COVER
FEATURE
Micro-Credit
Ratings International Limited
-- Sanjay Sinha
"The mission of M-CRIL is to facilitate the flow of commercial
capital into microfinance by minimizing the information asymmetry
and experiential gap between the formal financial sector and
microfinance practitioners." Micro-Credit Ratings International
Ltd. (M-CRIL) is a specialized rating and microfinance research
agency that has pioneered and successfully introduced the
rating of Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) in Asia. M-CRIL
is a world leader in the field of microfinance rating and
is dedicated to bridging the information gap between MFIs
and the formal financial sector in the Asian region. Started
in 1998, M-CRIL's activities are based on the belief that
with a greater flow of reliable information between the microfinance
and the formal financial sectors, MFIs would be better placed
to access wholesale/bulk finance for on-lending to low income
households.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
ETHICAL
LEADERSHIP
Values
linked to process equals performance
-- Dr. Stephen E Roulac
There
is a strong linkage between excellent long-term performance
and the way values held by an organization are interwoven
with its daily routine processes. If the top management clearly
enunciates these values and also very vigilantly ensures their
implementation across the organization in every single process,
these values become an integral part of a superbly performing,
long lived, healthy organization. There is no shortcut.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
KNOWLEDGE
REVOLUTION
Knowledge
era : Triggering the paradigm shift
-- Prof. P Bala Bhaskaran
In
the post-industrial society, technology and subsequently knowledge
have become the major drivers of change. They have been ushering
in gradual but irreversible changes in human lives. This article
is an exploration into the emerging transformation of the
human society with specific reference to developing countries
like India. It tries to map the emerging changes in the areas
of skill and knowledge, the economic and sociological impacts
and the external image of countries. It also looks at the
emerging challenges that a country like India has to address
to ensure development and growth on a sustainable basis.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
BUSINESS
STRATEGY
Howard
Stringer : Turning Sony around
-- Krishna Kumar
On
March 7, 2005 the Board of Directors of the giant multinational
Sony Corporation created history by appointing a non-Japanese,
Howard Stringer, to head Sony Corporation as the Chairman
and CEO. Stringer took over at a time when operating margins
of the Electronics division, which contributes to nearly two-thirds
of Sony's total revenues, was showing negative growth. Sony's
product segments were also beset with problems with the company
losing the television wars to Sharp, its Walkman line crushed
by the Apple iPod and the PlayStation games console threatened
by Microsoft's X-box. Stringer realized that reducing costs
was just one of the many parameters that could affect the
bottom line. What was required was new projects and strategies
covered by timely decision-making. The article gives details
about product groups such as games consoles, audio systems,
digital cameras and television. It examines the performance
of these groups and studies the downslide in sales over the
years, especially in the new millennium. It also analyzes
the initial results of Stringer's turnaround strategy when
operating margins rose from 1.3% in 2004 to 2.6% in 2006.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
BUSINESS
STRATEGY
Toyota
vs. General Motors : The race to the top
-- Amit Singh Sisodiya
Toyota's ascendance to the top of the global automotive
big league was never in doubt as it was only a matter of time
before the inevitable happened. A quarter makes a lot of difference
and who knows it better than the corporate world. This is
more so in the case of the automotive industry where players
live and swear by quarterly figures (read: Sales). Hence,
when the January-March 2007 quarter sales figures for the
auto industry, globally, began to pour in, critics' (and `so
experts') worst fear was coming true. General Motors (GM)
was dethroned from the No. 1 spot by its Japanese rival Toyota.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY
Localization
of IT: Thriving in digital economy
-- Ravi Kumar Jain
Information
Technology (IT) and the Internet revolution have enabled organizations
to do business across national boundaries and even geographical
barriers. Localization of IT is an approach that facilitates
organizations and economies to bridge the gap of `digital
divide'. This article highlights the evolution of localization
industry, and also explains the concept, need and benefits
of localization of IT. It also discusses the application areas,
and the technology support needed in localizing an IT application
or a product.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
MERGERS
AND ACQUISITIONS
Subex
: An acquisitive and emerging Indian IT firm
-- R Puratchimani
Subex is an acquisitive and emerging Indian IT firm. Its
acquisition of Azure Solutions, a UK-based company, for US$140
mn was the first biggest acquisition by an Indian IT firm
abroad. The most important thing in the acquisition was that
the deal size was four times bigger than that of Subex, in
terms of revenue. This article throws light on how Subex is
growing inorganically with overseas acquisitions.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
HRM
Competencies
for strategic HRM
-- N Sudheer Kumar, G Susmitha
In
the era of globalization, competition has become a very big
challenge for all corporate leaders in the world. To sustain
with this tough competition all leaders should develop suitable
professional competencies which will play a major role in
determining leadership effectiveness. Today, competencies
have become an integral part of every profession including
human resources for diagnosing, improving and framing various
aspects of Human Resource Management. This article throws
light on various professional and general competencies required
for HR professionals to emerge as strategic leaders.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
BOOK
REVIEW
Guanxi
: The Art of Relationships
-- Authors: Robert Buderi and Gregory T Huang Reviewed by
Dr. G Bharathi Kamath
Guanxi
(Gwan-shee) is a Chinese word which means building relationships
that are essential for success. The book is about a research
lab that Microsoft came up with in China which is a great
achievement on its part and mutually beneficial for both the
Chinese science talent and also to Microsoft. The book contains
narratives, observations, anecdotes and also some painful
experiences which make it very interesting to read and easy
to comprehend. Microsoft has invested around $100 mn in this
project and hired over 400 of China's talented and skilled
workers which has really uplifted the Chinese IT industry.
This book builds on relationships as an essential part of
every business strategy.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
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