| Business
Updates
Zapak.com
and the Online Gaming Market in India
-- G.Surekha,
Bharat Krishna, Rajiv Fernando
©
2007, 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. To order copies, call +91-40-2343-0462/63 or write to ICMR, Plot #49, Nagarjuna Hills, Hyderabad 500 082, India or
e-mail: info@icmrindia.org. Website: www.icmrindia.org JetBlue
Airways' Customer Service Fiasco
-- Shirisha
Regani ©
2006, 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. To order copies, call +91-40-2343-0462/63 or write to ICMR, Plot #49, Nagarjuna Hills, Hyderabad 500 082, India or
e-mail: info@icmrindia.org. Website: www.icmrindia.org Small
and Medium Businesses in India : A Big Opportunity for IT Vendors
-- HDebapratim
Purkayastha, Rajiv Fernando ©
2006, 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. To order copies, call +91-40-2343-0462/63 or write to ICMR, Plot #49, Nagarjuna Hills, Hyderabad 500 082, India or
e-mail: info@icmrindia.org. Website: www.icmrindia.org Case
in Focus Rovion's
InPerson Technology : Changing
the Face of Online Advertising
--
Debapratim Purkayastha, Rajiv Fernando
This case is about
Rovion Inc. (Rovion), a technology firm based in the US and its proprietary InPerson
technology. InPerson technology enabled streaming videos of spokespeople who could
pop up seamlessly on top of the contents of a Web page and directly interact with
the customer. Unlike other streaming videos, the characters in the InPerson ad
format were not inside a box. In the process, this technology had the potential
to cut through the growing clutter of online advertising, attract the interest
of the target audience, and generate higher-than-average click -through rates
(CTR). This technology had also been used by over 100 companies. The case discusses
the experiences of some companies such as Micros oft Corporation's use of this
technology for the launch of its Office Live platform. While most of Rovion's
customers were satisfied with the effectiveness of this new online ad format,
some analysts were concerned that the technology could be considered intrusive
once the novelty had worn off. But, by and large, analysts felt that Rovion had
literally changed the face of online advertising with its InPerson technology.
©
2007, ICMR. All Rights Reserved. For
accessing and procuring the case study, log on to www.ecch.cranfield.ac.uk or
www.icmrindia.org 
Corporate
Turnaround of Pharmacia & Upjohn
-- Indu
P, Vivek Gupta The
case details the merger of two major pharmaceutical companies— Sweden-based
Pharmacia and the US-based Upjohn. It details the cultural and other problems
faced during the merger and the subsequent turnaround of the merged entity under
the leadership of Fred Hassan. In the year 1995, Pharmacia and Upjohn merged to
form Pharmacia & Upjohn and the merger was expected to create a major force
in the global pharmaceutical industry due to synergies and complementary products
of both the companies. However, the merger ran into problems due to cultural differences
between the European and the American entities, which resulted in a drastic fall
in the revenues of the merged entity. With the deteriorating financial position,
analysts opined that the company would be a target of a hostile takeover. At this
juncture, Fred Hassan assumed the responsibilities of CEO of the company in 1997.
After implementing the transformational plan put forth by Hassan, the company's
revenue grew and it recorded profits from the fiscal year 1998 onwards. In 1999,
Pharmacia & Upjohn was merged with Monsanto forming Pharmacia Corporation.
In 2002, Pharmacia Corporation was acquired by the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer.
©
2007, ICMR. All Rights Reserved. For
accessing and procuring the case study, log on to www.ecch.cranfield.ac.uk or
www.icmrindia.org
Grameen
Danone Foods : A
Social Business Enterprise
--
Sachin Govind, S S George Danone
Foods is a major food conglomerate and the Grameen Group is a Bangladesh-based
group with interests in the energy, microfinance, fisheries, and telecommunications
sectors. The case describes the Danone-Grameen JV, which was to be a social business
enterprise. It then discusses the concept of social business enterprise and the
reasons why Social Business Enterprises (SBEs) have to be encouraged. The case
ends with a brief discussion on the future prospects of SBEs in general and the
joint venture in particular. ©
2007, ICMR. All Rights Reserved. For
accessing and procuring the case study, log on to www.ecch.cranfield.ac.uk or
www.icmrindia.org
Book
Review Maxed
Out : Hard
Times, Easy Credit
-- Author
of the Book: James D Scurlock Reviewed
by S S George
In Maxed Out, James D Scurlock shows us the dark underbelly of the financial
services industry—and the view isn't pretty. ©
2007 James D Scurlock. All Rights Reserved. IUP holds the
copywright for the review. |
