Showing posts with label IIPM-Publications. Show all posts
Showing posts with label IIPM-Publications. Show all posts

Monday, February 04, 2013

‘SEC’luded from power

Transferring SEC’s power will not solve the problem in the US

T he aftermath of the current financial turmoil in the US can be gauged from the very fact that the institution formed to protect investors’ interests after the Great Depression, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is now itself searching for protection! A legislation introduced earlier this year now aims at diminishing the power of the SEC by taking away its control of the entire gamut of financial products. As expected, the move, even before it was announced, has already spurred a high-voltage controversy between the various regulators. Mary Schapiro, Chairperson, SEC has announced that SEC would ‘profoundly’ question any move to strip it off its power. But the million dollar question remains, has SEC actually justified the powers bestowed on it?

Well, certainly not. Be it the decade old story of Enron or the latest of the lot, Madoff; SEC has failed to prove its pro-activeness. It was visible in the case of Enron and now one can hear the same for Madoff as well. SEC turned a blind eye to the entire issue of Bernard Madoff’s $65 billion Ponzi scheme despite repeated red signals being given from various agencies. Mary Schapiro asserts, “Different regulators have different perspectives and the best solutions come from the clash of varying viewpoints.” Well, aren’t things bad enough when the regulators are not getting in each other’s way?

Now the second critical question is who’s going to get those powers? Although nothing has been confirmed officially, it’s expected that the ball will land in the US Federal Reserve’s court. But, aren’t the Fed’s administrative abilities already in question ever since they allowed the banking ‘giants’ to jeopardise investor’s money by infusing them in sub-prime mortgage backed securities, which created the entire turmoil in the first place? Also, don’t you think that excessive concentration of power with the Fed may give rise to bigger troubles later, if it fails to handle the situation? So, what’s the solution then?


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri
and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
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Friday, October 19, 2012

Yahoo! to Boohoo!

Yahoo! had a chance to grow & survive. It ‘had’!

So what’s the biggest mistake that Yahoo! ever made? Well, allow us to rephrase that... what are the biggest mistakes made by Terry Semel and his successor Jerry Yang? Allow us to reflect back on what happened in 2001. That year, Yahoo’s chief, Terry Semel met the co-founders & co-Presidents of Google – Larry Page and Sergey Brin – to discuss the acquisition of Google. Semel offered them much lower than the $5 billion, that the co-founders asked for. As a justification, Semel stated that “no one could truly value Google,” and that there was “no way he would shell out such a hefty amount” for the search-engine start-up. Eight years later, Google commands a market value of $121.1 billion, while Yahoo!, a lamentable $19 billion! Then there was Semel’s successor, Jerry Yang, who in 2007 brushed aside Microsoft’s bid for Yahoo! for a mind-blowing $46 billion.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
 
IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face
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Saturday, October 13, 2012

NORTH KOREA: NEGOTIATIONS

N. Korea's rhetoric is a plea for a better deal, US needn't take it seriously

North Korea agreed in principle to end its nuclear weapons programme on September 15, 2005 and rejoin the international non-proliferation treaty in return for energy, economic aid and a US promise not to attack. But US went against its promises and N. Korea retaliated by conducting nuclear tests next year.

Recently, Pyongyang stepped up verbal attacks, saying that it's scrapping all military and political agreements with Seoul and considers itself on the brink of war with the South. “N. Korea makes such rhetoric whenever it perceives threat from the US or S. Korea or its domestic conditions become worse, particularly the economy. North hopes that it might get a better deal...,” says R. Subramaniyan, a doctoral fellow at the Academy of Korean Studies. The US needs to actually call their bluff, rather than paying heed. Even N. Korea knows that one misstep can lead to catastrophe in its own land.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
 
IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face


 
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Monday, August 13, 2012

Talk away pain? Now you’re talking!

Your low-back ache can be considerably aggravated by your thoughts and notions. Try a bit of CBT, and you might just be talked out of causing debilitating pain to yourself

Roughly 80% of the world suffers from this at some point in their life. It is singularly responsible for more sick leaves and disability than any other disorder in the world. Popularly characterised by a lady whimpering ‘ooh, aah, ouch!’ on the telly, lumbago or low-back pain is what we’re talking about, and talking about the pain is exactly what the doctors are advising to its victims! The study was conducted by Professor Sarah E Lamb and her colleagues from The University of Warwick and the University of Oxford, and their findings were published in the peer-reviewed medical journal The Lancet. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), a short-term treatment that challenges and reframes negative beliefs, has been judged as an economical option to aid recovery by this study. While back pain is a physical problem, a person’s mental make-up affects the way he/she manages their health, which can significantly benefit or deteriorate the patient’s condition. The study found that people who were provided with CBT group-support sessions experienced greater physical fitness and enjoyed a better quality of life than those who were given a one-off advice session.

CBT sessions involve talking about beliefs relating to physical activity, helping resolve negativity and teaching patients to relax and be less fearful about their situation. Most people’s reaction to lower-back ache is to avoid activity, which only goes on to make the muscles more stiff and so contribute to the existing pain. CBT ensures people don’t fall into this vicious circle, and instead provides advice on appropriate activities they should pursue for faster recovery. At the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre, CBT is an accepted tool for the treatment of backaches and a psychologist is a member of the team treating backaches.


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Tuesday, July 24, 2012

This Time, The Entire US GDP will be Wiped off!

Question is, will The World see Tech-Bubble 2.0? The Incredible Valuations of New age Internet Startups do Indicate so. And what are we Risking? Amir Moin after an In-Depth analysis, Reveals The Answer – a Mighty lot!

C apitalists hate bubbles. Actually, they first love it. Dimes turn into hundreds of dollars, and before the investors wake up to reality, the stock markets crash. Valuations are reduced to ashes, and what is left of any industry hit by this dust storm is a sight of riches-to-rags investors, with the world looking on in helpless horror. The bursting of the dot com bubble of 2000, is an example. It is not every day that the world can withstand a blow of $6 trillion (the value that stock markets around the world lost between March 10, 2000 and December 31, 2002). And the current times – when US, Eurozone and many countries around the world are still digging themselves out of the slowdown disaster – is certainly not one.

But, the threat is growing by the day. The bubble, we mean. And once again, we find ourselves fearing the unholy apparition symbolising all that the world has suffered in the past, due to the cold savagery unleashed by a handful of financial engineers. And like it happened at the turn of the century, the accused this time again, will be the new age Internet startups. Only this time, the aftermath will be more unpleasant. This is how. Of the 308 companies that went public in 1999 (when the dot-com cycle was at its peak) the 24 largest of them, were valued by the bourses at $70.96 billion (the largest being Agilent Technologies, which was valued at $13.6 billion). As per Morgan Stanley, currently, the combined valuation of just the top five most sought-after unlisted Internet start-ups (which are forecasted to hit bourses anytime by mid-2012), totals a higher $71.3 billion (the largest of them being Facebook, at $50 billion)!

We are staring at a dangerous outcome. Events synonymous to those that led to the previous bubble are being seen in the present days. During the first half of 1999, New York was ablaze with venture capitalists funding any and every dot com start-up. IPO activity surrounding these companies was at an all-time high. According to Thomson Reuters, Wall Street made an estimated $1.3 billion in underwriting fees during that period. Investors in tech-stocks were the happiest of the lot. On March 10, 2000, the NASDAQ index peaked to an all time high of 5132.52, before closing at 5,048.62. That day, the total m-cap of companies listed on NASDAQ was $1.98 trillion. By December 31, 2002, the stock exchange had shed 73.55% of value – amounting to a loss of $1.46 trillion. If a similar mishap is repeated today, the NASDAQ alone will lose $3.01 trillion by December 2013 (as per March 31, 2011, valuation of domestic stock exchanges by World Federation of Exchanges ). Simulate the tumbling reaction on stock markets around the world, and you arrive at value lost of $14.77 trillion over the next 33 months – enough to wipe out the total GDP of US (which stood at $14.80 trillion for 2010, as per US Bureau of Economic Analysis) – sending a ‘stock’ shock wave 146.17% higher than the 2000-2002 Internet-apocalypse!



 
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Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Killer roads take a toll

Experts attribute road accidents to overspeeding

Some twenty-five passengers were injured when a bus collided with a truck on the NH 31 at Pathsala in Barpeta district on the night of May 16.

Nearly fifteen schoolchildren were injured when a school bus (AS 15-1616) fell into a ditch on May 22 at Burah in Darrang district.

Local dailies in Assam unfailingly reports about such road accidents. According to government statistics, during the past one decade road accident cases have doubled in the state. In 2000, some 2,429 road accident cases were reported. But the figure increased to 4,869 in 2009. Accidental deaths in 2009 were 1,991 as against 1,032 in 2000. In comparison to all India level, Assam shares 44 per cent of accidental deaths.

In Guwahati city, some 626 motor accident cases took place in 2007; 626 in 2007; 641 in 2008 and 508 in 2008. Among districts Sonitpur registered a maximum 363 accidental cases in 2009. Lower Assam’s Dhubri district and Barak valley’s Cachar district stood second and third with 346 and 306 accidental cases. Out of 4,686 accidents taking place in the state in 2008, as many as 2,683 accidents took place on national highways; 849 were on state highways and the remaining 1,151 on other roads of the state.

City Superintendent of Police (Traffic) Bibekananda Das told TSI that the traffic branch of city police is compiling last five years’ data of road accidents to study them. Only after completion of the process, decision could be taken to prevent accidents, the newly appointed SP (traffic) said. Traffic experts attribute road accidents to overspeeding and even increasing cars on the roads. “Untrained drivers, fake licence holders and absence of civic sense among people are also responsible for increasing number of accidents,” Violet Baruah, SP (CID) told TSI. The problem is further compounded when some drivers don’t obey traffic rules, she said.

According to the rule, mobile phones should not be used during driving and seat belts should be fastened, but only a few people obey them. Drunk driving is also responsible for several road accidents in the state.

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009


An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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Friday, June 11, 2010

HEART IN THE RIGHT PLACE

From a no-cost hospital to a super-specialty medical facility for the poor – retrenched workers of a sick steel company in West Bengal have masterminded the impossible, writes Chandrasekhar Bhattacharjee
It is a low-cost hospital where humanity breathes in all its glory. At the helm of affairs are a bunch of workers who lost their jobs when the sick Indo Japan Steel Company in Belur, West Bengal, downed its shutters for good.

Swami Vivekananda’s famed Belur Math is just a few meters away and those who run the Shramajeevi Hospital are clearly inspired by the great man’s words: “Who serves people serves God”.

The Shramajeevi Hospital has had a deep impact. Ask truck driver Umashankar. He was in danger of losing both his legs after a speeding car hit him in Durgapur in the early 1990s. At the NRS Hospital in Kolkata he was told that his legs, which had six cracks, would have to be amputated. But in Shramajeevi he was treated for two months and his legs were back to normal. His total bill was Rs 8,000. Umashankar is back at the wheels.

Mohammad Mehyor, 14, had his oesophagus severely damaged after he consumed hazardous acid while working in a factory. Wheeled into the hospital a few days later, his life was in danger. Doctors replaced his oesophagus with a piece of his large intestine. He is 21 today and leading a normal life.

A bypass surgery at this hospital costs no more than Rs 25,000 while private hospitals in Kolkata and elsewhere charge at least Rs 1 lakh. “The heart operation unit started about four years back and has already performed 300 bypass surgeries. At least 20 of these operations have been done completely free of cost,” said Dr Anil Saha, secretary of the Belur Shramajeevi Swasthya Prakalpa Samiti.

he Samiti now plans to build a 500-bed super-speciality hospital at Belu Milki village near Singur to serve lakhs of poor and working people. The new project is being envisaged as something more than just a hospital.

In the process of building the existing hospital, the workers were led by the sole union. It had no political affiliation. In the early 1980s, the secondary steel factory was in the throes of a crisis and went through a cycle of closures and re-openings. “Our neighbours helped us a lot during that period. But once the factory reopened, we would forget their good deeds, said Phani Gopal Bhattacharjee, the mentor of the hospital.

It was to repay the kindness of the neighbours that the workers of the factory came up with the idea of a free weekly medical check-up for the poor. The exercise began in 1982 in a Hindi primary school. “We soon expanded the scope of the operation to include eye surgery camps and minor surgeries,” said Bhattacharjee.

Junior doctors, who were agitating at that point against the authorities not for better wages but improved medical services in government hospitals, stepped forward to help the workers realise their dream of providing affordable healthcare to the poor.
For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009


An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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Friday, June 04, 2010

Is CPM on its way to yet another term in west bengal?

Is CPM on the way to yet another term in West Bengal?

Lack of development, apathy towards the poor, scientifically implemented mass rigging, muscle power, murders, guns and goons... These have been the things that made the Leftist people of Bengal angry and furious, and made them think seriously of an alternative after decades. These are the things that made the people to come out and vote against CPM in the elections that have been happening of late, including the Parliamentary elections last year. Of course, that can’t take away the credit from Mamata Banerjee, who has been fearlessly taking the CPM head on! She felt the pulse of Bengal, had the courage and gave the alternative that Bengal was looking for. And it was only after the setback that the otherwise arrogant CPM leaders of Bengal received due to their loss in the general elections last year, that they really started taking her threat seriously and introspecting within.

Initially, with every passing day, Mamata’s popularity only seemed to surge and it seemed that in the upcoming state elections, the results would be a sure victory for the Trinamool Congress – unless she herself did something suicidal like showing her temper and breaking off her relations with the Congress, something that The Sunday Indian had cautioned about earlier too. TSI had also said that the CPM had enough means and relations to influence the Congress to break up with Trinamool and it would require great diplomacy on Mamata’s part to maintain her relations with the Congress. After all, CPM had only got five lakh votes less in the last elections. At the same time, the Congress has its own committed vote bank; and without them, Mamata’s possibility of winning is very less, given that there still remains an unshakeable mass which will vote only for CPM (even though there’s no doubt that CPM's vote bank has shrunk).
For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009


An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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Thursday, March 11, 2010

That’s the shape of your heart?

But for some reason, we know, it beats well, and beats shareholder expectations by miles too. The only issue is that it‘s making them unhappy now!

“In a very tough environment, we delivered fourth quarter business results in line with expectations we provided in December.” These were the words of Jeffrey R. Immelt, Chairman & CEO, General Electric Co. as the company announced the results for the quarter-ending December 2008 on January 23, 2009. You said ‘tough environment,’ Jeff? Joking right? But your corporation is stronger than ever, isn’t it? What about the Jupiter-sized cash infusion of $3 billion in October last by Warren Buffett. And didn’t the US Prez (apparently impressed by his coverage on GE Capital-owned MSNBC Universal) sanction a government loan package of a staggering $139 billion to you. But of course Mr. GE, it’s also really alright that your stock, trading at $10.04/share on the NYSE (as on March 17, 2009, having fallen by 73% compared to a year back) is at an 18-year low; nothing much to worry about, really!

Your financial results also aren’t too suicidal, with income for Q4, 2008 (at $3.72 billion), having fallen y-o-y by a murderous 44.4%. And the top-line figures? Well, they are modest too, with revenues for Q4, 2008, recorded at $46.21 billion, a sad y-o-y drop of 4.9%. And what about the other GE pride, your NBC Universal unit. We heard that it is also not giving smiles to investors, having posted a 6% decline in profits! But then as we said before Mr. GE, nothing much to worry about, really!

Then there are more matters doing the rounds in my family circle –that you did something which none could achieve at GE in 71 years? You actually slashed dividends from 31 cents to 10 cents a share per quarter? Guess, it must have got you busy on your voicemails of late! And what about this for pride... My office folks were also talking about you singing a ‘bailout’ song this summer alongside Rick (GM), Ed (AIG) and Viki (Citi). Wow! I’d want a record of that too... autographed!
And we read your bio too! It went something like this: Immelt took over as the 9th Chairman of GE in September 2007. An MBA from Harvard, Immelt joined GE in 1982. He became a member of the GE Capital Board in 1997 and the President & CEO in 2000. Named thrice as one of ‘World’s Best CEOs’ by Wall Street Journal’s Weekly publication (Barron’s), Immelt is also a member of The Business Council and the Federal Reserve. We haven’t missed awe-inspiring tales of your efforts at GE, to instilling investor confidence. However we’d beg an answer for the recent cut in GE Capital’s (GECC) ratings by S&P from ‘AAA’ to ‘AA+’, an event which has further shaken investor confidence. You gave no answer, and Robert did. He dropped a mail (by the way, Robert Schulz is a Credit Analyst at S&P), and this is what he wrote, “GECC is under increasing earnings pressure, due to the recent sharp deterioration in general economic conditions around the globe.” Controversy about the shaky liquidity position of GECC is also doing the rounds in our neighbourhood. And there are experts that claim that in case of delinquencies in loan repayments, GECC will not be in a position to bear the credit risk. (Oh! These experts I say!) Then there was an estimate by CreditSights, an independent credit research firm, which I bumped into over the Internet. It forecasted how GECC needs $25 billion to get to the level of banks of its size. (Well Jeff, I’m your fan, and I do have some ten dollars in my bank. Tell me if I can help.)

Alright, forget experts, forget Schulz, forget the world, but don’t forget me Jeff. You’re my hero. From you I’ve learnt how to reduce a company’s share price by 80% (as you did during your tenure of seven years). From you I’ve learnt to gear myself up for a high write-off in pocket cash this year. [GECC dangerously faces “very high” write-offs in 2009 too!]. And what’s best, even I am not sure of crossing the $10 billion in earnings this year, just like GE. ‘Tough environment’, Mr. GE. But, what a coincidence... Enough jokes!
For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009


An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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Outlook Magazine money editor quits
Don't trust the Indian Media!
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Wednesday, February 17, 2010

A cosmopolitan hub away from the ‘City Lights’...

Unity in diversity is what nehru had envisaged when psu townships were set up. a case in point has been nalco, where people from different backgrounds have coexisted since years, says Dhrutikam Mohanty

It took around two and half hours to cover 158 kilometers on NH-5 & 42, the distance between Orissa’s capital city of Bhubaneswar and the industrial hub of Angul. We approached a traffic square some six kilometres ahead of the district headquarters, where the road led straight to touch Angul town and the left and right diversions hived off to reach Nalco’s smelter complex and residential complex – Nalco Nagar.

Angul district of Orissa, which is abundant with natural resources, has turned into a industrial hot spot after National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO), came up in 1980s. Nalco has set up Asia’s largest integrated alumina-aluminium complexwith a 3,45,000 tpa smelter in Angul, which started commercial production in 1987. Close to it, a captive power plant of 960 MW capacity has been established for uninterrupted power supply to the smelter. Apart from exporting alumina & aluminium worldwide, Nalco has opened stockyards at various parts of the country to facilitate domestic marketing. With its consistent track record in capacity utilisation, technology absorption, quality assurance, export performance and profits, NALCO enjoys the status of a Navaratna company.

Presently, PSUs like National Themal Power Corporation, Mahanadi Coal Field Ltd. and Fertilizer Corporation of India also have mega industrial units in the Angul district. While Jindal Steel and Power Ltd. has come up with a steel complex and a 1500MW power generation unit, Bhushan Steel and Strips Ltd. also has a power plant and an advanced hot rolling plant here.

Nalco Nagar, the residential complex for employees of the company, was established in the year 1984 on an area of 619.88 acres. This well-planned, spacious, clean & green township has 3,583 quarters and it is ‘a home away from home’ for its 4,552 employees. The township will increase in population and size very soon, as construction of new quarters is at the final stages. In order to meet the housing requirement of the second phase of capacity expansion, NALCO has undertaken this project at a cost of Rs.40.91 billion.
For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009


An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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Saturday, January 23, 2010

Chennai to get New landmark

Rs 600-crore project to be completed by March, 2010

A new fort was built on the shore of Madras by the British in 1639 for their military and trade activities. It was named after St George. Post Independence, the historic fort has been used as Assembly complex and Secretariat by the Tamil Nadu government. But not anymore. The old fort will be turned into a museum after the government decided to shift Secretariat and Assembly to a new Rs 600 crore complex in Chennai. The last Assembly session was convened in the fort this year.

About Rs 425.56 crore is being spent on a six-floor building (A Block) that will house the chief minister’s office, the Legislative Assembly complex, library and conference hall. The Assembly session will be held in a hall over-arched by a dome. The Secretariat will be located in the B Block which is being built at an expense of nearly Rs 259.56 crore. The complex will be ready by March 12, 2010.

The German firm, Gerkan, Marg und Partner (GMP), that also designed the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in New Delhi, has come up with a plan that fuses the visual feel of a modern urban complex with elements from Dravidian temple architecture. Earlier, the building was planned as a 20-storey one but now it has been reduced to 8 storeys.
For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009


An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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Friday, January 22, 2010

The strange and mysterious case of ouch! potatoes

With India escaping the onslaught of recession and growth resurging, high liquidity and reduced farm output have turned old enemy inflation against the UPA regime once again, says anchal Gupta

In the early 1920s, the so-called “war guilt” clause of the Treaty of Versailles made Germany pay massive war reparations to the Allies. In 1921, the London Ultimatum made Germany pay 2 billion marks to UK in gold and foreign currency beginning a spiraling devaluation in the German currency. The Weimar Republic was plunged into the worst price rise in its history and the German mark crashed from a value of 60 marks to the US dollar in early 1921 to 8000 marks by December 1922. German debt and hyperinflation ruined its economy, an issue at the core of Hitler’s hatred as mentioned in Mein Kampf and eventually led to Nazi takeover. What followed was the darkest hour in all of human history. This was the first ever instance when the far-reaching effects of inflation were realised and recorded. Till date the mystic tale of love and hate between inflation and interest rate remains unsolved. And with India becoming a shining beacon of world economy, taming inflation remains the toughest nut to crack ever since its tryst with liberalisation began.

With the developed world just about standing up after falling flat from the worst recession since the Great Depression, India has already started running following big brother China. Prices of almost all consumer durables and property have remained cheap or risen only marginally in the last year. Halt! For the middle and upper classes buoyed by the wealth generated by a services-led economy and massive FDI completely forget that more than 70% of India’s population, which also forms nearly 90% of India’s electorate, spends more than 80% of its income on only feeding their stomachs. And with food price inflation reaching 20% in the last few days, there could not have been a more inflated New Year gift for the famished. There are a multitude of factors responsible for this renewed threat. Even rain god Indra turned its back to the poor and labour class already out of jobs due to dwindling exports with India registering its worst ever monsoon in 37 years. With food grain production sliding and tonnes of kharif crop wiped out by drought or untimely floods in some regions, there is a severe supply side constraint which has fuelled food prices. Simultaneously, with a huge chunk of the labour force out of jobs due to plummeting of fortunes of the textile, jewellery and leather industries, the millions of rural returning labourers are stretched to the hilt to afford two meals a day. Hence, despite the over hyped success of NREGA and the farm loan waiver put in place that brought UPA thumping back to power, Incredible India could face the same fate as ‘India Shining’.

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009


An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Writing on the screen

“Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary.” – Prof John Keating in Dead Poets Society.

Sticking to the education system has been a familiar plot on celluloid on both sides of the Atlantic. Most were spearheaded by the nonconformist-teacher protagonists who in classic Lockean/Rousseauesque style showed little respect for time-honoured educational processes and encouraged individualism, intuition and creativity. Hollywood clearly took the lead with “Blackboard Jungle” (1955) where Glenn Ford sets about to have his way with kindness in an urban high school teeming with hoodlums given to insolence and crime. One of the punks, incidentally, was played by Sidney Poitier who, years later, was to find himself on the other side of the lectern in “To Sir, With Love” (1967). The way Mark Thackeray – a black unemployed engineer who decides to bide his time in a teaching job in London and earns the respect and friendship of an all-white batch of juvenile delinquents is a tale that never fails to bring up that lump in the throat on every viewing.

Classroom redemption was quite a hit in the 80s with “The Principal” (1987), “Stand and Deliver” (1988), “Lean on Me” (1989) and of course, “Dead Poets Society” (1989). “Lean on Me” had a desperate Morgan Freeman trying to stave off state control of a school overrun by drugs and indiscipline, while “Stand…” deployed Calculus classes as a metaphor for lessons in self-discovery and confidence. And who can forget Mr Keating (Robin Williams) in “Dead Poets..” where he is rewarded with poetic justice (literally!) in the end as his transformed bunch of wards rise and hail ‘O Captain, My Captain’ in the face of authority! Closer home, it inspired the fiddle-toting Raj Aryan in “Mohabbatein” (2000). Other Bollywood ventures with the teacher-disengaging-tradition subject, some forgettable “To Sir With Love” rip-offs notwithstanding, were “Jagriti” (1956), and more recently, another Aamir bull’s-eye, "Taare Zameen Par" (2007). Hirani’s “Munnabhai MBBS” (2003) mocked the medical school high-handedness a la “Patch Adams” (1998).

Female teachers making a difference in seemingly intractable lives were seen in “Freedom Writers” (2007) – Hillary Swank playing real-life hero Erin Gruwell – and Michelle Pfeiffer-starring “Dangerous Minds” (1995). Then again, with teachers like those, who wouldn’t fall in line?

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009


An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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Saturday, January 16, 2010

Scindias: Maharaja class

Gwalior city may have fallen on hard days but there is no sign here that the sway of the royalty is waning, writes Sanjay Srivastava

Gwalior’s railway station is a huge letdown. The late Madhvarao Scindia, a prominent scion of the royal dynasty was once the Union railway minister. His stamp, however, is not visible anymore. Outside the station, an old but sparkling locomotive – GLR (Gwalior Light Railway) stands mute witness to an era gone by. However, the squalor around the building hints at the decay that has set in. It is difficult to believe that the current scion of the dynasty represents the city in Parliament. The city is clearly in decline. But loyalty to the Scindias comes easy to most denizens of Gwalior. At the local university, which bears the name of one of the Scindias, a student says: “We don’t much care for the kings and queens. We just want our representatives to be honest. Our Raja is just that.”

But not for APS Chauhan, head of the political science department, who is even pejoratively referred to as a “feudal Communist”. He says: “If the writ of the Scindias still runs here, it is not because of their wealth. Honorifics like Maharaja, Raje and Shrimant do not really reflect their hold over minds. They haven’t brought development to Gwalior nor do the people fear them. It isn’t still in the 14th century as many would like to believe. They have remained relevant through compromises, connections and other tricks of the trade.” In the bustling Bada Bazaar, an old man quips, “If there is anything worth mentioning in Gwalior apart from the dynasty, it is the Fort, gond kay ladoo and the musical gharana of Tansen.” That, in a way, sums up the city. Its door opens in a rather claustrophobic alley of Choori Bazaar. The structure is crumbling. So is the mausoleum of his ustaad, Gaus Saheb. We asked the khadim of the place, Zameel Khan, whether the dynasty supports the upkeep of the mausoleums. “Yes, they make promises,” he replied. The fact is that these monuments fall under the Archaeological Survey of India. So the Scindias cannot do much to conserve them. The Fort, too, is in a dilapidated state, but its architectural splendour is still intact. The adjoining Scindia School is squeaky clean. One visiting government official is rather caustic: “The Scindias are only concerned about their votes. They don’t take care of the city. Its heritage is decaying. Isn’t it their responsibility?” But there are those who swear by loyalty.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009


An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative
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Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Thank you Dr Yunus!

This is the right time to set the ball rolling for South Asia Union

obel laureate Muhammad Yunus' speech on South Asia Union (SAU) in the Indian Parliament on December 09, 2009 has resuscitated the age-old debate of unification of South Asia by 2030. He stressed on facilitating border-free movement along with having a common flag, currency, visa, trade policies. This idea is being criticised heavily by the main steam media. But then for once let’s just not criticise this vision but conversely analyse the benefit out of it. At the time when European Union is flourishing (both socially & politically) and is all set to emerge as a new world power and at the time when unification of Africa (a continent torn apart by wars, conflict & numerous social ailments) and South America is being worked out — the concept of SAU seems more achievable.

Every south Asian country is unique in itself and does hold an exclusive success story. Thus, on unification, each of these success stories (or success models) can be implemented Pan-SAU and thus many problems like poverty, employment, health and terrorism can be addressed. SAU can easily benefit from success mantra of Singapore, India, UAE, Turkey, Maldives, Iran, China – to name a few. If one of the south Asian union members has achieved zenith in international relations and lobbying then others are good at reducing poverty, fighting recession, becoming oil and real estate hub, generating tourism, eliminating conservative behaviour, outsourcing hub, generating employment, nuclear and scientific research and so on and so forth. However, amidst this rosy dream, the ongoing tension in south Asia acts as a nightmare. However, an unification can, to a large extent, dilute this issue too. Take for instant, the European Union (EU). None of the south Asian countries have been more hostile than Germany and France and Italy. And today we see Germany, Italy and France working together (as members of EU) and have recently appointed a common president for the union (with enforcement of Lisbon treaty on Nov 30, 2009). Even Slovakia and the Czech Republic (born out of Czechoslovakia) and are part of the union. Same can be iterated for the whole Balkan region.

We are far better-off as we share lot of common culture, festive (other soft power) and still have feeling of brotherhood for each other even across the border.

SAU will allow the countries to share resources so that 'resource-dearth' countries can grow and develop. This will in long run address more social problems (ranging from poverty to employment). The ball has already been set rolling with the inception of SAARC or South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation. SAARC should now work towards uplifting all proposed SAU countries, economically and also help them in becoming politically more stable, so that in next two decades or so they are all ready for unification. Issues like migration, terrorism, conflicts needs to be addressed on urgent basis if SAU dream is to be realised. Twenty years is a plenty of time for SAARC member to eliminate all hurdles and start talks on SAU. SAU will be, if formed, one of the most powerful unions and beating EU, African Union and South American Union or for that matter even the US. Before we get reduced to ruins (because of ongoing tensions), we need to realise that sharing a few aspects will make each of us more developed and will inculcate trust and prosperity.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009


An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative
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Saturday, December 26, 2009

We’ve turned Earth’s thermostat up…

Science writer and geologist Kate Ravilious insists that there is enough proof to warrant action... NOW.

Global warming: it is a term that conjures up an unfortunately cosy picture. To those of us living in the higher latitudes, or in mountainous regions, global warming doesn’t sound too bad. A rise in temperature of a few extra degrees would reduce the heating bills, make winter much more bearable, and spare us the need to travel somewhere hot for a summer holiday. But of course, there is much more to global warming than a rise in the average temperature. The extra energy contained within hotter oceans and atmosphere will fuel more extreme weather events – floods, droughts, tornadoes and tropical storms. Meanwhile, oceans expand as they warm, and combined with melting glaciers and icecaps, sea levels will rise, flooding vast areas of land.

Already we are starting to see evidence that global warming is for real. The latest measurements show that sea level has risen more than five centimetres over the last 15 years, 80% more than predicted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 2001. This rapid rise has already claimed a number of low lying islands, the first of which was the uninhabited Pacific Atoll nation of Kiribati, in 1998. By 2006, the first inhabited island disappeared beneath the waves. Once home to around 10,000 people, Lohachera Island, part of the Sunderbans, is now populated by fish, seaweed and shells. Above the waves, the summer melting of Arctic sea ice has been unprecedented in recent years.

On land, the total surface area of glaciers (excluding ice sheets in the Arctic and Antarctic) has decreased by around 50% since the beginning of the 19th Century. And satellite measurements show that the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets are both melting fast.

Meanwhile, over the course of the 20th Century, the average global temperature has risen by more than 0.7°C, with the majority of the warming occurring in the latter half of the century. The last decade has been warmer, on average, than any other decade in the previous 150 years, and 2005 was one of the hottest years since records began.

It is impossible to connect specific weather events with global warming, but evidence is growing that extreme weather is becoming more common. Such events include this year’s unusually destructive typhoon season in South East Asia, the summer heat wave across Europe in 2003 (estimated to have killed over 35,000 people), persistent droughts in South West Australia and the Mediterranean, and heavier rainfall in places like the UK. All this is irrefutable, but it still isn’t enough to convince some people that global warming is for real.

Recently a large number of emails were illegally hacked from the Climate Research Unit in the UK. Since then the carefully selected phrases from these private email correspondences between eminent climate scientists have been leaked out to the media, aiming to demonstrate that climate change scientists have been manipulating their data, and that the whole idea of climate change is one big hoax. It is incredible that the climate change sceptics were able to find only a smattering of comments amongst the thousands of emails they trawled (dating back to 1996) to provide some support to their view.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009


An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative
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