Gross becomes Grand, Vulgarity is Virtue and Indecency is celebrated
The despicable assault on a
promising young girl in Delhi last December generated an avalanche of protest
as well as criticism of callous police force, apathetic politicians and
feckless legal system. Sociologists assert that one of the major reasons of such
ghastly incidents is retrograde male attitudes and burgeoning patriarchal
society. An article titled ‘Our Films Sanctify Pestering and Stalking of Women’
by Swaminathan S Anklesaria published in Readers Digest, offers an insight into
the fact that our movies foster debauched male attitudes that are at least
partly responsible for such horrendous acts. Though feminists have time and
again impugned the commodification of women in ‘item numbers’, all the more
awful is the manner in which Bollywood heroes, who are ideals for millions,
pester, stalk and force their unwanted attention on heroines- all in the name
of romantic wooing, and finally end up winning the girl. What an outrageous
message does it send to the youth of the nation! How can something inappropriate
and disdainful in the civil society be wrapped in the cloak of creativity and
given a green light? This necessitates that artist should realize the
socio-ethical implications of his work. He should transcend beyond his creative
confines and gain understanding of one of the chief objectives of art which
Mikhail Bakhtin termed as ‘Art for Society’s Sake’. Since this consciousness
is not innate, it is imperative that artists of all
arts-musicians, painters, writers or filmmakers be sensitized about their
social responsibilities. It is important to imbibe in the young minds that
their art should be reflective and should be made to realize their kinship with
and onus for the world around.
Assistant Professor in Communication Skills
School of Management Studies
1..Try to modify your thoughts and behaviour, this will lead towards some new
approach/change in life...
WORK OUT THIS, THERE IN LIFE !!
Some of the following points can be of some Importance in somebody's
life :
1..Try to modify your thoughts and behaviour, this will lead towards some new
approach/change in life...
2..Try to come out of your shell and look at the new opportunities and work out
to avail those ...
3..Try to be a helping hand to many..Give right time to those who need you....
4..Try to create a balance between your personal and official life ......
5.. Try not to be Emotionally weak because this leads you nowhere and this may
be the main cause of wastage of ur energy and time......
6.. Try not to be that emotional for somebody ..Because you devote that much of
ur time on somebody and the other may not be that aware of ur sentiments and
may not perceive the things in same manner as you perceive.....
7.. Try not to give that much importance to somebody who actually don't deserve
that.....
8.. Try to be brave in your tough times in life..As Ups and Downs are there in
life so we have to learn to manage everything in life....
9.. Try not to disclose every talk of yours to everybody..Learn what talk to
share with whom...?
10.. Try to make a distance in every relationship..To continue with long term
relationships the required distance is needed.....
11.. Try to save some money whatever is your earning ....
12.. Try to work out what to organize at personal and official front....
13.. Try to give time to yourself also...
14.. Try to be a support system to those who really need you....
15.. Try to be a Mentor to some and give honest guidelines to those who trust
you...
16.. Try to learn something from everybody....
17.. Try not to be that egoistic,rather learn to work with people and love
people....
18.. Try to believe in win win approach.....
19..Try not to take things casually otherwise it may be too late....
20.. Try not to be that doubtful about everybody otherwise this will increase
unproductive workload for you....
21.. Try to spare few minutes from your so called hectic schedules to thank
that “Almighty” for everything...
Hope this will work for some of you........
Rajan Chaudhary
Dean, School of Business Studies
Armed with Freecharge, Snapdeal rolls up sleeves to take on Paytm in India market
 |
| Armed with Freecharge, Snapdeal rolls up sleeves to take on Paytm in India market |
Two of India's biggest consumer internet companies, Snapdeal and Paytm, are set for a face-off as they gear up to capture a slice of the country's Rs 7.4-lakh crore bill payments market.While Paytm was among the first domestic internet companies to offer digital bill and utility payment services, Snapdeal, the country's largest online marketplace, is making a concerted effort to catch up through its $450 million (Rs 2,900 crore) acquisition in April of mobile recharge firm Freecharge. Delhi-based Snapdeal has signaled its ambition to build a services platform to stand out in a crowding online marketplace sector, with digital payments emerging as a crucial front because of its huge untapped potential. Reserve Bank of India estimates that fewer than 1% of the 30 billion bill and utility payments handled every year - at an estimated value of at least Rs 7.4 lakh crore - are done electronically. While banks dominate the market for electronic payments relating to phone, internet, water, gas and electricity bills and even insurance premiums, among other things, Snapdeal and Paytm have built up a war-chest to back their services businesses, being among the most heavily backed domestic consumer internet companies. While Snapdeal counts Japanese investor SoftBank, eBay and BlackRock among its backers, Paytm has received a $575-million capital commitment from Ant Financial, the Jack Ma-controlled affiliate of the Chinese ecommerce giant Alibaba Group. "It's a high-volume and hightransaction business," said Shankar Nath, senior vice-president at Paytm, on the lure of the electronic bill and utility payments sector. "Payments are upfront, and there is no cash-on-delivery involved." Both Paytm and Freecharge are currently known more for their mobile and direct-to-home (DTH) recharge platforms. Paytm handles about 50 million mobile and DTH recharge transactions a month, and according to Nath, 7-8% of its customers have begun to pay their bills online. "It's mind-boggling the way people are taking to digital payments," he said. Freecharge, according to CEO Shah, has at least 25 million customers for mobile and DTH recharge. He declined to disclose the exact number of customers paying their bills online, but admitted the bill payments service is a massive opportunity to gain customers. "This is a huge opportunity to cross-pollinate customers. Get utilities on board, and provide a complete set of services," Shah said.With policy makers in the process of setting up a universal protocol for digital bill payments, Bharat Bill Payments System, industry insiders say the time is ripe for private firms to scale their offerings."The banks have dominated so far, with 80% of the electronic transactions going through them, but we're focusing on the consumer experience, and that's where the private players have to innovate," said Jitendra Gupta, cofounder of Citrus Pay, which recently launched Citrus Cube for online bill payments."There is enough and more space for everyone to co-exist," said Gupta. "This segment will attract new players. But the market has to be created, and people have to be made aware."
Bhupesh Bhandari
Kishore Biyani, the
retailer, said in a recent interview that the euphoria around e-retail has
started to abate: month-on-month growth in sales has stalled, any reduction in
discount causes volumes to plummet, and mega sales no longer generate buying
frenzy. According to him, consumer fatigue has set into e-retail. The party is
over. Deep
discounts of 70-80 per cent he sees as a sign of desperation. The rapid jumps
of e-retailers from books to mobile phones, electronics, apparels, furniture
and now grocery too underscore their desperation, Biyani said in the interview. Some bits
of this gloomy assessment can be discarded because Biyani is in the rival camp:
the brick-and-mortar retailers. After all, e-retailers have snatched sizeable
business from the likes of Biyani, and there is bound to be some heartburn over
it. But there is the need to
evaluate the business model of e-retailers a little carefully. According to
information culled from the Registrar of Companies by Business
Standard, all the top three e-retailers made substantial
losses in 2013-14: Flipkart (Rs 400 crore), Amazon India (Rs 321
crore) and Snapdeal (Rs 264
crore). The situation is unlikely to have improved in 2014-15. E-retailers
like to argue that they are all in growth mode and profits will come later,
though nobody is prepared to say when. There is a rush to be on everybody's
mobile phone and to report as much gross merchandise value as possible. That is
understandable: a lot of companies book losses in the short term in order to
gain market share. Once that is done, they recoup their losses. It doesn't work
every time, but it is a well-accepted business practice. What I
find worrisome is the deep discounts offered by e-retailers. It is a trap they
have fallen into, and it is of their own making. As Biyani said, the day you
drop the discounts, your sales too drop sharply. And the e-retail space, though
nascent, is very competitive: price wars have given way to discount wars. So,
it's like riding a tiger. In most of the cases, the discount is absorbed fully
by the e-retailer, and none of it is shared by the producer. Let's look at the business
in some detail. The biggest saving in e-retail is that you don't need a
showroom, and the staff to run it. In the Indian context, where rents are sky
high, this indeed is a substantial amount, a part of which can be used for
discounts. But e-retailers have several other costs. For example, they need to
pay for home delivery. Returns also need to be accounted for. That crimps their
ability to write down their price tags. If
e-retailers are still offering deep discounts it is because they are all flush
with private equity. So long as they are able to sell their story to investors
abroad, the money will keep coming in. But the day the sentiment turns adverse,
they will be in a spot of bother. At the
moment, the policy regime favours the e-retailers. While foreign investment in
multi-brand retail comes with a host of restrictions, it is allowed freely into
online marketplaces. It takes little jugglery for an e-retailer to become a
marketplace and, in the process, gain open access to foreign capital. Sooner or
later, this anomaly should go. I know a
lot of companies that do not want to be any part of these deep discounts
because they fear it will affect their traditional retail channels. That they
want to protect their brick-and-mortar retailers shows that they do not have
full faith on e-retailers - at least not yet. Some of them want to do e-retail
on their own but after giving it proper thought. I have
started to think that there will come, in the not-too-distant future, a second
wave of e-retailers. They will have learnt from the mistakes of the current lot
and will therefore be in a position to avoid them. It is accepted wisdom now
that the real advantage lies not with the first mover but with the second, or
even third, mover. They will be wiser and their business will be financially
robust. They will not burn cash to entice customers. There
will emerge a stable business model for e-retail. The challenge will be to
create a fulfilling shopping experience without discounts. Whatever discount is
there will be provided by the producer, not the e-retailer. Discount cannot be
the USP of e-retail. Discounts given by the e-retailers, and not the producers,
are unsustainable and will therefore go away in the medium term. At the
end of the day, e-retail is convenient. This cannot be overlooked. By shopping
at home, one as it is saves money - fuel, parking et cetera - and time. And it
is targeted shopping: there is no urge to stop at the coffee shop near the exit
for a quick cappuccino. Even without discounts, the savings are significant. Anything
over and above that is bound to bleed the e-retailer and is not advisable. In mature
markets, e-commerce is just another channel for producers. There is no reason
why it should be any different in India.Nestle India a classic example of Warren Buffett's strategy of buying business in distress: Experts
Nestle India Ltd has plunged nearly 15 per cent in the past five trading sessions, after the FMCG company's leading noodle brand Maggi was taken off retailers' shelves following tests that revealed dangerous levels of MSG (Monosodium glutamate) and lead in the samples. The goodwill of the brand Maggi has suffered tremendous damage in the past two weeks. Most brokerages as well as analysts have turned cautious on Nestle India, at least in the near-term. Maggi as a brand has been marketed as a comfort food in India and has been a dominant brand in the instant noodles space for over 32 years, enjoying a market share of over 70 per cent. Clearly, with the ongoing controversy, the brand is in distress and that, according to experts on Dalal Street. Clearly, with the ongoing controversy, the brand is in distress and that, according to experts on Dalal Street, makes it a classic example of Warren Buffett's investment ideology of buying businesses in distress.
Here's what Warren Buffett had said: "Great investment opportunities come around when excellent companies are surrounded by unusual circumstances that cause the stock to be misappraised."
"It (Nestle India) is a classic case of Warren Buffett - where he looks to buy brands which have monetary distress. Maggi is a 30-year-old brand. Yes, there is a momentary crisis and as much as we understand and debate about - every state has a separate FDA and they will choose to deal with the way they want," says Harendra Kumar, Managing Director, Institutional Equities, Elara Capital. "I am sure Nestle is putting all its might, involving all industry bodies and companies to come out and support them, so the guess is that over the next six to nine months, they are going to resolve this and this is not a permanent problem," he adds. "A 30-year-old brand contributing, so if the stock price corrects another 7%-8%. I am sure a lot of value investors looking over a three-year horizon will look to start accumulating the stock," added Kumar. Yes, the momentary stress for short-term traders could be an issue, but clearly for FMCG players or for people who are looking at the long- term, they would be keeping a watch on what leverage they would want to enter, concludes Kumar. FSSAI is strictly implementing new norms on food safety across all packaged food products, say media reports. This in turn means that entrenched companies across food categories like Dabur (in Honey), ITC (Sunfeast, Yipee, Kitchens of India), Britannia, Parle, Pepsico, HUL (Knorr, Kissan, Magnum) will have to declare in detail the ingredients used in their packaged products. According to a report by Reliance Securities, the general sense is that if Maggi loses share because of bad publicity, the number 2 and number 3 players in instant noodle space, ITC and Nissin, respectively will gain market share. Ambareesh Baliga, a market expert, is of the view that it (Nestle India) is a great opportunity for investors to buy, but may be not today. "May be in the next few days, may be in the next few weeks, because there could be some more correction." "There will be some more adverse news coming from other states, so I think you will have this stock under pressure for a while. But yes, I think it is a great opportunity because clearly for Nestle, India is a huge market for them to ignore," he adds.
At a time of stagnating markets,
technological disruption, and rapid changes in consumer behavior, where can big
brands find growth? One popular path is through brand extension: stretching a
brand into an adjacent market where its value proposition is still relevant to
consumers. Classic cases include Colgate’s sideways move from toothpaste to
toothbrushes, Nivea’s from body care to hair care, and Gillette’s from razor
blades to shaving foam. However, some incumbents are taking this approach a
step further by using their brand as a springboard to drive innovation in an
entirely new market. Take the Weather Company, which owns the Weather Channel,
as an example. It has used its deep weather-data assets to move beyond the TV
business, extending successfully into new markets by supplying data and
forecast models that help companies make better decisions. Analyzing its data,
for example, the Weather Company has learned that insect repellent sells well
in the spring in Dallas when there is a below-average dew point, but spring
bug-spray sales in Boston do well when the dew point is above average.Apple’s
introduction of the iPhone is, of course, a well-known example of how it became
an attacker by carving out new business spaces that capitalize on the unique
link its brands have forged with consumers. What is less well known, however,
is that innovations not only achieve impressive results in their own right, but
they often also create a halo effect by attaching new cachet to the original
brand. In the year the iPhone was launched, for instance, sales of Apple Mac
computers rose by 16 percent—almost eight times the growth rate for personal
computers overall.This kind of brand-driven innovation has come of age in the
past few years for a number of reasons. If you are an incumbent with a dominant
position in a saturated market, your chances of gaining much more share may be
slim. Entering a new category could be your only realistic option to achieve
internal and external growth targets. In addition, brands are increasingly
defined not by what they communicate or the campaigns they run but by the kind
of customer experiences they provide. What’s more, brand-driven innovation can
be a tool to strengthen or sharpen a brand’s positioning: consider how Apple’s
brand strength seems to grow with each new category it enters. Finally, the
advent of 3-D printing and rapid-prototyping techniques, coupled with a “trial
and error” mind-set and A/B testing capabilities, has made it easier for
corporate innovation teams to pitch, trial, and continuously improve their
brand ideas. All of
which is to say: innovation isn’t just for start-ups. With the right brand
equity, incumbents can do it too.
Disney’s venture into the $4 billion children’s English-language
teaching business in China capitalizes on its brand essence of representing the
American way of life, entertaining children, and offering a great customer
experience.Disney
English opened its first school in Shanghai in 2008, just as the Shanghai
Disneyland Park went into development, and has since expanded to 33 language
centers in nine cities. The centers offer English-language courses that seek to
make learning fun for 2- to 12-year-olds: children “interact” with Disney
characters and stories via huge video monitors, and they are taught in small
classes by native English speakers supported by bilingual Chinese assistants.
In a country where Disney’s films and merchandising have yet to establish a
broad market presence, using language learning to attract small children and
their families looks like a great entry point to the world’s biggest market and
a sound investment in nurturing a future consumer base for Disney products. Another
company harnessing its brand to drive innovation is of course Virgin,
which recently used its “maverick outsider” image to power its challenger
business in UK retail banking. Launched as Virgin Direct in 1995 with a limited
product range, it bought Northern Rock in 2012, rebranded branches as Virgin
Money, and introduced a full suite of banking and insurance products. Seeking
to set itself apart from the distrust surrounding established banks in the wake
of the global financial crisis, Virgin positioned itself as the customer’s
champion with its “quest to make banking better,” opening inviting customer
lounges as an alternative to the stuffy formality of established banks and
branches. The strategy paid off: by 2013, new deposit as well as mortgage
accounts were significantly outpacing the market average. A year later, Virgin
Money launched a successful initial public offering. BMW, for its part,
joined the attacker ranks with its entry into the car-sharing business in 2011.
DriveNow, a joint venture with rental company Sixt, provides urbanites with
access to cars. In return for a registration fee and time-based charges,
customers can choose from a fleet of Minis and BMWs. Via an app, drivers find
the nearest available car, use a card to unlock it, and later leave it in any
parking space in the city when their journey is complete. BMW described the
venture as a “strategic response to the growth in urban living and shared
ownership.”4 Starting
in Germany, DriveNow has subsequently rolled out to London, San Francisco, and
Vienna, so far. What differentiates BMW’s offering from competing initiatives
is the appeal of driving stylish BMWs (including the i3 in some locations) and
Minis, thereby—on the back of its brand strength—positioning itself as the
car-sharing service for premium cars. Importantly, with the initiative seen as
a way to explore new forms of mobility, it has strengthened BMW’s reputation as
an innovator.5 After
early successes, DriveNow plans to expand to 15 more cities in Europe.6
Incumbents as attackers: Brand-driven innovation
The Author,Jean-Baptiste
Coumau is a principal in McKinsey’s Paris office, where Victor Fabius is
an associate principal; Thomas Meyer is a senior expert in the London
office. http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/marketing_sales
At a time of stagnating markets,
technological disruption, and rapid changes in consumer behavior, where can big
brands find growth? One popular path is through brand extension: stretching a
brand into an adjacent market where its value proposition is still relevant to
consumers. Classic cases include Colgate’s sideways move from toothpaste to
toothbrushes, Nivea’s from body care to hair care, and Gillette’s from razor
blades to shaving foam. However, some incumbents are taking this approach a
step further by using their brand as a springboard to drive innovation in an
entirely new market. Take the Weather Company, which owns the Weather Channel,
as an example. It has used its deep weather-data assets to move beyond the TV
business, extending successfully into new markets by supplying data and
forecast models that help companies make better decisions. Analyzing its data,
for example, the Weather Company has learned that insect repellent sells well
in the spring in Dallas when there is a below-average dew point, but spring
bug-spray sales in Boston do well when the dew point is above average.Apple’s
introduction of the iPhone is, of course, a well-known example of how it became
an attacker by carving out new business spaces that capitalize on the unique
link its brands have forged with consumers. What is less well known, however,
is that innovations not only achieve impressive results in their own right, but
they often also create a halo effect by attaching new cachet to the original
brand. In the year the iPhone was launched, for instance, sales of Apple Mac
computers rose by 16 percent—almost eight times the growth rate for personal
computers overall.This kind of brand-driven innovation has come of age in the
past few years for a number of reasons. If you are an incumbent with a dominant
position in a saturated market, your chances of gaining much more share may be
slim. Entering a new category could be your only realistic option to achieve
internal and external growth targets. In addition, brands are increasingly
defined not by what they communicate or the campaigns they run but by the kind
of customer experiences they provide. What’s more, brand-driven innovation can
be a tool to strengthen or sharpen a brand’s positioning: consider how Apple’s
brand strength seems to grow with each new category it enters. Finally, the
advent of 3-D printing and rapid-prototyping techniques, coupled with a “trial
and error” mind-set and A/B testing capabilities, has made it easier for
corporate innovation teams to pitch, trial, and continuously improve their
brand ideas. All of
which is to say: innovation isn’t just for start-ups. With the right brand
equity, incumbents can do it too.
The new attackers
Some
powerful brands have highly distinctive characteristics or associations in
consumers’ minds. When they capitalize on them to enter new territories—rather
than simply colonizing a neighboring category—they bring innovation to their
new domain. Here are three examples.
Disney’s venture into the $4 billion children’s English-language
teaching business in China capitalizes on its brand essence of representing the
American way of life, entertaining children, and offering a great customer
experience.Disney
English opened its first school in Shanghai in 2008, just as the Shanghai
Disneyland Park went into development, and has since expanded to 33 language
centers in nine cities. The centers offer English-language courses that seek to
make learning fun for 2- to 12-year-olds: children “interact” with Disney
characters and stories via huge video monitors, and they are taught in small
classes by native English speakers supported by bilingual Chinese assistants.
In a country where Disney’s films and merchandising have yet to establish a
broad market presence, using language learning to attract small children and
their families looks like a great entry point to the world’s biggest market and
a sound investment in nurturing a future consumer base for Disney products. Another
company harnessing its brand to drive innovation is of course Virgin,
which recently used its “maverick outsider” image to power its challenger
business in UK retail banking. Launched as Virgin Direct in 1995 with a limited
product range, it bought Northern Rock in 2012, rebranded branches as Virgin
Money, and introduced a full suite of banking and insurance products. Seeking
to set itself apart from the distrust surrounding established banks in the wake
of the global financial crisis, Virgin positioned itself as the customer’s
champion with its “quest to make banking better,” opening inviting customer
lounges as an alternative to the stuffy formality of established banks and
branches. The strategy paid off: by 2013, new deposit as well as mortgage
accounts were significantly outpacing the market average. A year later, Virgin
Money launched a successful initial public offering. BMW, for its part,
joined the attacker ranks with its entry into the car-sharing business in 2011.
DriveNow, a joint venture with rental company Sixt, provides urbanites with
access to cars. In return for a registration fee and time-based charges,
customers can choose from a fleet of Minis and BMWs. Via an app, drivers find
the nearest available car, use a card to unlock it, and later leave it in any
parking space in the city when their journey is complete. BMW described the
venture as a “strategic response to the growth in urban living and shared
ownership.”4 Starting
in Germany, DriveNow has subsequently rolled out to London, San Francisco, and
Vienna, so far. What differentiates BMW’s offering from competing initiatives
is the appeal of driving stylish BMWs (including the i3 in some locations) and
Minis, thereby—on the back of its brand strength—positioning itself as the
car-sharing service for premium cars. Importantly, with the initiative seen as
a way to explore new forms of mobility, it has strengthened BMW’s reputation as
an innovator.5 After
early successes, DriveNow plans to expand to 15 more cities in Europe.6
These
examples suggest that being good at line extensions gives incumbents a better
chance of succeeding with brand extensions. Consider how Disney has gone from
movies to theaters to amusement parks to merchandising, or how Amazon seems to
do a line extension every few months.
What it takes
Incumbents
have a number of assets and advantages that they can exploit to act as
attackers in new markets. We believe there are three fundamental success
factors:
- Distinctive brand equity and trust. Virgin’s entry into High Street banking at a time when trust in the sector was at an all-time low enabled it to take advantage of its status as a brand known for giving customers a better deal. An established brand name can also act as a powerful form of endorsement in new markets: National Geographic Society’s shift from magazines to television channels, expeditions, and more recently, retail stores—that sell books, clothes, and travel gear—is just one example.
- Strong relationships with customers. BMW used its understanding of customers’ mobility needs as well as its existing perception of being a premium brand to enter a new category with a service that enables it to tap into a different need state. It also further strengthens its relationship with consumers who could, in the future, move out of town and buy its products. Similarly, the German baby-food manufacturer HiPP entered the baby-care market by appealing to customers’ desire for organic, natural, and caring products for their new babies. The brand is now the main challenger in the German baby- and child-care category, with a market share of 4.5 percent, trailing only the top three international incumbents.
- Access to data, capabilities, and other institutional assets. Disney’s expertise in delivering distinctive customer experiences enabled it to rethink language learning in the Chinese market and create and execute a value proposition that no other provider could match. In Europe, Inditex, owner of the Zara fashion chain, combined its intimate knowledge of customer preferences with its extensive supply and distribution networks and operational expertise to launch its interiors chain Zara Home in 2003. The Zara brand proposition of making runway fashion accessible to all has made a successful transition to the home-furnishing sector, with ten new markets entered in 2013 alone and almost 400 stores in 45 countries. Other types of assets can range from the technical—such as know-how, which drove Honda Motor Company’s extension from cars to lawn mowers—to emotional, as seen in the “companionship” offered by Sony Corporation’s MP3 players and TVs. Successful brand extensions are likely to make use of all three of these advantages, rather than one in isolation. For instance, Disney’s venture into English-language teaching is built on its established brand equity in entertainment, its deep understanding of how to engage customers, and its operational capabilities and expertise in multiple countries and cultures.