Showing posts with label news weekly. Show all posts
Showing posts with label news weekly. Show all posts

Friday, July 02, 2010

Game for more

TSI Five-O: Adventurous summer fun, Disney style

In the Disney tradition of turning theme rides and fairy tales into full blown movie franchises, “Prince of Persia” also turns out to be pretty enjoyable fun fare. Of course, it is modelled on the highly successful eponymous video game and the elements of adventure that made the game such a favourite come alive on the screen too. Mike Newell, the director, deserves some credit for that and having handled adventure in “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”, he is no stranger to the genre. The script is not as sliver thin as you might guess with a video game (the original game itself had a great backstory) and the casting also helps with Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton and Ben Kingsley lending solidity to the performances and the action sequences ringing in the excitement.

The plot borrows from the game – the prince has to stop the evil ruler from getting his hands on the sands of time which will unleash an apocalyptic storm that will turn back time – but there are some refreshing twists along the way. Young Dastan (Jake Gyllenhaal) is an accomplished warrior who is adopted by the King of Persia. But, he suddenly finds himself in the middle of a conspiracy when the king passes away under mysterious circumstances. Dastan is accused of murder and is on the run with princess Tamina (Gemma Arterton), who he encountered at a battle in the holy city of Alamut. While he tries to clear his name with help from the princess, he realises the real conspiracy runs deeper as the evil Nizam (Ben Kingsley) is trying to gain control of the sands of time – a mystical weapon capable of changing the fabric of time. The chase against time offers enough opportunities for showcasing the parkour style fight sequences that players of the video game will recall. First time viewers will love the energy and the excitement as well.

The real stars of the movie are director Mike Newell and the producer with the magic touch, Jerry Bruckheimer. The foundation is well set for the sequels to be rolled out, and the Pirates franchise is any indication, I would say – bring it on! You’ll enjoy the experience whether you were a fan of the game or not but don’t go looking for intellectual stimulation and have fun watching the lovely landscapes and breathtaking action. More importantly, don’t dismiss it as a poor movie cousin of the video game (remember Max Payne and Lara Croft?) either.

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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, 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.
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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, June 09, 2010

Ranbir’s no Tweeting Tom!

In the rat race to reign over Bollywood, almost all the hunks and hotties are using Twitter these days. In fact, it is even serving as a platform to mend relationships for many (Abhi saved Sallu from a journalist’s remarks!). But the young Ranbir Kapoor isn’t joining the bandwagon, for he finds the craze for this social networking site amusing and absurd. Disinterested in sharing with his fans the boring details of his life like ‘I am eating’ or ‘I am going to bathroom’, he aims to connect instead through better movies. Well, as long as this blue-eyed boy continues to make his presence felt, we’re not complaining!

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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).
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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009


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

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Tuesday, June 01, 2010

Is China tuning into your cellphone?

Anil Pandey investigates how import of chinese SIMs can compromise national security and he finds the DoT not ignorant but wilfully negligent

The technical terms used by Rajesh Kumar (name changed) were coming like bouncers. He read my mind and brought out two mobile handsets. He handed one to me and asked me to call my wife. After I finished talking to her, Rajesh asked me to call her once more. But this time, the voice on the other side was not that of my wife. It was Rajesh. Rajesh smiled and said, “Why don’t you send her a message?” After I sent it, Rajesh brought his handset forward and showed me. I was dumbfounded. How could the message land in his phone? Rajesh soon clarified, “We have put a spyware on the mobile. Not only we can eavesdrop on your conversations (by diverting your calls using SIM) but we can read your messages and send messages from your number. We can trace your location and we can block your phone.” The risk of spyware always exists in SIM (operating system or application) if the SIM is not produced in a secure environment under control. SIM is the most critical equipment in mobile telephony. It is not only instrumental in authenticating against the mobile network but also the unique identity of the subscriber. Rajesh is a technical expert of communication instruments.

I wondered if in my place, this spyware would be in the phone of a scientist at Indian Space Research Organisation or a senior Army officer or an officer of the ministry of finance or ministry of home? All important information could reach the enemy. That my thoughts were not fanciful was corroborated by the apprehensions expressed by the ministry of home (MHA) and various Intelligence agencies. The MHA has already communicated to the ministry concerned about the possibility of Chinese companies embedding spywares into instruments and software being sold to the Indian cellular operators which might be used to acquire important information. Even then, lakhs of SIM cards are reaching India every week. The Smart card Forum of India reveals that between January and March, 2010, 4.5 crore cards have reached India.


The Department of Telecommunication (DoT) of the ministry of communication and IT issued a circular to cellular operators on December 3, 2009. According to this circular, any operator buying any software or equipment will have to get a security clearance. It was on this basis that the government did not permit several cellular operators to use instruments of Huawei and other such Chinese companies. The circular says, “The Licensee shall apply to the Licensor for security clearance, along with the details of the equipment as well as detail of equipment suppliers and manufacturers including original equipment manufacturers (OEM), before placement of the final purchase order of procurement/ up gradation of equipment/ software for provisioning of telecommunications service under the licence.” It is clear that no cellular operator can buy any equipment without the government’s permission. But before we reveal that how officials at the ministry have their own interpretation of the circular, thereby jeopardizing the security of the nation, you should know that SIM cards made in China are security hazards. In the past, terrorists had used Chinese mobile handsets without IMEI numbers, prompting the government to ban those.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009


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

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Monday, May 03, 2010

Better ‘extremely late’ than...

The Delhi government is setting up a secure radio network for the upcoming CWG in Delhi. The idea is to enable various government agencies to operate on one common platform. An idea many years too late, yet necessary... Surbhi chawla on the technicalities

What is common between New York’s emergency response to the 9/11 attack and Mumbai’s retort to Taj fiasco in November 2008 (26/11), technically speaking? The lack of a common communication network among various stakeholders (police, fire department, ambulances, et al) costing several lives.

Both incidents daunt even more as one of the most prestigious public affairs of the decade (for India) – the Commonwealth Games (CWG 2010) in New Delhi – stands just around the corner. To that extent, the ongoing implementation of TETRA (TErrestrial Trunked RAdio) by the Delhi government is evidently wonderful, despite being ignominiously late by too many years! Yes, the system was necessary in the first place. Then where to from here?

Let’s begin by putting first things first, which is by understanding what exactly TETRA is. It’s a digital trunked mobile radio standard developed by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute to meet the needs of traditional Professional Mobile Radio (PMR) user organisations. On a single button-push, the platform connects the user to all the users in a selected call-group. In fact, it’s this and many other such features that have prompted the Delhi Government to deploy this platform during CWG 2010. The government has already given the contract (worth over Rs.1 billion) to the HCL Infosystems-Motorola consortium to deliver this radio communication network.

So what’s the big deal in a radio communication network? Firstly, believe or not, it’s India’s first government radio network. Secondly, and most importantly, it’s secured. “Mission critical agencies need a radio system and this network that we are setting up would be exclusive for these agencies and will be shared by all of them so that they can collaborate,” says Subodh Vardhan, Sales Director & Country Head, Enterprise Mobility Solutions, Motorola India. Almost 18 departments of Delhi government are expected to be integrated through this network. The idea is to enable various agencies such as the Delhi Police, Fire Services, Hospitals, Public Works Department, Organising Committee of CWG and even the Delhi Transport Corporation to operate on and through one common network so that it becomes easier for them to coordinate during an event of this magnitude – and minimise the collateral double work as well as be prepared for any contingency (Ajay Chowdhry, Chairman & CEO, HCL Infosystems, supports the viewpoint, “The deployment of a TETRA-based communication system will enable authorities to timely prevent or minimise the chances of potential adverse impact in an emergency situation. I am confident that, in times to come, systems such as the government Radio Network will strengthen communication infrastructure across the country”).
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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, April 28, 2010

Sania-Shoaib is no big deal

Mix and match
Sania-Shoaib is no big deal. marriages between Indians and Pakistanis are a common phenomenon though it is now on the decline for obvious reasons, writes S Khurram Raza

Former Pakistan cricket captain Shoaib Malik and Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza are now man and wife. The hullabaloo, intrigue and suspense are over. The dust has settled after many twists and turns. Hopefully, the saga that played out morning, noon and night on national television will now recede to the background and the young couple will finally be allowed to get on with their lives – and we with ours.

But questions still remain: is it game, set and match for Sania? Or, is there another double fault awaiting her somewhere around the corner? For one, Shoaib’s cricket career is in a bit of a limbo: he is currently serving a one-year ban imposed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). He has lately been in the news more for his off-field activities than his on-field performances. So, will this marital liaison lead to a happy, ever after partnership or will it run aground like the sporting careers of the twosome? But when Cupid strikes, such questions, despite the obvious political, social and class issues at play in this affair of the heart, become wholly redundant.

This cross-border marriage between two sportsmen is the first of its kind in this part of the world. In the mid 1980s, long before 24-hour news television became an inseparable part of our lives, dashing Pakistani opening batsman Mohsin Khan, who also had a brief stint in Hindi films, married Bollywood actress Reena Roy amid a great deal of fanfare. The two have separated since. Mohsin now lives with his second wife in Pakistan while Reena Roy is in India with her daughter, Jannat. Ironically, Mohsin has advised Shoaib and Sania to be wary of the media. But away from the glare of the spotlight, many cross-border couples have over the decades gone about the business of making a success of their marriages. It is a common phenomenon although it is in decline today given the present climate of distrust between India and Pakistan.

Many Muslim families in north India got divided during the Partition. While some members of a family left for the newly carved-out nation abandoning their brothers and sisters in India, others refused to budge even as history cleaved the subcontinent into two parts. These divided family members continued to remain in touch with each other, eventually renewing their bonds through marriage between relatives and acquaintances across the LoC.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009


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

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Friday, April 23, 2010

“Being a husband is a crime”

My mother has a kidney problem and my sister is mentally challenged. After my marriage, instead of taking care of them, my wife started treating them very badly. One day, I was shocked to find a love letter written by my wife to her lover. When I spoke to her about it, my wife became furious and left our Mumbai home. She came back after a year but her behaviour towards my mother and sister did not change. After a few days, she suddenly demanded divorce from me and considering the scenario, I agreed. We filed a writ for divorce but after 18 months, she backtracked and accused me of fraud.

I knew she might file a false case under Section 498A. I wrote a letter to the Human Rights Commission and Mumbai Police Commissioner regarding my case. However, my apprehensions proved right when she actually filed a case and police arrested me and my father on November 24, 2009. We were put behind the bars for three days. If this was not enough, another case was filed against me under Domestic Violence Act. Since my father remained in jail for more than 24 hours, he was suspended from his job. My mother is ill and needs injections at regular intervals. Each injection costs around Rs 2,000, it has become impossible for us to sustain.
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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009


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

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Monday, April 19, 2010

Micromax’s quest for the 2nd spot

It was a rather quick climb up the ladder for Micromax. So far, so good. But even after becoming the third-largest handset vendor in India, it has a steep climb ahead, with threats in the names of both new entrants and seasoned players... Will it win the ‘Silver’ soon?

Two years into the business, and you dare to challenge the #1 & #2, even in a cluttered market; that for you is Micromax! It started as a distributor of PC hardware (for brands like Dell, HP and Sony) and after seventeen long years, felt the need to grow as an independent brand. Four friends got together – Rajesh Agarwal, Sumeet Arora, Rahul Sharma & Vikas Jain – and decided to grow their business. Many ideas poured in during the umpteen brainstorming sessions that the four conducted amongst themselves. Finally, they decided to bet big on Sharma’s idea – to marry mobile handsets and rural and price-sensitive India. Thus, the company’s first phone (the X1i), was born in an environment that would transform into what would be proudly called the second-largest mobile market in the world, next only to US, with about 10-12 million subscribers being added every month. Better news for the four friends, as trade pundits are predicting that the current growth momentum in the telecom industry will last till atleast 2012.

Despite all the good tidings, it still comes as a surprise that a new entrant has managed to make such a deep dent in the crowded domestic handset market. Micromax is currently the third-largest GSM vendor in the Indian market, with a share of 8.1%, perhaps just a few notches behind Samsung who at the second position has 10.4% control, as per market reports. [Nokia with 52.7% share is the number 1 vendor]. Micromax has been selling anywhere around a million handsets every month, for the past year, and as company officials state, it has earned about Rs.15 billion in revenues during the past year. So here’s something to digest – going by the numbers, the Indian handset market is estimated to have sold about 130 million handsets units in the last calendar year alone, which implies, that if we were to consider just the sales during the past 12 months, Micromax has a market share of 9.3%, much closer (as compared to the previously stated 8.1%) to the 10.4% share of Samsung!

And there is a lot more to be had from a handset market that currently, only has a tele-density of 49.5% and has supposedly clocked a turnover of over Rs.200 billion over last year. Little wonder, that many global bigwigs like Nokia, Samsung, LG & Sony Ericsson have time and again referred to India as one of their key markets. But with great opportunities, come greater challenges, and the same is true for the #3. Once, Micromax was a challenger; today it is also being challenged by many entrants like Karbonn, Lava, Maxx, Intex, Lemon, Gee Pee, Videocon, Usha Lexus, Orpat, Airfone and many more... Talking about the growing count of challengers, Deepak Kumar, AVP, Research, IDC India says, “The number of emerging mobile handset vendors in the India market had grown to 26 in Q2 CY2009 and their contribution to overall shipments in terms of units crossed 6.3% for the first time during the 12-months leading to June 2009. This is as against only 11 emerging vendors representing a share of 1.2% of overall shipments during the previous twelve-month period.”

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009


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

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Friday, April 02, 2010

Inviting the wolf home...

It may be true that if you’re not on the World Wide Web in the 21st century, you’re practically out of business. But if your business becomes someone else’s business, then you might feel jittery every time you punch in your magic keys. Not everyone on the Internet is as naive as you are... Welcome to the world of illegal hackers!

Con men, burglars, small-time thieves and serious criminals… the web is no stranger to any of these. The Internet sure has given us access to the necessary information and all the knowledge that we might need. But it has also opened the doors of privacy and given unwanted elements access to our personal lives. Compulsive voyeurs or Peeping Toms have been aided with the already there and ever-increasing industry of the ‘Social Networking Sites’. These sites have turned the world around for those who seek comfort while interacting with a long-lost pal. As long as it helps one share and get in touch with buddies, it is good. But the moment undesired weirdos start troubling you with unending ‘Friendship requests’ or meaningless messages, it starts getting uncomfortable. This is when the so-called net-savvy individuals opt for the ‘Block User’ privacy option. In the present day scenario, where status messages have to change with every fresh cup of coffee, resorting to safety measures like blocking a pesky user may not suffice. Informing your dear ones and letting them know where and how you’re going for a vacation or a date or even a meeting (all in good faith) may be just the information needed for those waiting to strike!

Blissful at the look of increasing number of fans and followers or admiring the up-to-mark look of one’s new profile shall soon be passé. Cyber crime is growing by the hour and with every piece of extra information, which may aid even the most uninitiated net-using criminal mind, it is getting simpler too. “There is a huge list of scams such as online earning proposals, duplicate websites, phishing and Spam e-mails, credit card frauds and EFT (Electronic Fund Transfer) frauds.
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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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Thursday, April 01, 2010

Let me tell you the truth about Iran!

The truth, and nothing else, about the Islamic Republic of Iran

Michael Abraham Levy, President of Jews’ Free School, a friend of Tony Blair and the former chief fundraiser for the UK Labour Party once said, “You can bend it and twist it. You can misuse and abuse it. But even God cannot change the truth.” In the modern world, truth has different interpretations, and it often becomes difficult to comprehend which version is worth believing in. Iran stands as one of the most contemporary cases of this phenomenon.

On February 16, 2010, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton accused Iran of sponsoring terrorism, when she said at a forum at Jeddah’s Dar Al-Hekma women’s college, “Iran has funded terrorists that have launched attacks within other countries – including the Kingdom.” Not that one harboured any sympathy for her intellect, but the fact that Ms.Clinton chooses to openly reject reality, shows her Sarah Palinisque approach to gain brownie points in the farm and bovine belt – by bleating oft-heard rigmarole. The fact that India recently received a communiqué from the Iranian Government – condemning in the strongest words the latest terrorist attacks in the city of Pune (at German Bakery) – made no difference to the lady. We have heard a lot about ‘Iran’ from Israel, the US and the West as well as from Iran and its allies Syria, Lebanon, China, and Russia. But what’s the truth behind the real Iran? The IIPM Think Tank brings to you our interpretation:

Truth: Mohammed Reza Shah, who was the Iranian King from 1941-1979, was a close ally of the West post World War II.

Truth: Although he promoted reforms (like land reforms, extending voting powers to women), he ruled autocratically, steam-rolling any political or civil opposition, often arresting opponents. His reforms movement was called ‘White Reforms’ – it was America inspired. It included granting blanket immunity to all US personnel and their children in Iran, and removing the requirement of taking oath on the Qur`an while assuming public office.

Truth: In 1979, Reza was overthrown by the pure Islamist Ayatollah Khomeini – a man whom Reza had gotten arrested twice, and even expelled from Iran.

Truth: Khomeini strategised the overthrow with open support from France, which provided him residence in Paris. Truth: Khomeini came into power using force, but legitimised it with a nationwide referendum, which also resulted in instituting the current Islamic Republic of Iran.

Truth: Iran is the only democratic country in the Middle East – UAE, supported vociferously by US, is not.

Truth: The sixth and current democratically elected President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, like Obama, was a professor. He was elected in 2005 with 62% nationwide majority, and in 2009, again with 62% majority. 85% of the Iranian nation voted. In the 2008 US Presidential elections, 61% of American citizens voted. Obama got 52.9% majority.

Truth: Amidst controversy of missing ballots in the 2009 elections, the Iranian Guardian Council allowed partial recounting, which reconfirmed Ahmedinejad’s election. It may be noted that in 2000, the United States Supreme Court disallowed recount in the controversial Al Gore-George Bush Florida Presidential election standoff, allowing Bush to become the President.

Truth: Mahmoud Ahmedinejad is an evident loose cannon, once saying statements like, “If the Holocaust, as you claim, is true, why don’t you allow a probe into the issue?” and “Israel must be wiped off the map.” Similar to Bush, who went to war with Iraq saying that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. Ahmedinejad also accepts his mistakes faster than Bush, with apologetic statements like, “I respect Jews very much,” and “I was not passing judgement on the Holocaust.”

Truth: Iran is a founding member of the UN, the NAM, OIC and OPEC.

Truth: Iran releases over 26,000 scientific papers annually. It has also achieved remarkable progress in space, nano-technology, and nuclear technology.

Truth: Iran also happens to be an economic giant with its GDP at $0.82 trillion in PPP terms. The economy is growing by an average of 6% and the country retains a massive 10% of the world’s oil reserves.

Truth: Iran wishes to be a nuclear nation, apparently for civilian purposes. Ahmedinejad’s undiplomatic diatribes with IAEA have ensured that the transition – opposed tooth and nail by the US – will be difficult, if not impossible.

Truth: Israel is a nuclear armed nation. It neither is registered with the IAEA, nor is a signatory of the global Nuclear non-Proliferation Treaty.
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, March 31, 2010

Book tales

TSI Five-O: Post apocalyptic tale with rousing action but predictable twists

I must confess that I am a little biased towards Denzel Washington. As a result, my expectations from “The Book of Eli” were fairly high what with the chance of catching Denzel in an action-oriented tough-guy-on-a-mission-post-apocalypse role. And sure enough, in terms of the setting, art direction and cinematography, the film captures post apocalyptic America (apparently ravaged by a nuclear war) quite brilliantly but Denzel as Eli, the man entrusted with protecting a book that contains the secrets to save all of mankind is a bit out of place at times.

His supporting cast is admirable; young Mila Kunis is pretty impressive and Gary Oldman absolutely brilliant as Carnegie, the bad guy who wants the book. But with metaphors and martial arts intertwining, the action is what stands out; the plot only plays second fiddle. The audience is never really in much doubt about what the ‘book’ might be and it weakens the suspense, though the revelation about Eli towards the end is a neat touch. There was a chance to make it something more complex and deeper, but ultimately “The Book of Eli” sticks mostly to the basics.

It is a well-set Western with an apocalyptic backdrop, but as a metaphorical story, well let’s just say it misses the mark.
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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, March 20, 2010

When the ‘ketal’ goes boiling...

An unknown Indian firm Dorf Ketal buys up the global catalyst business of DuPont Chemicals! Why isn’t everybody this side of the Atlantic celebrating, asks B&E ‘s Angshuman Paul

Seriously, how many of you had ever heard about Dorf Ketal? Considering that it is an Indian specialty chemicals company worth $220 million (revenues for year ending March 2009; targeting $300 million by 2010-11), you would understandably be quite reluctant to reply in the negative.

However, it isn’t entirely surprising that the company operates in relative obscurity. Besides the fact that it is a B2B player, the company has followed a very conservative model for growth and diversification. Consider this – after eight years of their corporate journey, the company decided to diversify (in 2000). And then, unlike other companies, Dorf Ketal hasn’t believed much in the concept of branding as a B2B company; even as world famous B2B companies are beginning to realise its criticality. And they intend to keep things that way. “Since we are in the B2B arena, mass consumers are not expected to know about us, but our target audiences like Reliance, IOC et al, know about us” argues a senior official from Dorf Ketal.

Nevertheless, things seem to be changing during the last decade for the company. They have grown by more than 30% during this period by cashing in on acquisitions. A bird’s eye view at the activity of the company during the past decade tells us that in a time span of eight years, the company has made at least five acquisitions to leverage potential synergies. For instance, when it acquired Sanmarg Specialty Chemicals-owned Intec, it helped Dorf Ketal to diversify into organic products like titanates and zirconates that have a strong demand in industries like oil & gas, paints & coatings, printing inks, industrial sealants, corrosion protection & emission reduction.

And now the name of Dorf Ketal has suddenly gatecrashed into notice with the acquisition of the global catalyst business of DuPont Chemicals and Fluro Products for around $40 million. The deal has been funded through debt and equity funds injected by the promoters. This particular venture of DuPont minted revenue of $50 million during 2008.

DuPont has deemed the business to be ‘non-strategic’ to its long term growth plans. On the other hand, senior officials in Dorf Ketal are hugely optimistic about the synergies that Dorf Ketal would enjoy from DuPont Chemicals & Fluoroproducts business. “It will provide us with several product innovations and technological developments pioneered by DuPont and also strengthen our position on the global platform,” says Vijay Malpani, Group Finance Controller, Dorf Ketal Chemicals (I) Pvt Ltd. The deal also enables the Indian chemical major to acquire DuPont’s assets associated with the Specialty Catalyst Business which comprises trademarks, sales, marketing and customer service. Strategically, the group has acquired the assets and deliberately avoided acquiring the entire business in terms of human capital. The company is trying to avoid the risk of a cultural mismatch with a US-based business.

The company plans to allow itself some lag time before it can take over operationally. DuPont will continue to manufacture and supply specialty catalyst products to Dorf Ketal for approximately 1 year under service and supply agreements. DuPont is also assisting Dorf Ketal with technology transfer & in setting up a new plant. Sudhir Menon, CMD of Dorf Ketal says, “The acquisition is a well thought plan to consolidate our position in newer product segment.”
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

Read these article :-



Outlook Magazine money editor quits
Don't trust the Indian Media!
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