TSI’s Twixter Test

If you are between 18-30 years, answer the following questions to find out if

YOU ARE A TWIXTER:-

1. You earn but still ask your parents for financial help. Yes/No

2. You think the marriageable age for girls and guys is after 25. Yes/No

3. In fact, “marriage”, “kids” and “settling down” are words that evoke apprehensions, and don’t exist in your dictionary right now. Yes/No

4. You agree that you’ll not be able to maintain similar standards of living if you were living by yourself. Yes/ No

5. You delay taking important decisions in life as you think you’ll be more prepared as time goes by. Yes/No

6. You day dream and search for ideals in life. Yes/ No

7. Quarter-life crisis is just the word that precisely describes your life. Yes/ No

8. The number of jobs you have had till now is any day more than the number of years you have worked. Yes/ No

If you answered “Yes!” for five or more of the above questions, then you’re one of the thousands of twixters out there!

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

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Delhi/ NCR B- Schools get better
IIPM fights meltdown

IT Park project scrapped

Each company was assured 90 acres by the government

The West Bengal government scrapped the much-hyped IT Park project on the 500 acres at Rajarhat area near Salt Lake City following a land scam involving land grabbers and government officials.

Indian IT companies, like Infosys Technologies and Wipro, were supposed to set up their project here and each company was assured 90 acres. But the project failed to come to fruition. Earlier, projects in Nandigram and Singur were scrapped. After the poll debacle, the Barasat-Raichak Bypass and Dankuni DLF Township projects were scrapped.

TSI had earlier reported how the state government inked deal with land mafia Rajkishore Modi’s company Akash Nirman Private Ltd. Besides, the department had sealed a deal with the Diamond group of Amar Nath Shroff. Both the companies formed joint venture with the state government’s IT company WEBEL (erstwhile West Bengal Electronics Ltd) and rechristened as WEBEL Akash IT Links and WEBEL Diamond IT Links. According to the contract they would procure 1200 acres from the farmers and hand over 600 acres free of cost to the state IT department. In return, the state would provide infrastructure free of cost. When land acquisition became nearly impossible, these companies — reportedly close to top CPM leaders — used notorious goons like Gaffar Molla, Ruidas Mondal alias Luis (one time CPM panchayat member), Gour Mondal and Kelo Babu to grab peasants’ lands. This fact has also been admitted by Chief Secretary of the State. The state colluded with the mafia.

To seek a loan of Rs 425 crore from the Central Bank of India, these two companies formed another JV between themselves, Vedic Diamond IT Links, ‘to purchase land in South and North 24 Parganas and develop township’. The bank after disbursing Rs 125 crore discovered that the land mortgaged was agricultural land, which was illegal. Bank sources said, “Presumably, if the mortgaged land was non-agricultural then the question is how that was converted!” All this prompted minister Abdul Rezzak Mollah to demand for scrapping of the IT project.

However, Housing Minister Gautam Deb — the “kingpin” of the whole land-grab drive — slammed Mollah and said he knew nothing of Gaffar or corruption at the IT Park. But, the cracks were visible as many comrades supported Mollah and demanded scrapping of the IT Park. Yet, no decision was taken.

It was only after criticism of the Left Front government by Politbureau members and CPM general secretary Prakash Karat that forced the government to scrap the project.

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

Read these article :-
Delhi/ NCR B- Schools get better
IIPM fights meltdown

Rahul Gandhi’s new congress is quietly taking shape - IIPM NEWS

This is a story about a phone call that went out about a year ago from Delhi to Pune. The UPA government had survived both the ‘cash-for-vote’ scam and the confidence motion presented by Manmohan Singh as the Prime Minister.

The pundits, the intelligentsia, the media and the political class were in a tizzy with epithets like ‘Singh is King’ becoming folklore. If you recall, no one was talking about how the monsoon was playing truant; the gossip was all about politicians even more unreliable than the monsoon that was playing truant. The Third Front – with ‘Dalit ki beti’ Mayawati as the Prime Minister in waiting – had emerged as a monster that could devour both the UPA and the NDA.

It was around this time that an unknown Dalit called Manoj Kamble got a telephone call from Delhi. It sounds trite sure; but the law graduate Kamble – whose father is a factory worker based in Pune – was actually speechless with astonishment after getting the call. He would have been happy as hell if the caller had been Suresh Kalmadi, the Congress satrap of Pune. Actually, it was Rahul Gandhi who called up Kamble to personally congratulate him for being selected as the leader of the National Students Union of India (NSUI) for Maharashtra. Just in case you forgot, NSUI is the students’ arm of the Congress. According to Kamble, 200 candidates had applied for the post; 14 were shortlisted "but finally Rahulji appointed me on my merits."

Welcome to the New Congress that Rahul Gandhi is building from ground up. It does sound anachronistic when most promising scion of the most powerful political dynasty of India starts to rebuild a party that is steeped in dynasty politics. And replace it with a cadre of workers who display more ‘merit’ than familial links. You won’t hear or read much about people like Kamble, or even about what exactly the heir apparent is actually talking and doing during meetings and sessions where he picks up these ‘sipahis of Congress’. People close to Rahul Gandhi are as tight-lipped as heretical Christians during the Spanish Inquisition. But dig a little deeper and two things very clearly emerge. There are some bravehearts who happily go on record. “We are now extremely hopeful that we will someday get a chance to lead our party in the state. Earlier, politicians used to promote their own family members. Now, Rahulji has given us hope,” says a Youth Congress member Ramayan Yadav from Uttar Pradesh. Note the delicious irony; this Yadav is a ‘nobody’ and has nothing to do with Mulayam Yadav.

First, Rahul Gandhi is quietly revamping, rebuilding and remodelling the 124 -year-old party by shunning ‘courtiers’ and adopting the ‘grassroots’ model. Second, the strategy is clear cut: Rahul Gandhi should be able to go to the President of India in 2014 with a list of at least 272 Congress MPs. We must add a caveat, of course: his father, the late Rajiv Gandhi too had launched a bold campaign to revamp the party. Nobody knows if Rahul will succeed with a 124- year-old mothballed organisation when Rajiv failed with a 100-year-old mothballed organisation. After all, even Rajiv Gandhi had tried the ‘youth’ trick.

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

Read these article :-
Delhi/ NCR B- Schools get better
IIPM fights meltdown

IIPM News - History Mail - Jacques Turgot to Louis XVI

Jacques Turgot (Baron de l'Aulne) was perhaps the leading economist of 18th Century France. Turgot can be said to have formed a distinct school of his own and had exercised a deep influence upon Adam Smith, who was living in France in the 1760s and was on intimate terms with Turgot. Many of the concepts and ideas in Smith's Wealth of Nations are drawn directly from Turgot. Following letter was written to King Louis XVI when the latter asked him to control the finance of the empire. Turgot figured that if he could keep government spending in check and encourage private economic enterprise, tax revenues would rise and state finances would return to solvency.

1774 August 24

Louis XVI, King of France ,

Having just left Your Majesty's room, still full of the anxiety produced by the immensity of the burden you place upon me, overcome be the touching kindness with which you have deigned to encourage me, I hasten to convey to you my respectful gratitude and the absolute devotion of my whole life.

Your Majesty has been good enough to authorize me to put in writing the promise you have made to uphold me in the execution of those plans for economy that are at all times, and to-day more than ever, of an absolute necessity . ... At this moment, Sire, I confine myself to recalling to you these three phrases: No bankruptcy; No increase of imposition; No borrowing. No bankruptcy either avowed or disguised by arbitrary reduction (of interest on public stock). No increase of impositions; the reason for this lies in the plight of your subjects, and still more in Your Majesty's heart. No borrowing; because every loan always diminishes the unanticipated revenue and necessitates, in the long run, either bankruptcy or an increase in taxes. In time of peace it is perhaps permissible to borrow, but only in order to liquidate old debts, or to redeem other loans contracted on less advantageous terms.

There is only one way of fulfilling these three aims: that of reducing expenditure below receipts, and sufficiently below to ensure each year a saving of twenty millions (livres) with a view to the redemption of long-standing debts. Failing this, the first gunshot will drive the State to bankruptcy. It will be asked, “On what can we retrench?” and all officials, speaking for their own departments, will maintain that every particular item of expenditure is indispensable. They will be able to put forward very good reasons; but since the impossible cannot be achieved, all these must yield to the absolute necessity of economy.

It is, then, highly essential for Your Majesty to insist that the heads of all departments should act in concert with the Minister of Finance. It is imperative that he should discuss with them in the presence of Your Majesty the urgency of proposed expenses. Above all it is essential, Sire, that, as soon as you have decided what amount is strictly requisite for each department, you should forbid the officials concerned to order any new expenditure without first arranging with the Treasury the means of providing for it. Without this regulation each department will load itself with debts, which will always become Your Majesty's debts, and your Minister of Finances will be unable to answer for the discrepancy between income and expenditure. Your Majesty is aware that one of the greatest obstacles to economy is the multiplicity of demands by which you are constantly besieged, and which have unfortunately been sanctioned too indulgently by your predecessors.

It is necessary, Sire, to arm yourself against your kindness by a greater kind-heartedness, by considering whence comes this money which you are able to distribute to your courtiers, and by comparing the wretchedness of those from whom it is extracted (sometimes by the most rigorous methods) with the condition of those people who have the greatest call upon your liberality. There are certain favours which, it is thought, you can readily grant, because they do not immediately bear upon the Royal Treasury.

I venture to repeat here what you have already been kind enough to hear and approve. The affecting kindness with which you condescended to press my hands within your own, as if accepting my devotion, will never be effaced from my memory. It will sustain my courage. It has for all time welded my personal happiness with the interests, the glory, and the welfare of Your Majesty.

Anne Robert Jacques Turgot

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative
Read these article :-
Delhi/ NCR B- Schools get better
IIPM fights meltdown

Improved Me!

The bad boys are busy in their image makeover sessions!

It took years for actor Jackie Chan to transform his image from an action flick actor to the king of comedy. Schwarzenegger splurged millions to change his image from an actor to a politician. In this race of makeovers, how can our famous and infamous leaders, presidents and dictators be left behind. Around the world, they are using all possible boulevard to promote their new image.

With similar motive in mind, since 2004, Equatorial Guinea has paid Cassidy and Associates — a government-relations firm — around $120,000 per month to overhaul the country's image and public perception and win audience with American leaders. Few years ago, the US officials would have never talked about their relationship with Guinea but on May 7, 2007, Condoleezza Rice stood before a pack of reporters with one of Africa's most appalling dictators — Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo — at her side and remarked him as a ‘good friend’. Learning from this, it did not take much time for Saudi Arabia to enter into a $14 million-a-year contract with Qorvis, a Washington PR firm, after 9/11 to refurbish its global image. A series of TV campaign (promoting the 9/11 Commission findings) with talk shows featuring Saudi royals alongside the US presidents were organised. Not so lately, in 2002 itself, even the petro-giant Qatar paid $15,000 a month to PR and lobbying firm Rahall Consulting. Following this deal Rahall presented congressional resolutions, which praised Qatar's democratic reform. Walking on the same lines, even Uganda — famous for human rights abuse — hired PR giant Hill & Knowlton to dilute criticism of its atrocious human rights record. Hill & Knowlton has also developed close ties with many other governments, globally, mainly for handling PR issues. The firm has had particular success in marketing the Gulf War and the Iraq war to the American people.

Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan ran an ad campaign echoing out that it is a ‘developing democratic country’. Even Sudan, famous for genocide, spent $530,000 to create an image that it was cooperating on the war on terrorism. It took three PR firms for Azerbaijan's Ilham Aliyev to make Bush announce that Aliyev ‘understands that democracy is the wave of the future’. Even Russia is not far away in this image-building race. Russia paid Ketchum $2.9 million (from August 2008 to January 2009) to attenuate its Georgia attack and gas issues with Ukraine. The firm secured a CNN interview for Vladimir Putin and facilitated Putin to become Time magazine's "Person of the Year" for 2007. Likewise, Republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia have hired PR company to improve their worldwide image. Israeli's Foreign Ministry are hoping to "rebrand" Israel by focusing less on the regional conflict and more on Israel's science and culture with the help of firm Young and Rubicam.

In this era of commercialisation, every one, from actors to criminals to nations get involved in image building exercise. It’s no wrong hiring and indulging in image building process to better-off one’s perception in the world’s eye. But then, the nations must not forget that these initiatives will fall flat if they do not change their existing wrong habits (inhumane practices) or later get back to their old practices. These new avtars need to strictly maintain and practice their new image. With public memory being very short, these initiatives will come futile if not backed up by concrete efforts…efforts what they want the world to believe in!

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

Read these article :-
Delhi/ NCR B- Schools get better
IIPM fights meltdown