%. Yet, a 2007 WHO estimate reveals that 10% of all transplants involved patients from developed countries going to poor countries to buy organs.

India for that matter neither has clear laws not a central information agency for organ database, thus increasing the chances of buying and selling organs. It leaves the patients on the mercy of the hospitals for organs. Most of the time, registered patients do not get the organs, as these are bought by rich patients directly from the hospitals. What should we do?

Copy the US blatantly. Many states in US encourage organ donations by writing down the consent while granting the driver’s license itself, thus allowing a central information database of donors and receivers. A total of 28,000 transplants took place in US in 2008 alone! Obviously, they must be doing something right!


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Friday, October 05, 2012

The Top 30 Ranks

A list of the B-Schools that Nearly made it to The Top 30 Ranks in the B&E-ICMR B-School Survey. And well, They Might just Make it Next Year!

Now jump back in that analogy, and you’ll realize why any research that deals with bringing out the list of best B-schools in the country cannot ignore the views of the most important customer set –experienced corporate leaders! For it is these top management leaders who will be able to give feedback on the intricacies of how and what makes a great B-school and a greater B-school student.

That is why Business & Economy had decided to unleash a new paradigm in B-school surveys in the Indian context when it launched a unique concept for ranking India’s top 30 B-schools last year. We shortlisted the top 30 B-schools based on our survey conducted across the main metros of India, but the final ranking among these 30 B-schools was done by five top corporate leaders from the industry. We supplied this unique and distinguished panel with all the relevant data and information they needed on the top B-schools for giving their final scores to the B-schools. From these final scores, we got our final list of rankings. And this procedure, which is unprecedented in the history of B-school surveys in India, is unrivalled in its credibility and authenticity, since the results come from those who have absorbed these very B-school graduates on a regular basis and have over decades realized how well or otherwise these students have performed. Therefore, they logically know exactly what works and what doesn’t.

Now an annual feature, India’s most authoritative B-school survey repeated the core process and methodology we followed last year for 2010-11, but the list of corporate leaders has only got larger, more diverse and far richer. This time around, we took the list up to twenty – the who’s who of India Inc. representing outstanding management leadership across geographies, across sectors and even across management functions. Unequalled, unparalleled, unrivalled, the illustrious panel list for this year’s B-school rankings is as follows:  Dr. Wifried Aulbur, MD and CEO, Mercedes-Benz India, Michael Boneham, President and Managing Director, Ford India, Sandeep Aneja, MD, Kaizen Private Equity, V. Balakrishnan, CFO, Infosys Technologies, Sumeet Nair, Chairperson, Fashion Foundation of India, Subrata Dutta, Chief Operating Officer, Samsonite South Asia Pvt. Ltd., Gautam Dutta, CEO, Cinemedia, PVR Ltd., K.M. Nanaiah, MD, Pitney Bowes, Pankaj Dubey, Business Head, Yamaha India, Girish Vaidya, Independent


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.
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Monday, September 10, 2012

Wrong person, Wrong place?

The New CEO is a Software guy and has Prior Experience only in Enterprise Sales – A clear mismatch with the current philosophy of HP – The largest IT company in the World. Is he the right choice?

On a cold Sunday afternoon of February 2009, Leo Apotheker, who had moved into the CEO chamber at the $46 billion technology giant SAP’s Waldorf headquarters barely seven months back, shot across a sorrow-laden email to his employees. It read thus: “The pace of change was probably too rapid. My communication toward you was not always optimal. I regret that I wasn’t able to earn the support of each and every one of you...” So what forced him to wear the cloak of humility? The Board of Directors at SAP had refused to renew his contract following his underperformance. The financials had turned turbid, as SAP recorded the first fall in top & bottomlines in 7 years, which plummeted by 8% to $14.6 billion and 7% to $2.48 billion respectively in FY2009. Other matters disappointed the shareholders further, which included the withdrawl of SAP from the Sun acquisition talk (which Oracle finally bought, killing chances of SAP becoming invulnerable), the failure to get on board 10,000 customers for his expensive service software project Business By Design by 2010 (which never saw the light of the day during his tenure), his inability to get SAP’s products in-line with the changing trends in enterprise software, et al. His fate was sealed.

But just as surprised as the world was when he was offloaded by SAP’s Board even as his 75 minute-long debut CEO keynote at Orlando was being forgotten, the $98 billion tech-giant Hewlett-Packard proved yet again (after Hurd’s unceremonious exit on August 6, 2010) why it is good at making news. Apotheker had just been announced the scandal-marred HP’s new blue-eyed boy. As for the shareholders, their grief was visible as the HP stock fell by 4.32% on the first trading day following this announcement on September 30, 2010 – wiping away $4.2 billion of value. Rick Sturm, CEO, Enterprise Management Associates (EMA), while speaking to B&E from Colorado, says, “Investors have indicated that they doubt Apotheker’s ability to lead HP. This choice by the HP board is likely to end up being seen as an unbelievable act of stupidity.”

Of what can be observed from Apotheker’s past, seems unsettling. In recent times, HP has been plagued by unethical issues leading to high-profile exits. With Apotheker, it appears that this corporate legacy will live on. The German is currently involved in a courtroom dust-fight, where Ellison-led Oracle is claiming more than $2 billion in damages from SAP. Oracle claims that Apotheker was at the centre of an illicit activity four years back, which saw workers at SAP’s TomorrowNow subsidiary steal copies of Oracle’s maintenance services software. HP’s honour will therefore again receive some clubbing on November 1, 2010 – officially Apotheker’s first day as HP’s CEO – when he presents himself before court to defend SAP’s case, as Massachusetts-based Charles King, President, Mindspring Research tells B&E, “Apotheker could leave HP with eggs on its face. Oracle never bothered listing Apotheker as a witness for its trial with SAP.” What a way to kickstart your tenure as HP’s CEO!


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.
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Saturday, September 08, 2012

Once a star, always a star

Back in the 70s, Neetu Kapoor nee Singh made ‘coy’ passé; the new leading lady was spunky, even brattish, yet eminently loveable. After a gap of nearly 25 years, she faced the camera for Do Dooni Char, wowing one and all with her middle-class budget-conscious housewife act. We can’t wait for more; how’s that for some khullam khulla declaration of love?


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.
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IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face

Tuesday, September 04, 2012

The old Indian rope trick... Mastered!

Better late than later, IDBI Bank has finally understood the power of numbers – or rather, of Indian masses. With their renewed focus towards retail banking, the bank seems to be re-mastering age-old strategies… and quite efficiently. B&E does a snapshot insider of what’s up! by Mona Mehta

Firstly, one has to accept IDBI was never one of the early birds. What till the late 90s was simply the metaphor for a huge building in an area called Scope Complex in New Delhi, has today metamorphosed and managed to carve a niche for itself in the Indian banking arena by surviving the cut-throat competition. Today, when all public sector banks have risen to the challenge – put forward by the private and the foreign banks – to meet the global benchmarks in terms of service quality and product innovation, IDBI Bank has emerged on its own way as a trendsetter despite not being one of the big daddies of the industry. A quick strategic review was of the order; and yes, we did it pronto!

Galloping Ahead
If one were to simply go by numbers, IDBI Bank seems certainly set for a real show. Beating even the best of the forecasts, the bank registered a mind-boggling 97.9% growth in its operating profit in the last fiscal. Net interest income of the bank too grew to `22.67 billion in 2009-10 as compared to `12.39 billion in the previous year, translating into a growth of 82.9%. IDBI Bank’s operations during the first quarter ended June, 2010 resulted in a net interest income of `8.51 billion, registering an extraordinary 172% growth over the `3.15 billion posted by the company in the same quarter of the previous financial year. Interestingly, this happened during a period when most of the Indian banking giants were still recovering from the slowdown blues.

Going deeper, while IDBI Bank’s net profit grew 46% (on year-on-year basis), fee based income increased by 53%, deposits grew 36%, advances grew 38%, aggregate assets rose 29% and the total business of the bank registered a growth of 37%. Analysts from firms like Jainam Research tell B&E how given specific fundamental performance factors, the bank’s bottomline is set for some serious growth in the coming quarters.

The Trick… The Old Indian Rope Trick
So how’d they do it? Well, it’s just by a little change in focus; or rather, going back to the focus that should have been originally there. We term it IDBI Bank’s ‘middle of the pyramid’ theory. IDBI Bank, which used to be highly focussed on the corporate sector generating 70% of its total business from the same, finally did one of their most transformational strategic focus changes to decide to give its retail business an equal importance – not only in terms of products, but marketing and investments too. The aggression comes quite clear, when B&E talked to R. M. Malla, c, IDBI Bank, “We have charted out new plans to enhance the bank’s branch network, which will help the bank expand its retail business. For the purpose, IDBI Bank plans to set up between 1,500 to 3,000 branches, 4,000 to 5,000 ATMs and 100,000 point of sale (PoS) machines with shopkeepers, in the next three years.” That translates into mammoth investments. Tactically, at ground level too, the bank has already started attempting a more consumer friendly face – and it’s not just about its advertisement. For example, to attract more retail business and achieve their goal of lowering cost of deposits, IDBI Bank has gone a step ahead of its competitors by waiving charges on many of its current account and savings account (CASA) services including account closure, ATM Interchange, demand draft cancellation et al (although industry players like Pankaj Pandey, Head – Research, ICICI Direct, while talking to B&E, warn that such a waiver of charges by IDBI Bank on the CASA account will drag down the fee based growth of the bank).


Monday, September 03, 2012

"I AM A VERY STRONG SELF-CRITIC"

Some say he can handle numbers pretty well; others argue he’s more of a creative guy. Some say he’s a cut-throat businessman, others reiterate his only passion is work. To the media world, he’s a true recluse, refusing any and every media exposure. He rarely talks, leave alone provide insightful descriptions on his follies, mistakes and achievements. Ronnie Screwvala, UTV founder, in exclusive conversation with B&E’s Shephali Bhatt



B&E: What geared you to be in the business of media and entertainment?
Ronnie Screwvala (RS):
I think it is one of the few industries where you are looking at the creative aspect and the business aspect. In Media and Entertainment, if you can find the rare combination of creativity and commerce, it is a strong formula for success, whereas in other businesses that are non-creative, you can have a strong commercial background; you do not have to be marketing clever. Here if you have that and if the combination works it is much more fun.

B&E: From the first cable TV venture in Mumbai, you have grown to sign deals with global biggies like Walt Disney, Fox Searchlight, Sony & Will Smith’s Overbrook Entertainment. Where do you see all this leading to?
RS:
The Indian market has positioned itself as one of the most interesting markets in the media and entertainment field in the world… I think everyone thought so five years back, but now it is more so because of the rest of the world, if you look at it in terms of comparison. It’s not just that everyone would like to view India as the destination but more so that the rest of the world is actually slowing down. If you look at the west, its growth in media and entertainment has come down to zero or is absolutely flat. If you look at Japan it is an insulated market; if you look at China, it is a closed market; if you look at South –East Asia, there is no real scale level play. So it is not that India has to be one of the quarter calls, it seems to be the most critical quarter call, maybe with the sole exception of South American countries. So, for media companies in India today, it is important to look at the home market and the diasporas’ market overseas.

B&E: How strong is your industry in the diaspora market?
RS:
I think we in media and entertainment industry have substantially ignored the 30-35 million diaspora market of South Asians and that is something that also needs to be looked at. We should look at the 1 billion people here and 35 million outside. The latter is a unique market because it is the second largest migrant population of the world after the Chinese; so that is large and comes with a higher propensity to spend and consume. So even if it is 1 billion versus the 35 million, it could be ten times of 35, it could represent an equivalent of 300 million just by their spending power.

B&E: Then how do you explain all those international tie-ups that you have been entering into?
RS:
I believe that our tie ups with international companies are more because that is where we believe that we can work together to see how we can meet this diaspora, rather than going out and frittering our energies to build an international story. I think India in itself is a strong international story and that is where our focus lies right now. So if we have done deals with FOX and Overbrook Entertainment in the recent past, they were just deals done by our movies division. So it wasn’t really part of an overall organization thrust.


Saturday, September 01, 2012

SETTING ‘THE’ BENCHMARK!

O. P. Bhatt took over the reins of sbi when private players were catching up. He decided to go slow and his strategy seemed to have paid off. With SBI’s profits two times that of its closest rival ICICI Bank, sbi is far ahead of its competitors by any means

B&E: SBI’s NIM (net interest margin) has improved significantly from 2.30% in June 2009 to 3.18% in June 2010. Where do you see it going forward?
O. P. Bhatt (OPB):
We certainly want to increase it further, but we would be happy if we maintain it at the current levels for now. Though there is a healthy possibility of an increase in NIM in the near future, our priority is to maintain it at the current levels, which is quiet good.

B&E: Credit growth in the banking sector seems to have picked up much faster than the usual pace. So, what kind of numbers are you looking at?
OPB:
We are really optimistic about the credit growth and as such are looking forward to achieve a 20-22% growth rate in the near future.

B&E: Will the demand continue to come from infrastucture and allied sectors or will we some more sectors playing a significant role in driving the demand for credit?
OPB:
If you look at the big loans, the maximum demand, as of now, is coming from the infrastructure space. In fact, it willl continue to come from here in the near future as well. However, sectors, which include retail, education, auto and real estate, will too drive the demand for loans. We have seen some good credit growth flowing in from these sectors in the recent past and as such are really optimistic about the contribution they can make to the credit growth.

B&E: Going forward what is the outlook for interest rates?
OPB:
We are definitely reviewing the interest rates. We have an upward bias for the interest rate in the coming quarters. The interest rates for both, deposits and loans will go up. Deposit rates have already bottomed and the era of cheaper interest rates is over.

B&E: SBI has reported an increase in NPAs (non-performing assets). Which are the sectors that are putting pressure on the bank’s balance sheet?
OPB:
NPAs have increased for sure but if you look at the figure it is more in terms of percentage than the value. On a sectoral basis, the agriculture sector is the biggest contributor to our NPAs, almost 50% of the total NPAs of the bank. The other sector that’s putting pressure is the SME sector.

Read more......

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

An Initiative of IIPMMalay Chaudhuri
and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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Friday, August 31, 2012

FOUR DIMENSIONS OF PROFIT-MAKING!

Competition today has forced organisations to overlook the importance of values, ethics, credible leadership and corporate governance. they simply hinge their hopes on luck. wrong. Dr. Jamshed Jiji Irani, Director of Tata Sons and Chairman of the Board of Governors, IIM-Lucknow, writes about those elements, which if considered first, would result in fair profits.

From the dawn of civilisation, societies and cultures have been impacted by a numerically minute group of men and women who, because of their vision and their willpower, have swayed and changed the course of history; and they have significantly impacted the lives of their fellow human beings. Such persons have not just happened, they have been trained to grasp their moment of history. They have lived by the adage – “God give me the strength to change what I can, the humility to accept what I cannot and the wisdom to differentiate between the two”.

Profit is about “Values”
The one common thread that joins all successful leaders, is that they have seized the opportunity that came their way. Some say that to be successful, you must be lucky. In my opinion, there is no luck involved in building a successful career or a happy family life. I would rather say that good luck comes as a result of “preparation” meeting “opportunity”. Another very important subject is of “values”. In some quarters, particularly amongst young executives, “values” are looked upon as old fashioned and, may be even considered as being out of sync with the demands of the current competitive scenario. But let me assure you that it is not so.

Today, society is once again recognising the merits of value-based decisions. Please be assured that society is demanding that businesses get cleaned up; and this movement is going to accelerate in the future. I would like to quote J. R. D. Tata here: “No success or achievement in material terms is worthwhile, unless it serves the needs or interests of the country and its people and is achieved by fair and honest means.”

Profit is about “Ethics in Business”
What is Ethics in Business? It devolves into playing the game of business according to rules, even if your competitor does not. Some critics might argue that in the prevalent environment, this philosophy would not be acceptable, as “ethics” might result in a disadvantageous situation in the business arena. But, being “ethical” does not mean that one cannot also be “profitable”. It is most important to make profits and to generate wealth; because only then can one have the resources to do good in the community. That differentiates between ‘good’ and bad’ business practices, and decides what happens to the wealth after it has been generated. I would once again like to quote J. R. D. Tata here. He said, “Every company has a special continuing responsibility towards the people of the area in which it is located and in which its employees and their families live. In every city, town or village, large or small, there is always a need for improvement, for help, for relief, for leadership and for guidance.

I suggest that the most significant contribution that an organised industry can make is to identify itself with the lives and problems of the people of the community, to which it belongs and by applying its resource, skills and talents, to the extent that it can reasonably spare them to serve and help them.”



Thursday, August 30, 2012

Shinzo Nakanishi, MD, Maruti Suzuki India

Maruti’s market share and stock price has taken a beating in the recent past; blame competition for it. Shinzo Nakanishi, MD, Maruti Suzuki India, explains the comeback plan of the company to B&E.

B&E: The company has capacity expansion plans for 2012. How do you plan to manage till then, as the company is selling whatever it can produce?
SN:
The company was working on ways to bring that to an earlier date and I am pushing my engineers very hard to ensure that Maruti is able to start the additional 250,000 units production as soon as possible. However, as of now, I will not be able tell you by when we will be able to start our new assembly line. But till then, we will have to manage with out existing capacity, and look at options by which we can maximise our production.

B&E: What about the developments on Suzuki Motor Corporation’s alliance with Volkswagen?
SN:
The talks with Volkswagen are going on at a global level but there is still no clear picture as of now. However, there is very much a possibility of an OEM (original equipment manufacturing) supply contract with Volkswagen, which will be similar to what Maruti has with Nissan. But there is no possibility of sharing a common production platform with Volkswagen. Keeping in mind the fact that the German company’s production and product development costs are very high, it could make our business model unfit for India.

B&E: What prompted you to launch a five CNG models, even before a proper infrastructure was available for usage?
SN:
We had two very radically different options in front of us regarding this – either we could wait till the point when the infrastructure got ready and then launch our products or being a market leader, we act first and allow competitors to follow us. We chose the second option!