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. |