| Business 
Updates   Microsoft's 
Prepaid Computing Initiative  -- Rajiv 
Fernando © 
2006 The ICMR. All Rights Reserved. No part of 
this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, used in a spreadsheet, 
or transmitted in any form or by any means - electronic or mechanical, without 
permission.  The 
Issue of Drug Price Control -- Debapratim 
Purkayastha, Rajiv Fernando
 © 
2006 The ICMR. All Rights Reserved. No part of 
this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, used in a spreadsheet, 
or transmitted in any form or by any means - electronic or mechanical, without 
permission.  Lifebuoy's 
"Swasthya Chetna" Initiative -- Debapratim 
Purkayastha, Rajiv Fernando
 © 
2006 The ICMR. All Rights Reserved. No part of 
this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, used in a spreadsheet, 
or transmitted in any form or by any means - electronic or mechanical, without 
permission. Human 
Resource Management  Best 
Practices at Infosys Technologies -- Vivek Gupta, Indu 
P
  Infosys 
Technologies, a leading software company based in India, was voted the best employer 
in the country in many HR surveys in the recent years. The company was well-known 
for its employee-friendly HR practices. Though Infosys grew to become a US$ 2 
bn company by the year 2006, it still retained the culture of a small company. 
Infosys attracted the best talent from across the world, and recruited candidates 
by conducting one of the toughest selection process. Infosys was one of the first 
companies to offer ESOPs to its employees. The company followed variable compensation 
structure where the employees' compensation depended on the performance of individual, 
the team and the company. The case highlights many such best practices of Infosys 
in human resource management. It also discusses the challenges faced by the company 
to retain its talented workforce.  © 
2006 ICMR. All Rights Reserved. For 
accessing and procuring the case study, log on to www.ecch.cranfield.ac.uk or 
www.icmrindia.org  
 Red 
Bull's Innovative Marketing : Transforming 
a Humdrum Product into a Happening Brand -- Shirisha 
Regani, S S George
  The 
Red Bull energy drink was launched in Austria in 1987, by Dietrich Mateschitz. 
It was generally acknowledged that Red Bull's success was the product of the company's 
innovative marketing efforts. This case study discusses the marketing strategy 
adopted by Red Bull GmbH, including the company's effective employment of buzz 
marketing in new markets, and its sponsorship of sporting activities, especially 
extreme alternative sports, to enhance its image. The case also talks about Red 
Bull's target markets, and its pricing and differentiation strategies. It includes 
a section on the various controversies surrounding Red Bull, and the effects of 
these on its brand image. The competitive situation in the energy drinks market 
and Red Bull's position vis-à-vis competitors, is also discussed. The case 
concludes with a commentary on Red Bull's attempts at brand extension, and the 
company's future prospects in the light of its excessive dependence on a single 
product.  © 
2006 ICMR. All Rights Reserved. For 
accessing and procuring the case study, log on to www.ecch.cranfield.ac.uk or 
www.icmrindia.org    The 
Betapharm Acquisition : DRL's 
Inorganic Growth Strategy in Europe -- Debapratim Purkayastha, 
Soorya Tejomoortula, and Rajiv Fernando
  
In February 2006, 
Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Limited (DRL), a leading Indian pharmaceutical company, 
acquired the fourth largest generic pharmaceutical company in Germany, betapharm 
Arzneimittel GmbH (betapharm) from the 3i Group PLC (3i) for US$570 mn (480 mn). 
The acquisition was the biggest overseas acquisition made by an Indian pharmaceutical 
company. The synergies from the acquisition were expected to benefit both DRL 
and betapharm. The acquisition gave DRL access to the German generic drugs market, 
the second-largest generic drugs market in the world, and would help DRL leverage 
the strong marketing and distribution channels of betapharm in Germany as well. 
betapharm was expected to benefit from the addition of more products to its portfolio 
and utilize DRL's low cost manufacturing and product development infrastructure 
in India. However, some analysts opined that DRL had paid too much for the acquisition 
of betapharm. The case study discusses various facets of the acquisition.  © 
2006 ICMR. All Rights Reserved. For 
accessing and procuring the case study, log on to www.ecch.cranfield.ac.uk or 
www.icmrindia.org    Caselet 
 The 
Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation : Milk Sourcing Initiatives -- 
Linda 
D Thenayan and BV Kiran
  The 
Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), located in Gujarat, India, 
collects and processes on an average about 5.9 million liters of milk per day 
from various dairies across the country. The caselet explains how GCMMF conducts 
this massive task effectively using the latest Information Technology tools. The 
various tools they use like the Automatic Milk Collection System Units (AMCUS), 
Amul ERP Online System, and Geographic Information System (GIS) are discussed 
in detail.  © 
2006 ICMR. All Rights Reserved. For 
accessing and procuring the caselet, log on to www.ecch.cranfield.ac.uk or www.icmrindia.org 
   Book 
Review  Winning: 
The Answers --Authors: 
Jack Welch and Suzy Welch Reviewed 
by S S George
  In 
Winning: The Answers, Jack and Suzy Welch give their answers to questions posed 
by the readers of their previous book, Winning. As in his previous books, Welch 
is direct and forthright in his opinions, which have the added credibility that 
comes from years of having practiced the gospel that he now preaches.  © 
2006 Jack Welch, LLC. All Rights Reserved. IUP holds the 
copyright for the review. |