Brand Building or Hype ???

These days, there is a lot of talk on whether or how Indian companies should go for aggressive brand-building. "Tata's should do this, Bharti should do this etc...". But sometimes brand building goes negative. Aggressive marketing and brand-building can boost stock prices by raising customer and investor expectations. Some companies create hype about their products. They go aggressive while buliding their brand. Thus brands are created much before the real product arrives in the market. But the penalties for not delivering on marketing promises are fast becoming as significant as not meeting quarterly earnings targets. Failing promises lead to demotivation among the investors. Examples like Apple and Boeing have suffered themselves.

Boeing had banked over 700 orders from 50-plus airlines when a prototype 787 was showcased to the public. Boeing marketers did a terrific job of positioning the "Dreamliner" as a step change improvement in air travel. But the 787 was behind on its production schedule, with multiple parts suppliers falling short of their delivery targets. And thus Boeing stocks went wobbly on the news, that test flights and initial deliveries of the Dreamliner would be delayed.

Same story happened with Apple.The iPhone was heavily promoted at the time of its June 29 launch, resulting in long lines and spot shortages at Apple and AT&T retail stores. Despite a retail price over $500, iPhones were quickly being offered on eBay for $100 extra.But, the reviews were mixed. At that retail price and with that level of hype, the critics were tough but a raft of concerns came from delayed activation and sluggish email. The hype had brought forward demand from the Apple afficionistas who love all things Apple. But these loyal customers were the very ones caught short when Apple announced a $200 iPhone price decrease 8 weeks after launch.This suggested iPhone sales had slowed considerably below post-launch expectations and might not meet holiday season targets. The stock price was punished immediately.Apple's stock, although it rebounded after a strong earnings report, dropped six percent when the company announced a $200 price cut on the iPhone.

So, do not risk marketing hype unless the company is sure of both, supply curve and demand curve. Hype can hurt stock prices and investor confidence when expectations are not met. So be a step ahead, be cautious, and always glued to the earth, before announcing and creating any hypes about the product.

Taare Zameen Par ...

Till now, everyone must have watched Taare Zameen Par. Was it not a great experience!!! Actually I am short of words to describe the movie's excellence. I watched it on the very first day although my exams were just 4 days away. I always felt that the movie was not about only Dyselexia but more about child labour. The movie was more about parent's expectations from a child, and the cruel competitive world.
The movie made me cry a lot. But the unusual part of it is, whenever I see the movie again, I feel like crying everytime. As if I am helpless and couldn't help "Ishaan"! As if, I am disgusted by the God's decision! As if, it is my story! As if, it is the story of every child around us! As if many Ishaans are around us,asking for help! As if every child is in the making of Ishaan. And as far as I have got the review of the movie, almost everyone cried while watching the movie. Are we all helpless?
So shouldn't we take a step ahead, and make difference through our deeds. Can't we take a day off and visit a NGO to spend some time with children suffering with problems like mental retardation, autism, dyselexia etc.? Or can't we stop spending our money on McDonald's and KFC's and donate that money to such organizations? Or the simplest thing we can do is, to make sure that no more Ishaan are created. Make sure when we will have our children, we will let them live there childhood.
Think upon it! Do it yourself, in your own way. But atleast we should do something, so that the next time, a movie like Taare Zameen Par releases, we will not cry!!!

Boot Polish !!!

Have you seen children sitting at the footpaths,and shouting "boot polish" and trying to snatch your attention? Ever thought of doing that yourself? Naa..aah! "Its such a cheap job"! And what if someone tells you, "How about starting a business of boot polish"? And your reaction would, "What a silly idea"?But never ever underestimate any thought.
Sandeep Gajakas of Mumbai,held this idea and started his business. He saw a lot of otherwise cleanly dressed people going around in expensive, but dirty, footwear. That was because age-old methods were not good enough for cleaning hi-tech branded shoes that used different materials and textures. So, armed with a knowledge of chemicals and cleaning methods and all of Rs 7,000, he started a shoe cleaning service, Shoe Laundry, four years ago. His service appealed to company brass, TV and film stars, models and politicians, among others, who did not mind spending Rs 120 a pop to have their costly sneakers looking like new. Today he has the likes of Yash Chopra and family among his clients and his turnover has ramped up to about Rs 1.5 lakh a month. While initially he did all the cleaning himself--he did not trust anyone else to do the job--he has now hired help to keep his business growing.

We the students of premier B-school,can be a step ahead, by starting with our own business idea and turning it to, an enterprise.No idea is good or bad until it is implemented well. So all you friends participating in B-plan competitions, thumbs up to you from my side.Cheers!!!

Sports and Indian IT firms : No Connection ???

Sorry, you all are wrong, if at all you believed so. There is a huge connection between sports and IT firms of India.In fact Indian IT firms are associated with sports in global level.You must have heard of BPO,KPO,LPO, but now its all about SPO, i.e. Sports Process Outsourcing. Tennis pro Rafael Nadal to the Sri Lankan cricket team, all rely on India for the formula of success through analytical software. Nadal is consulting Swantha Software to figure out how he can beat Federer, by doing frame by frame analysis of Federer's play. Chennai based Meru Consultants help Srilankan team to analyse the opponents play and devise game-plans. Even our BCCI uses a Stump Vision software called Scorite, to familiarise scorers with the world of computer scoring.And guess who owns the Stump Vision Company? None other than our captain, Anil Kumble. His company also serves Wisden, Transworld International and Singapore Cricket Association, to name a few. Now let me introduce you all with the biggest of them all. Satyam Computer Service was made the official IT service provider for the next two FIFA World Cups. And its not only about sports analysing software! Ahmadabad based IT company, Radix, sells their sports goods directly to consumers through website. Thus a little bit of direct marketing too!
So all you people thought that expansion level of Indian IT firms is over, businesses like SPO are there go beyond. Amazed? Doesn't believe so? Listen to this! SPO's currently generate revenue of about 100 crore a year with growth rate of 40% year on year.So we all can proudly say,that India is always a step ahead in IT over other countries.

Beyond Auto Expo : ROBO EXPO 2008

Auto Expo 2008,Delhi is the cynosure of every newspaper,news channel.You can find every one just discussing about Tata Nano, Dilip Chhabaria, Suzuki A-Star etc.It is affecting every Indian,infact everyone, globally.But no one knows that the 1st Robo Expo is also being held concurrent to Auto Expo, from 10-17 January at the Andhra Pavilion, Pragati Maidan showcasing world leaders of Robotics & Automation such as ABB Ltd, Hi-Tech Robotic Systemz, Kuka, Motoman Motherson Robotics Ltd, Panasonic, Precision Automation & Robotics India Ltd (PARI), Rhythmsoft and Rockwell amongst others.Of the 11 Robotics companies at Robo Expo, 5 are Indian companies. Let me introduce them to you,

Hi Tech Robotic Systemz Ltd. launched their indigenously developed Humanoid called NEEL at the show. “NEEL is capable of doing obstacle avoidance through stereovision and also recognizing human faces. It can interact with humans through speech”, said Mr. Deep Kapuria, managing director, Hi Tech Robotics. The company has also launched the Advance Driver Assistive System (ADAS), which would help enhance road safety, Intellicart for material handling which integrates patented VBL technology and Robotic Vision, which is a vision sensor that can be integrated into any robotic arm for quality inspection of manufacturing components.
Kuka Robotics (India) Pvt Ltd, is the only robotics company in the world supplying robots to the entertainment and medical sector. It also the only company with the highest number of robots variants, going up to 280. Their robot, "Titan" offers the highest payload of upto 1000 kgs and has figured in the Guinness Book of World Records”. It is one of the largest suppliers of industrial robots in the world.
Rhythmsoft Robotics & Automation Pvt Ltd, a fast growing company from Nashik has made its mark in Robotic automation by successfully completing turn key BIW projects “XENON” and PHOENIX” for Tata Motors along with KUKA.
Motoman Motherson Robotics Ltd, is showcasing DUAL ARM 13 AXIS Robots at the Robo Expo. This Robot can bring automation one step closer to human performance.
Precision Automation and Robotics India (PARI), is inviting visitors to take the “golf challenge” against their Golfing Robot. This robot plays golf with an accuracy of up to 97%. The idea is to demonstrate the accuracy of PARI systems while the visitors have some fun.

According to industry estimates, 2008 onwards, the world market for industrial robots is projected to rise by an yearly average of 4.2% going up to 139,300 units in 2010. In India the industry is expected to grow at 2-2.5 times the global average.

So those who think robotics is synonym to Japan, should reconsider.By being a step ahead, these Indian companies have given the robotics industry a much needed push.They have shown to the world that Indian robots match their global counterparts.

Career Mapping Tools in India ?

When we talk about human resource management in India,it seems we are talking of something alien.But no,things are changing.Indian companies are increasingly using career mapping tools to identify what motivates an employee to maximize performance and cap attrition.Yes, the concept of Career Anchor has arrived in India.Companies like HCL Technologies,HUL,Marico,HDFC bank,WIPRO Technologies,Dabur India and KPMG are the few names among many that use career anchor concept to craft career paths of their employees.By being a step ahead,these companies are tailoring its communication to get the best out of their employees by choosing the most effective ways to recognize and reward.Companies are understanding the importance of career mapping,as they have realised,that competitive advantage depends on competent people.Knowing what hooks the employee to work could be the way to have an extra edge over competitors.Today,career anchoring is limited only to senior level management,but soon it will start to go down to middle and junior level management.

TATA NANO : A Threat ?

Nobel Prize winner and the Chairman of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Dr.R.K.Pachauri says that TATA NANO is giving him nightmares.Too many vehicles on road will increase emmisions,resulting in further environment instability.Other companies like Suzuki have raised the question that how would NANO fare on the parameters of safety and environment suitability.
Moreover,if Nano will be a success then it would be very easy for every one to buy a car.Nano will be the first car for lower income group.Middle and upper income groups will buy another car for their wives and their other adult family members.Thus imagine,indian roads filled up with so many cars.Already,the roads of India are not very wide,and later on,will result in huge traffic problems.Also,petrol costs are rising high and when so many cars will be there,demand for petrol will increase by leaps and bounds.That too,cars gave mileage of 20-25 km./lt. whereas a bike gives an average of 45-75 km./lt.

Again,our government could be a step ahead,by improving the infrastructure of metros and two-tier cities especially,to reduce future traffic problems.Government could also encourage people to ride more bicycles and bikes.They could also think upon other forms of fuels like bio-diesel to reduce India's dependency on petrol and OPEC countries.

The Unsafe Women

According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), in India,18 women face brutalities in every hour.Two rapes, two kidnappings, four molestations and seven incidents of cruelty happen per hour.Yes,this is one of the cruel faces of we "Moral" Indians.Here we pray daily to female goddesses Laxmi,Saraswati,Durga etc.Yet we disrespect the women in our homes,in society,in world.I couldn't understand,what sense of pleasure a man gets by disrespecting women.Aren't we are two faced society.

But yes,we can be a step ahead,by respecting women around us,by giving them equal chance.And as I always believed,charity begins from home.Let's start giving more respect to our mothers,sisters,wives,friends etc.

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