IIPM FACULTY

Saturday, April 20, 2013

Can Zinger become the Big Mac in India?

Shrugging off its early failure, KFC from the stable of Yum! Brands is now eyeing to replicate its Chinese success story and trump McDonald’s in the Indian market. But the question remains – can it beat McDonald’s first mover advantage in this market, and of course its robust supply chain?

It’s 9 o’clock on a wintry sunday morning and despite the chill and a holiday, quite a few young couples could be seen taking a relaxed breakfast at a KFC outlet in New Delhi’s Connaught Place. Whether they are pressed for time or it’s their love for KFC morning offerings, is not known. But certainly the ubiquitous Louisville, Kentucky-based chicken specialty restaurant from the Yum! Brands stable, has caught the fancy of urban youth. So much so that the well-entrenched McDonald’s known for its family and kids TG, has aggressively revamped its offering to orient itself to the young adults.

Starting in 1996, after a slow and circumspect start, today KFC is Yum! Brands’ best performing subsidiary in India, well ahead of Pizza Hut – once the flagship for the US-parent company in India. But what’s worth noting is that with KFC Yum! Brands is hoping to create a China like success story in India. Today KFC is 80% of the Yum! Brands’ over 4,200 outlets in China – a market which contributes 33% of its global revenue. But then that’s not without a solid reason. While India being a chicken loving country, the chances of KFC’s continuing success becomes stronger, more so as offerings like Zinger Burger, and the trademark KFC hot and crispy chicken offerings, are gobbled by urban India. Officially the QSR chain is growing at a blistering 70%. And the company has already started eyeing for bigger targets. When asked about the company’s target to hit Rs.10 billion turnover in India, Dhruv Kaul, Marketing Director, KFC India says, “With the kind of growth and expansion we are having, that looks a very humble figure, we are aiming much higher in the coming years.”

However, to achieve these bigger targets, KFC has to take the game away from McDonald’s, which already has a very strong presence across the country. Certainly, the QSR that believes in finger licking taste has outlined few key growth areas to take the matter forward. While keeping its great taste USP alive by further expanding and localising its menu is its primary strategy, increasing its footprints to roughly 50 cities, increasing the serving hours and thus drawing a broader customer base – especially among the Indian youth – are the key focus areas for the company now. Working on the lines, the company recently introduced Streetwise range starting at Rs.25 to cater to the college going youths, and lure the mass that have been loving McDonald’s happy price menu (starts at Rs.20) so far. Moreover, KFC now aims to expand to 100 items serving all kind of customer needs from health to indulgence.

McDonald’s on its part too knows that KFC is the one to watch out for. As such the Big Mac maker is on a good move growing at 35% over a revenue base that’s much bigger than KFC in India, and doubling its revenue every 3-years. But then the fact that the past couple of years have seen KFC’s aggression bringing it good dividends is something hard for McDonald’s to ignore. No doubt, a serious competition is already in place. The flow at which both players have started offering new products, right from burger specialty to their respective beverages, to hit the other’s menu clearly explains how spicy the chicken and the burgers have become in both the board rooms.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2013.
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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Tuesday, April 16, 2013

In need of a bailout

With several power utilities running up prohibitive losses and power tariffs remaining static for years on end, the much touted growth story for the power sector looks like tripping up.

The red flags are up for the power sector, which was once considered to be the next ‘big thing’ in India’s growth and investment story. But in the face of mounting losses by already debt-ridden state electricity distribution companies, existing and future loans to the power sector have become a cause of deep concern for banks and state lenders such as REC, PFC and others. Lenders such as Power Finance Corp (PFC), Rural Electrification Corp (REC) and several banks have together lent about Rs.4.8 trillion to the sector by March 2011 and total advances are expected to grow 23% over the next two years. Moreover, around Rs.560 billion of these lenders’ exposure is potentially at risk if there is no meaningful progress on power reforms in the next 18 months. And going by the way the power distribution sector is racking up losses, funding for the sector looks headed for real trouble.

Losses for state electricity distributors, which depend on state support and borrowings from financial institutions to meet revenue shortfalls, doubled in the two years since April 2008 to $12.9 billion, according to a Power Finance Corp report. The net losses of the power distribution firms, which have been widening over the past five years, was pegged at about Rs.400 billion in FY11. As a result, many distribution firms are financing the gap in their revenues and costs by debt funding. Nine states including Rajasthan, Bihar and Haryana account for 80% of the outstanding debt (see chart). But mounting losses at state electricity boards (SEBs) and delays in the execution of new power plants are making servicing of loans and interest payment difficult. SEBs are on a brink of bankruptcy as they are saddled with losses running into millions of rupees on account of power theft during transmission and distribution, billing inefficiencies, and, more importantly, because they have to buy expensive power to tide over short-term deficits. To add to the woes of distribution companies, power subsidy requirement by distribution utilities has increased both in absolute and percentage terms over the last few years, which means that the ratio of average revenue realisation (ARR) to average cost of supply (ACS) and the gap between ARR and ACS has deteriorated. From a credit perspective, timely disbursement of subsidy to distribution companies remains a critical factor, given that any significant delay in subsidy payments by the State governments can impact the cash flows of the state-owned power utilities.

Under the circumstances, it’s no surprise that some of the state electricity boards are already asking for loan restructuring by extending the repayment period. Loan advances to power sector constitute nearly 7.3% of total outstanding credit for banks. Of this, nearly 30-40% is accounted for by state electricity boards (SEBs) and face a much greater likelihood of being restructured if things get any worse. According to brokerage firm Macquarie, up to 40% of advances to the power sector could be restructured. Canara Bank has the highest exposure to power, with 13.3% of its assets exposed to the sector, while Kotak Mahindra Bank is the least troubled with almost negligible exposure to power. India’s top two lenders, State Bank of India and ICICI Bank, are among those having high exposure to the power sector, with more than 300 billion rupees of loans each. According to Chairman and Managing Director of Punjab National Bank K.R. Kamath, “Wherever we had issues on state electricity board short-term loans we have restructured and converted them into long-term loans repayable over a period of time.” In fact, PNB has restructured loans worth Rs 1.7 billion given to Tamil Nadu state electricity board in the second quarter. A similar predicament is being faced by Indian Overseas Bank, which has lent more than 91 billion rupees ($1.8 billion) to the power sector. “Some of the state electricity boards are asking for loan restructuring. We’re seeing how that can be worked out,” says Chairman and Managing Director M. Narendra. According to the Reserve Bank of India, bank loans outstanding to the power sector as on September 2011 was Rs 3,007 billion. Banks exposure to power sector at the end of August 2011 accounted for 7.9% of total bank credit. The maximum limit is 8.3%, which leaves almost no room for further funding.

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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

Monday, April 15, 2013

RTI needs more teeth

B&E: The PM, along with some of his colleagues, has been critical of some of the provisions of the RTI. What do you read from the PM’s remarks?

ND: The impact of RTI has begun to show now. I think the RTI, not as a law, but as a system, gives it strength. The government has also been in trouble on many occasions due to RTI and their anger is unfortunate. This is one legislation that has been passed by this very government. What the PM has said is unfortunate. I would be happy if he had talked about strengthening its implementation instead of attempting to dilute it.

B&E: The PM’s call for a critical look into the RTI Act has emboldened voices seeking dilutions to RTI. Do you see it as a threat to RTI?

ND: The threat from the political class to RTI has existed since the Act came into being. Barely six months into the formulation of the Act and the government was already on its toes to clip its wings. I remember we had a hard time keeping the RTI in its current form. However, with the kind of community support that the RTI has garnered in these 6 years, it will not be easy for any government to amend it.

B&E: What is your reaction to remarks that the RTI has inbuilt weaknesses?

ND: I feel that there are weaknesses in the Act, but in the sense that it doesn’t have sufficient teeth. There is no provision for fixing responsibilities & imposing penalties.

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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

Friday, April 12, 2013

Sony’s (Intelligent?) bet on The Idiot Box

Sony India has been Focussing Big Time on its Television Business in India. And it seems to have paid it off well. But then, it will Certainly have to come with Some Innovative Strategies soon if it wants to continue rising up The Ranks.

“It’s a time of transition, which makes things even more difficult”. These words from Osamu Katayama’s book These are our future (which details Sony Corporation’s recent history) aptly describe the phase that this Japanese multinational is going through at the moment. First, a devastating earthquake in Japan. Then, a cyber-attack on its network. And finally, a colossal net loss of $3.1 billion for the financial year ending March 31, 2011 (Sony’s second worst financial performance ever). All this has not only made its share price tumble over 25% since the turn of the year, but has also put an enormous pressure on its chief executive Howard Stringer who is striving hard to win the battle against the odds, one after the other.

In fact, when Howard Stringer, Chairman, CEO & President, Sony Corporation, took over the reins of this Japanese conglomerate in June 2005, its three major businesses – gaming, mobile phones and television – were already losing momentum, globally. Thus, the task ahead for Stringer was not only to save these businesses from collapsing, but also identify functions and markets that could serve as alternative sources of revenue for Sony, at least till the time these businesses were back on track, live and kicking.

Although Sony had been in India since 1994, it was only then that the Indian consumers saw Sony recognising the real potential of this ‘Asian Tiger’. Thus, everything from more launches, slightly more affordable prices, to more stores, to even zero-interest finance schemes, to things which Sony had never done before, were all suddenly happening, and not just in India, but across the globe. Result: Sony’s CPD division, which sells televisions, digital imaging, audio and video products, semiconductors, components and business services, recorded a respectable profit of $35.4 million in FY2010-11, up 1.6% y-o-y, at a time when the core divisions were bleeding losses.

No doubt, the strategy paid it off well across countries, but then India seems to be special, so much so that the company is now looking at the country as a priority market and expects it to become the fourth largest market for its products in the world, contributing as much as 10% to the group’s sales in the next couple of years. In fact, Sony, which started off slow in the Indian market, is now rising up fast in a market dominated by chaebols like LG and Samsung.

Cut to the chase, the focus for the time being is on its television business, particularly the Flat Panel Display (FPD) TV market in India. In fact, as per the US-based market research firm DisplaySearch, Sony has already overtaken Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics for the top position, with 22.1% of flat panel TVs shipped in the Indian market in 2010. Even according to the GFK Nielsen Urban India Panel TV (LCD + Plasma TV) Report (for April-June 2010 period), Sony Bravia (Sony’s flagship FPD product) had become the market leader in Flat Panel Display segment in the first quarter of FY2010. It had grabbed a market share of 32% by value, and 29.5% by units sold. The company had sold more than 1,00,000 units during this quarter, more than the number of units sold by any other brand in the market. For the month of June alone, Sony had captured a significant market share, 33% by value and 29.5% by units. The company reported maximum sales in the states of Maharashtra, Delhi, Tamil Nadu & West Bengal during this quarter. For starters, under the FPD TV market, the 22-inch, 32-inch & 40-42 inch segment comprises of more than 75% of LCD units sold in the country. And interestingly, Bravia was the leader in all the three categories.

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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

Thursday, April 04, 2013

B&E This Fortnight

INTERNATIONAL
BUSINESS, ECONOMY & FINANCEUs debt deal done

After months of political wrangling and partisan posturing by both Republicans and Democrats in the Republican-led House of Representatives, President Barack Obama and his team were finally able to cut a deal that allows the US to trim its bulging deficit and raise the $14.3 trillion debt ceiling by more than $2 trillion in extra borrowing power, which will last till 2013. The agreement reached paves the way for $2.1 trillion in spending cuts spread over 10 years and creates a congressional committee to recommend a deficit-reduction package by late November. But the deal does not include any tax increases that Obama had pressed hard to include. Had this last-minute deal not come about, it would have led to a historic US default on payments to investors in Treasury bonds, recipients of social security pension checks, those relying on military veterans benefits and businesses that work for the government. Now that an agreement has been sealed, though after much fractious debate, the US and the world can breathe easy. It will help preserve America’s top notch credit rating, reassure investors in financial markets across the globe and possibly reverse the losses that spread across Wall Street in recent days as the threat of a default grew. However rating agencies may still downgrade America’s current AAA debt rating on concerns about the struggling US economy.

Sprint-lightsquared
The US’s first integrated 4G-LTE wireless broadband and satellite network, LightSquared, has announced a $9-billion network hosting deal with Sprint Nextel. The deal covers spectrum hosting and network services, 4G wholesale, and 3G roaming. LightSquared will pay the deal amount in cash within 11 years even though the time frame for the deal spans 15 years. Moreover, this agreement brings home the opportunity for Sprint to purchase 50% of LightSquared’s expected L-Band 4G capacity. On the other hand, the deal is beneficial for LightSquared for it expects to save $13 billion on network capital & operating expenses. The deal is expected to be a win-win for both, and will enable setting up a separate platform for Sprint Nextel’s hosting opportunities.

ExxonMobil profits
Riding on the high prices of oil and gasoline, the largest oil company in the US - ExxonMobil reported a 53% increase in its fourth quarter profits. ExxonMobil earned $10.7 billion for the quarter, up from $7.56 billion in the same quarter a year earlier. In the second quarter of the current year, ExxonMobil had increased its production by 10% leading to a 41% increase in its quarterly earnings. Earnings were $2.18 per diluted common share, falling short of analysts’ consensus forecast of $2.33, but still much better than last year. ExxonMobil in 2009 had bought natural gas explorer c for $25 billion and has recently purchased two companies in the gas rich Marcellus Shale area across Pennsylvania. The acquisition has boosted its production to an equivalent of 4.9 million barrels of oil a day.

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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