D. Raja (CPI national secretary and MP) lists out core labour issues that need immediate attention of government

Q. With power comes its misuse. Do you see this as a probable reason why management is not sensitive to the needs of its labour force?

A. Certainly, labour unions are a collective bargaining force and there is nothing wrong in that. Workers form a collective category and advance their common demand. Trade unions have their own democratic functioning; the members meet, discuss and share their experiences and formulate their demands accordingly. Fighting absenteeism, watching workers putting their optimum efforts during work hours is also their work.

Even the International Labour Organization (ILO) has a worker-education programme that aims to make workers more aware of their rights, duties and work culture.

Q. Why do we often find management against these unions?

A. No management has the power to hire and fire during such a period. Disciplinary actions are taken and disputes can be taken to labour ministry and commissioners. However, no government or management can have the power to hire and fire at its whim and this is exactly what the management demands. Management cannot accuse trade unions and workers for not giving their full cooperation in the production, for trade unions themselves talk about a new work culture.

Q. Is there lack of awareness amongst the labour class when it comes to workplace rights?

A. I do not think so because nowadays trade unions are quite active. For instance, Tamil Nadu recently organised an awareness campaign that explained labour problems; what are the present struggle, what are the demands.

Moreover, many agricultural workers unions are demanding central legislation for workers. Political parties too take up these issues. There are independent trade unions and people go to judiciary too when their rights are denied. Click here to read more...

Like us and read IIPM Think-Tank articles on facebook

IIPM Think-Tank

Business and Economy

The Sunday Indian

Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri

Prof. Rajita Chaudhuri

4ps Business and Marketing

The Human Factor

IIPM-The Indian Institute of Planning and Management

IIPM Info Page

IIPM - Best Post Graduate Business Management Institute India

Thatcherism and decline in Trade Unions power and strength

Margaret Thatcher, who became the first woman prime minister of Britain in 1979, continued the policy of reducing the power of the trade unions. Sympathy strikes and closing shops were banned. Union leaders had to ballot members on strike action and unions were responsible for the actions of its members. 

Her government pledged to check and reverse Britain’s economic decline. In the short-term, painful measures were required.

Although direct taxes were cut to restore incentives, the budget had to be balanced, and so indirect taxes were increased. The economy was already entering a recession, but inflation was rising and interest rates had to be raised to control it. By the end of Thatcher’s first term (1979-83), unemployment in Britain was more than three million and it began to fall only in 1986. A large section of Britain’s inefficient manufacturing industry closed down. No one had predicted how severe the downturn would be.

Thatcher’s second term (1983-1987) opened with almost as many difficulties as the first. The government took a firm stand against industrial disputes and the miners’ strike that began in 1984 and lasted for 12 months without success under militant leadership.

The miners’ strike was one of the most violent and long-lasting one in British history. The outcome was uncertain, but after many twists, the union was defeated. This proved a crucial development because it ensured that the Thatcher reforms would work. In the years that followed, the Labour opposition quietly accepted the popularity and success of the trade union legislation and pledged not to reverse its key components.Click here to read more...

Like us and read IIPM Think-Tank articles on facebook

IIPM Think-Tank

Business and Economy

The Sunday Indian

Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri

Prof. Rajita Chaudhuri

4ps Business and Marketing

The Human Factor

IIPM Publications-The education sector today needs a concerted push so that best teachers are recruited for the greater good of the nation

In another study on evaluating teaching performance, Professor Michael B. Paulsen of the University of Iowa, says that the careful consideration of the qualities of effective teaching is an important task. “No universally accepted definition of effective college teaching exists even though countless attempts have been made to identify the characteristics of effective teaching using a variety of theoretical perspectives and a range of qualitative and quantitative approaches.”

In OECD’s three-yearly PISA test of the abilities of 15-year old secondary-school students, Finland has established its reputation as one of the world’s leaders in the academic performance of its secondary school students. The OECD 2010 report focuses on salient characteristics of Finland’s education system that makes it different from other OECD countries. It talks about the incredible Finnish success in education by excluding the factors that are almost common in all the OECD countries.

The full-service schools that provide health and dental services, offer guidance and psychological counselling, and access to a broader array of mental health and other services for students and families in need, are becoming increasingly common in western countries, including Finland. Teachers there enjoy a relatively high degree of freedom. They are expected to assess students on an ongoing basis, using the assessment guidelines in the national core curriculum and textbook. Students, on the other hand, are expected to work collaboratively on projects.

India’s National Curriculum Framework (NCF) proposes five guiding principles for curriculum development. ‘Connecting knowledge to life outside the school, ensuring that learning shifts away from rote methods, enriching the curriculum so that it goes beyond textbooks, making examinations more flexible and ­integrating them with classroom life and nurturing an overriding identity informed by caring concerns within the democratic polity of the country.’ These guidelines are largely in sync with the practices of the top performing countries.

According to the NCF 2005, the fact that knowledge is constructed by the child implies that curricula, syllabi and textbooks should enable the teacher in organising classroom experiences in consonance with the child’s nature and environment, and thus providing opportunities for all children. “Teaching should aim at enhancing children’s natural desire and strategies to learn. Knowledge needs to be distinguished from information, and teaching needs to be seen as a professional activity, not as coaching for memorisation or as transmission of facts.” Read full article

IIPM, MBA, BBA, Professor Arindam Chaudhuri, 4ps Business and Marketing, Business and Economy

Q. Enrolment in government-run schools has decreased in the last decade. There is a trend in both urban and rural areas to opt for private education. How can this gap be bridged?

A. Government pumping in more money to build schools and hire teachers as government employees is not really going to be a viable solution, as that is going to cost a lot, will take a long time and will have all kinds of implementation problems. A solution that is actually working in the United States and the United Kingdom is for the government to give vouchers to parents, which can be used by parents to send children to private schools. There can always be an equal distribution of vouchers, so that education is subsidised and children from poor families are not deprived of education.

The private schools would then compete to attract children and that would obviously go a long way towards improving the quality and efficiency of the schools. Of course it requires a big policy-level rethinking but it can be one effective solution, provided the distribution of these vouchers is made fairly effectual and efficient.

Q. Many of the government initiatives to improve internal efficiency and quality of secondary education have not really clicked. What are the probable reasons for it?

A. Improving the internal efficiency of existing government schools is an extremely challenging task everywhere in the world and it is so because reforms cannot be implemented unless teachers want to change. Teachers tend to have their own set ways of behaving and if they do not change, it would not make much of a difference.

Q. With over 350 universities and 17,000 colleges, India boasts of having the third largest number of graduates after the United States and China. But we still lag behind on the education front. Why so?

A. Firstly, I would not necessarily say that we are behind China because overall the quality of education there is not very impressive. The scenario is quite similar in both India and China. In the last ten years, the number of students graduating in both nations has multiplied several folds. Click here to read more..

Read More IIPM Related Articles
Zee Business Best B-School Survey 2012
Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri's Session at IMA Indore
IIPM IN FINANCIAL TIMES, UK. FEATURE OF THE WEEK
IIPM strong hold on Placement : 10000 Students Placed in last 5 year
IIPM's Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri - A Man For The Society....
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM makes business education truly global
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman
IIPM B-School Facebook Page
IIPM Global Exposure
IIPM Best B School India
IIPM B-School Detail
IIPM Links
IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face

It’s beyond weeding out non-performers

Marc S. Tucker (President & CEO, National Center on Education and the Economy)

Q. How would you describe the education scenario in the United States? What changes have you witnessed in the recent times?
A. We have a decentralised system of education in the United States. The jurisdiction of the national department of education is limited. The ability to make substantial changes in the education system is restricted because authority for decision-making is widely dispersed.

The fiscal crisis that shook the world recently had a significant impact in the United States. with the crash of the housing market. About half of the funding for the schools in the United States is raised by taxing the values of local real estate.

The dominant view of school reform in the country today is framed by the idea that the poor performance of the United States compared to that of the best performing nations is a result of the grip of the bureaucracy and teacher unions on schools. However, there has been a concerted push in recent years to develop and adopt national standards for student performance in English and mathematics. This solution has taken the form of the new Common Core State Standards initiative by the organisation of the executives of the state education systems, working together with the organisation of the governors of the American states.

Last year, they issued a draft set of standards that were subsequently adopted by more than 40 of the 50 states. The federal government, which has no jurisdiction in these matters, has nevertheless offered a substantial amount of money to the states to help them develop tests to match the top standards. Almost 20-25 years ago, the United States had the highest proportion of people in the workforce with a high school diploma, and the highest proportion with a four-year college degree. We are number 12 on both league tables now.

As recently as the 1980s, most people believed that schools in the United States were amongst the best performing ones. But now we are low in the OECD rankings. At the same time, according to OECD, the United States spends more per capita on school education than any other industrialised country in the world except Luxembourg. Click here to read full interview......

Read More IIPM Related Articles
Zee Business Best B-School Survey 2012
Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri's Session at IMA Indore
IIPM IN FINANCIAL TIMES, UK. FEATURE OF THE WEEK
IIPM strong hold on Placement : 10000 Students Placed in last 5 year
IIPM's Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri - A Man For The Society....
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM makes business education truly global
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman
IIPM B-School Facebook Page
IIPM Global Exposure
IIPM Best B School India
IIPM B-School Detail
IIPM Links
IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face

HR Guru is the voice of the people in the corporate world - IIPM Think Tank

Connecting several thousand professionals across the globe, HR Guru aims to bring them together on a common platform and provide a forum for discussing persistent problems and finding solutions to their queries. HR Guru seeks to provide guidance to budding professionals in dealing with their daily work demands and providing a third party perspective to their situations and issues.

Job seekers can look for their dream jobs through the platform HR Guru provides and employers will find the right talent that they seek. The HR Guru page on Facebook also provides a medium for job hunters and employers alike, where the twain can meet and fulfill each other’s needs. HR Guru, through its team of high calibre professionals and experts, also provides valuable insights into the industry trends and recent researches, and keeps professionals abreast with the best practices in the corporate world. Giving valuable inputs on people skills and providing the right guidance to professionals across the world, HR Guru is the voice of the people in the corporate world.

Q- What is the best CSR activity that an organisation should undertake?

A. The CSR activities that India needs the most are in the areas of education and health care. Q- How can the production target or increase in the number of employees per shift be met while starting a manufacturing unit?

A. This completely depends on the product one is manufacturing. For example, in case of a car production unit the idea of multiple shifts holds good because multiple skilled labours will be working for one unit. In case of a factory producing shirts, the number of labours can be increased in a single shift. It is more feasible from the management and capital perspective.

Q- I am a BE-CSE MBA-HR candidate. Currently, I work in a company but not in the HR department. How can I get a job in HR?

A. If you have talent you do not need recommendations. In my opinion, you need to get a job in a consultancy where you can experience actual HR practices. This exposure will help you get a job. Be positive and keep looking for job openings at thfdigital.com 

All the best!  

Click here to read more smiler stories..

Read More IIPM Related Articles
Zee Business Best B-School Survey 2012
Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri's Session at IMA Indore
IIPM IN FINANCIAL TIMES, UK. FEATURE OF THE WEEK
IIPM strong hold on Placement : 10000 Students Placed in last 5 year
IIPM's Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri - A Man For The Society....
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM makes business education truly global
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman
IIPM B-School Facebook Page
IIPM Global Exposure
IIPM Best B School India
IIPM B-School Detail
IIPM Links
IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face

The Boomerang Effect

Of all ancient weapons, unpredictability of a boomerang makes it the most feared. Reason being, it hurts the most the one who throws it, if used amateurishly. When a cricket team stops performing, the ouster of its captain might cause a boomerang effect.

The first obvious thing which surfaces when a company is in trouble is replacement of the CEO. A recent example that comes to mind is of Yahoo Inc. Its Chairman Roy Bostock fired CEO Carol Bartz, and that too over phone. It is true that the CEO is responsible for overall performance of an organisation, but the CEO alone has limited influence. The major driving elements behind the actions and outcomes of an organisation are the systems and processes that operate across the organisation.

According to a research by Don Hambrick, Smeal Chaired Professor of Management, and co-author Guoli Chen of INSEAD Business School, the simple act of replacing the CEO of a company undergoing crisis has no effect on its performance. The probability that the replacement strategy will work and be productive depends on the actual characteristics of the incumbent and whether the new person has the qualities now needed. Read more...

Read More IIPM Related Articles
Zee Business Best B-School Survey 2012
Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri's Session at IMA Indore
IIPM IN FINANCIAL TIMES, UK. FEATURE OF THE WEEK
IIPM strong hold on Placement : 10000 Students Placed in last 5 year
IIPM's Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri - A Man For The Society....
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM makes business education truly global
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman
IIPM B-School Facebook Page
IIPM Global Exposure
IIPM Best B School India
IIPM B-School Detail
IIPM Links
IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face

Balancing the act for organisations - IIPM Think Tank

Dr. Manas Ranjan Tripathy is an Associate Professor in HRM area with ICFAI Business School (IBS), Hyderabad. He has nearly 15 years of combined experience in academics and research, PhD in Human Resource Management from Visva-Bharati, Santiniketan and is also a recipient of Junior Research Fellowship of UGC. He has conducted several behavioural training programmes for reputed public and private sector organisations, which include NALCO, BHEL, Power Grid Corporation of India Limited, PNB, THDC India Limited, Reliance, BSL, Intelli Group, Hero Honda Group and STL.



The organisations of post-modern era are experiencing rapid change in terms of operation, processes, strategy and people. They can no longer get away with operating in loosely connected groups of business that happen to be located around the world, but must strategically integrate their activities. Survival and beating the odds are the mantras for the present-day organisations.

In a turnaround situation, a company suffers declining economic performance for an extended period of time, such that survival of the company is threatened unless serious efforts are made to improve its performance. Achieving a turnaround calls for a totally different set of skills to probe into the causes of decline and to formulate appropriate strategies to bring the company back on track and move ahead. The turnaround strategy requires exceptional leadership competencies and understanding of human processes. HR’s role is important in scripting turnaround success, though viewed with utter scepticism by specialists in a number of cases. Read more..

Read More IIPM Related Articles
Zee Business Best B-School Survey 2012
Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri's Session at IMA Indore
IIPM IN FINANCIAL TIMES, UK. FEATURE OF THE WEEK
IIPM strong hold on Placement : 10000 Students Placed in last 5 year
IIPM's Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri - A Man For The Society....
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM makes business education truly global
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman
IIPM B-School Facebook Page
IIPM Global Exposure
IIPM Best B School India
IIPM B-School Detail
IIPM Links
IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face

The Expectation Story of an Organisation

.... But how can a CEO find a common ground with the HR manager to accomplish his expectation? The CEO has to know that HR executive has the interest of the company at heart, will be honest and tell him what other executives might be afraid of, suggest options that are clearly thought out, and keep confidences. The CEO and HR leaders need to meet regularly on both informal and formal basis to build that trust.

Mr. Haven Cockerham, senior VP of a company in Chicago, said that most CEOs have come to a conclusion that most companies have the same access to capital and equipment and that the only distinguishing factor is the HR management which works for the company.

Accessibility, empowerment and an inspiring vision are what HR wishes from a CEO.

Mr. Kaushik Chakraborty, VP Training and Development (Royal Bank of Scotland), says HR is an important partner in driving change for the organisation. To seize the challenges and develop a strategic role, HR needs support and recognition from the CEO.

In an interaction with Mr. Chakraborty, some HR expectations from the CEO came to the fore.

Q. How can the CEO help HR develop a strong and healthy corporate culture?
A. The CEO must provide support to HR in terms of understanding that talent retention is important. Any function requires some degree of expertise. And for the overall result generation it is mandatory to understand the process. A CEO must be open to people development and implement any short or long-term plan in this respect. Read more...

Read More IIPM Related Articles
Zee Business Best B-School Survey 2012
Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri's Session at IMA Indore
IIPM IN FINANCIAL TIMES, UK. FEATURE OF THE WEEK
IIPM strong hold on Placement : 10000 Students Placed in last 5 year
IIPM's Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri - A Man For The Society....
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM makes business education truly global
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman
IIPM B-School Facebook Page
IIPM Global Exposure
IIPM Best B School India
IIPM B-School Detail
IIPM Links
IIPM : The B-Scho

ol with a Human Face

“Be aware!”

“Be aware!”, echoed both masters. Here, it would be pertinent to note that both have been responsible for giving extensive close quarter combat (CQC) training to various law enforcement agencies, the military and some of its elite units. It seemed a generic directive, but as the South Africans proved, it was the one trait – being aware of one’s environment (moving away from glass areas, fire, checking for exits, and finding resources for barricading an area) that saved more than a 100 lives.

“Secondly, you should always stay low – you might escape both bullets and heavy smoke”, urged Vicky Kapoor. “Krav Maga (used by the Israeli Defence units) was designed to counter hostage situations”, he elaborated, as he showed us how he would’ve handled armed hostage takers even if handcuffed “and while most Israelis would’ve made difficult hostages because they’ve served in the army and trained in CQC, most of us Indians are neither trained nor aware. Even if you can’t get army training, every school, RWA and organisation should run programmes that run basic first aid. Doctors trapped in one of the hotels saved the lives of a wounded few with basic first aid techniques. Perhaps many others could’ve been saved. Teach people what to do incase of a fire or an earth quake. Offices have fire extinguishers but who knows how to use them? In case of a fire or explosion, more might die in a stampede. Simple evacuation drills could save lives. Martial skills could be infinitely useful, but the rest is basic and should be mandatory training for each and every Indian. Wake up, and take charge of your lives. No one else would do it for you”, he concluded. Incidentally, Vicky Kapoor has been training security teams in some prominent hotel chains in the aftermath of 26/11. Kanishka echoed the same thoughts. “We’re usually too busy walking like zombies to notice our surroundings. Why is that man so nervous? Whose bag is that? Where are the exits? Which is the closest hospital? I’m not saying you should be in a state of paranoia 24/7, but be aware of your surroundings. And be careful before you start a self defense course to prepare yourself for hostage situations. They work…” he said as he demonstrated how even an unarmed hostage could, at the right moment, “with the right training”, disarm an armed assailant and get out alive “… but you must understand that combat martial styles, like Kali (a martial art used by the Filipino Marines) begin where most martial sports (Tae kwon do and sport Karate are sports which’ve banned lethal techniques, focusing instead on scoring points) end. Their aim is to train to finish the opponent (even if armed), not score points and this distinction is very important when you choose a martial art for self defense. Presence of mind, common sense and even the ability to engage hostage takers in a conversation, a negotiation, could save your life. If that fails, train the mind and the body with self defense skills and you might still come out alive.”

I know what you’re thinking? What good are martial skills in the face of a bullet. Well, if someone wants to shoot you, he will and there’s nothing you can do about it. But in a hostage situation, escape if you can. And if you can’t, wait. There might be a moment when the terrorist comes close enough for you to act. I hope such a day never comes, but if it does, you might as well be prepared… See you in the dojo then… PS Mr CEO(s), do remember to organize fire safety, first aid and evacuation drills in the office. It might save more than just one life…....Continue

IIPM Arindam Chaudhuri 4Ps Business & Marketing Business & Economy Kkoooljobs Planman Media Planman Consulting Planman Marcom Planman Technologies Planman Financial Planman Motion Pictures GIDF The Daily Indian IIPM Think Tank
The Sunday Indian

Star Cruise !

The routes of these ships keep on changing and there are a lot of cruises one can choose from, like Blues Cruise, Star Cruises, Royal Caribbean etc and the cruise packages also vary. The one I journeyed on, stopped at the Langkawi Islands and Phuket Islands for half a day each and I got down at Phuket Islands, the best and the cheapest place to shop. The beaches at Phuket were beautiful and I couldn’t resist trying out para-sailing, where I was perhaps the only one who was made to brush through the sea water for at least half a minute – perhaps the best moment of my life! I also tried driving a motorboat and later, after a Thai massage, I made my way back to the cruise.

Evenings can occupy one with a variety of activities. The ‘games room’ hosts talk shows, game shows and dance classes. A staircase from there leads to the Captain’s Bridge Viewing Gallery where passengers can watch the Captain toil over the complicated consoles. Then there is a ‘picture house’ that screens movies. The cruise liner also has a discotheque and an Africa-themed karaoke bar. So not only did my days pass by in a jiffy, but my nights were just as much fun. However, as they say, there are no free lunches in the world; most of the activities came with a price tag!

The last night was really special as the Captain and the crew joined the party with the passengers. There was music, dance and dinner... It could not have ended on a better note, leaving me with a lot of memories to be cherished... until I set sail, yet again.....Continue

IIPM Arindam Chaudhuri 4Ps Business & Marketing Business & Economy Kkoooljobs Planman Media Planman Consulting Planman Marcom Planman Technologies Planman Financial Planman Motion Pictures GIDF The Daily Indian IIPM Think Tank
The Sunday Indian

SECURITY DISASTER

A Defence Ministry report of March 2007 stated that there is real danger from sea. Quoting from the report, Defence minister, A.K.Anthony, informed the Lok Sabha that ``there are reports about terrorists of various tanzeems being imparted training and likelihood of their infiltration through sea routes..." When further queried by a MP whether "maritime terrorism, gun-running, drug-trafficking and piracy are major threats that India is facing from the sea borders of the country?", Anthony’s reply was a categorical `Yes, sir.’

At the Fourth Regional Security Summit in December, 2007, at Manama, National Security Adviser, M.K. Narayanan – now in the eye of the storm – told those assembled that "there are now certain new schools that are being established on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, which specialise in the training of an international brigade of terrorists to fight in many climes...According to our information, recruits from 14 to 15 countries have been identified as trainees there... —``.

This is no ordinary threat either. The Ministry maintained that ``studies had been conducted about important targets, with regard to vulnerability, accessibility, poor security, absence of proper counter-terrorism measures, etc. The sea route, in particular, is becoming the chosen route for carrying out many attacks, even on land. ''

Despite overwhelming evidence and warnings, no lessons have been learnt. In 2000, in the aftermath of the Kargil war, four task forces were set up. Of them, one was dedicated to border management. Defence doyen K.Subramaniam, who authored that report warned that "the long coastline with its inadequate policing makes it easy to land arms and explosives at isolated spots on the coast." He recalled that this was the route taken to smuggle explosives into Maharashtra in 1993 before the Mumbai blasts. "The situation, if anything, has worsened over the years with activities of the ISI becoming more widespread along the coast…Such coastal areas must be particularly kept under surveillance." That, sadly, is the last thing that the security establishment did. ....Continue

IIPM Arindam Chaudhuri 4Ps Business & Marketing Business & Economy Kkoooljobs Planman Media Planman Consulting Planman Marcom Planman Technologies Planman Financial Planman Motion Pictures GIDF The Daily Indian IIPM Think Tank
The Sunday Indian

Oh, brother!

For a limited cast of only five characters, “Sorry Bhai” is a markedly refreshing departure from standard Bollywood fare. The movie plays around with a simple theme of sibling equations as influenced by the catalyst called the elder sibling’s fiancée. The script is a typical take on the ‘dysfunctional-family-comes-together-for-a-cause’ mould. Harsh (Sanjay Suri) has been away (in Mauritius of all places!) from his family, while his younger brother Sid (Sharman Joshi) tries for a research grant for his latest hypothesis (a cranky idea involving a wooden dog!). When Harsh decides to get married to Aaliyah (Chitrangada Singh), he pleads his younger brother to get his parents, especially his mom for the wedding. The fun in dysfunctional is put in by the antics of the parents, played with superb chemistry by Boman Irani and Shabana Azmi.

Sharman Joshi does a pretty good job keeping up his boyish yet mature image while Chitrangada Singh essays a role that perhaps doesn’t present her as much of a challenge as her debut one did. For an actress of her potential, this is just about par for the course and she is underutilised. On the brighter side, the scenes shared by her and Shabana Azmi deserve special mention. Sanjay Suri exudes quiet confidence as usual and it fits his big brother persona perfectly. The slow narrative (you sort of expect that with a limited cast of characters) is a dampener though the locales of Mauritius do provide a picturesque background for the well shot scenes.

“Sorry Bhai” deserves a watch, at least for being far better off than the apology of a movie that other comedies have become.....Continue

IIPM Arindam Chaudhuri 4Ps Business & Marketing Business & Economy Kkoooljobs Planman Media Planman Consulting Planman Marcom Planman Technologies Planman Financial Planman Motion Pictures GIDF The Daily Indian IIPM Think Tank
The Sunday Indian

The Mumbai attack could not have happened without assistance from the locals

A close scrutiny of the terrorist operation will tell you that this was certainly not the result of some momentary emotional impulse. The killers had clearly done their homework well and were both well trained and deeply indoctrinated. It is quite obvious why they targeted Mumbai -- because as India’s financial capital an attack on it would draw the maximum publicity worldwide. The terrorists’ aim this time was to discourage overseas investments in India. That is why they took on foreigners. What they want is to bleed India financially – to hit us hard. The attack has already send shivers down the English cricket team, as a result of which all tournaments have been cancelled.

The attack has exposed the numerous chinks in the Indian Intelligence armour. For consider: none of our agencies was able to come up with a single clue even after so many people had been killed. And the sad thing is that this is not a one-off incident. Our intelligence agencies almost never wake up in time so that such attacks are pre-empted. They come on the scene after the incidents have already occurred. If we are really serious about stopping such attacks on India we will need to strengthen our intelligence agencies manifold. We will need to modernise it so that it becomes possible to develop foolproof intelligence mechanisms at the local level. Then only will we be able to spot suspicious activities before this kind of mayhem is unleashed.....Continue

IIPM Arindam Chaudhuri 4Ps Business & Marketing Business & Economy Kkoooljobs Planman Media Planman Consulting Planman Marcom Planman Technologies Planman Financial Planman Motion Pictures GIDF The Daily Indian IIPM Think Tank
The Sunday Indian

Call of nature

When one wants to answer the call of nature, one goes to the bathroom. But according to scientists, the kitchen garden may be a better place. Why? Studies have discovered that urine helps plants like cabbages to grow more. Researchers in Sweden used urine (stored for six months) to fertilise a plot of cabbages and compared the results with a similar plot where conventional fertilisers were used. The findings, cabbages watered with urine grew to be not only bigger but healthier than most other conventionally treated plants. And yes, they tasted the same!...Continue

IIPM Arindam Chaudhuri 4Ps Business & Marketing Business & Economy Kkoooljobs Planman Media Planman Consulting Planman Marcom Planman Technologies Planman Financial Planman Motion Pictures GIDF The Daily Indian IIPM Think Tank
The Sunday Indian

who will win? Ajai Bhambhi

Chaotic Centre, BJP to lose states

Venus, the planet of luxury and wellness has been a major factor in India’s fate for the past 20 years. This is amply reflected in the great strides India has taken over that period. However, at present, Ketu will play a spook: its temperament does not dine together with Venus. From November 4, 2009, Ketu sub dasha will play a major role in the main mahadasha of Venus. Result: chaos. The 2009 general elections’ result will have no single party form the government at the Centre, and which party comes, it will not complete its term.

Congress: Presently with Venus in the 11th house along with Jupiter is good. In astrology 11th house indicates huge gains by friends, well-wishers etc. Congress will not win as many seats it had won in the last election but it shall be in a position to call the shots due to its alliances. However, a precise prediction can only be made after the poll dates are announced.

BJP: In this party’s case, since it has a Venus-Mercury combination - which is good - we still believe that the party will do well in this election but to get a mandate will not be an easy task.

Delhi: The charts of VK Malhotra and Sheila Dixit are not too different, but going by all considerations, there can be no better time or opportunity than now for the former.

Rajasthan: Vasundhara Raje might manage to manipulate MLAs and come back, but chances are she will go down fighting. Madhya Pradesh: Shivraj Singh Chauhan, with his Moon chart showing Jupiter leaving Sagittarius on December 9, 2008, is a sure loser! Chhattisgarh: Raman Singh beware: Saturn’s sadey saati in operation, so the least said the better!...Continue

IIPM Arindam Chaudhuri 4Ps Business & Marketing Business & Economy Kkoooljobs Planman Media Planman Consulting Planman Marcom Planman Technologies Planman Financial Planman Motion Pictures GIDF The Daily Indian IIPM Think Tank
The Sunday Indian

An island in the ocean

“Why do you do yoga all the time? You want to live to be 150, isn’t it? Why? What would you do at 150… all alone while your friends, your loved ones, perhaps even your children and grand children have all gone? Not worth it!” Thus spake Kakoo (uncle) – let’s call him Dr Kakoo…
Dr Kakoo happens to be my favourite uncle in the neighbourhood and he’s seen me grow from the toddler who chased after a butterfly (which, incidentally, has nothing to do with being gay; I’m pretty sure I’ve seen Sir David Attenborough and Steve Irwin do pretty much the same thing on TV) into a professional gadfly. And ever since the time he suggested I might want to reconsider my decision of running away and joining the circus as a four-year-old, I’ve always found his advice timely and pertinent.

But this time, I begged to differ...
I was sitting in his living room, following up on an after dinner chat, while a replica of the Mona Lisa stared down at us from luminous white walls. He insisted that life was worth living only till about 80 (Kakoo’s in his 70s) or so and beyond that, it is but a listless wait for the end to come. And since reaching that limit, going by current gerontological standards, was a more likely statistical possibility than not amongst middle-class Indians, why bother with the mind-numbing stress of a workout for a few more years of life?...Continue

IIPM Arindam Chaudhuri 4Ps Business & Marketing Business & Economy Kkoooljobs Planman Media Planman Consulting Planman Marcom Planman Technologies Planman Financial Planman Motion Pictures GIDF The Daily Indian IIPM Think Tank
The Sunday Indian

Repeated violence rubbishes claims of 'island of peace'

Though the police initially claimed that the Maoists had been responsible, the latter, uncharacteristically, made no such claim. And one top retired IPS officer said that had the Maoists been responsible, they would have made a claim. Besides, said the officer, it was not a land mine, for that would have blown up the car into smithereens, but only some splinters had smashed the windshield of the police car.

Kuldip Singh, Inspector General of Police (Western range), admitted on November 4 that the four kilometre stretch had not been under surveillance as the police had no information it could be under Maoist influence, and in fact, it was a CPI(M) controlled area. But this is not a one-off incident. Recently, Maoists blew up an ambulance, killing a doctor and a nurse travelling in it at Belpahari, near Salboni. Interestingly, they did so because in these areas, the state police, scared witless of being attacked, use not their vehicles but ambulances for patrolling. The Maoists later admitted the mistake.....Continue

IIPM Arindam Chaudhuri 4Ps Business & Marketing Business & Economy Kkoooljobs Planman Media Planman Consulting Planman Marcom Planman Technologies Planman Financial Planman Motion Pictures GIDF The Daily Indian IIPM Think Tank
The Sunday Indian

Iskander-M leaves Poland and Czech vulnerable to Russian attack

IIPM Publication
The location of deployment and choice of the missile both say much about Russia’s position on this current tussle. During the cold war, Kaliningrad was perceived as the first line of defence against an aggression from the west. Russia condensed its strategic presence in the region post Cold War, but it still has tens of thousands of troops and quite a few key bases there, counting the Chernyakhovsk naval air base as well as the Baltic Fleet's headquarters at Baltiysk.

Named after the greatest conquer of all time, Alexander of Macedon, Iskander-M missile system, or SS-26 as NATO would like to call it, will be Russia’s new armoury in the region. “The deployment of Iskander that has a range of more than 300 miles would equip Russia to mark the entire territory of Poland and also parts of the Czech Republic,” said Anatoly Tsyganok, a military expert at Military Forecast Centre, while talking to TSI from Moscow. Iskander launchers are mounted on an eight-wheeled truck, making them extremely manoeuvrable. The missile’s “variable flight trajectory” means it is tricky to knock down. However, it has not been made clear on the Russian part whether the Iskanders to be deployed in Kaliningrad will have a nuclear payload or not....Continue

IIPM Arindam Chaudhuri 4Ps Business & Marketing Business & Economy Kkoooljobs Planman Media Planman Consulting Planman Marcom Planman Technologies Planman Financial Planman Motion Pictures GIDF The Daily Indian IIPM Think Tank
The Sunday Indian

Sambit Mohanty (30), Leo Burnett

IIPM Ranked No. 1 B-School In Global Exposre - Zee...

Sambit Mohanty (30), Leo Burnett. He’s won a New York silver and a Abby gold. He’s been a finalist at the Cannes too. A student of journalism and advertising, he is of the opinion that creativity never happens to anybody by intention. It is mostly by accident. But for him, it was actually a mixture of both. He had no clue what creativity was, when he came to Delhi to prepare for his civil services exams. And before he knew, he landed up at IIMC, where he found his true calling. “That time I figured that there is something called creativity. I was completely oblivious of the term earlier,” he says. After starting his career at McCann Erickson, he’s had stints at Lowe, Publicis and Vyas Giannetti. Sambit has worked for a range of products like Dettol, Mortein, Cherry Blossom and India Today. He’s had a busy few months recently, with the launch campaign for the introduction of Chevy Spark, the Minute Maid ad campaign (Where’s the pulp), and lastly the fiery Thums Up-Akshay Kumar ad. But the real high in his life was when after seeing the Cherry Blossom ad, ad guru Alyque Padamsee himself called up the McCann office to congratulate him.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

Read these article :-
ZEE BUSINESS BEST B SCHOOL SURVEY
B-schooled in India, Placed Abroad (Print Version)
IIPM in Financial times (Print Version)
IIPM makes business education truly global (Print Version)
The Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM)
IIPM Campus

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
4Ps Power Brand Awards 2007
When IIPM comes to education, never compromise
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM is A World of Career
Why Study Abroad When IIPM Gives You 3 global Advantages!