COVER FEATURE

"Our objective is to carve a niche for ourselves in the global IT landscape and emerge as an end-to-end IT solutions provider".

- - V Srinivasan

"Our objective is to carve a niche for ourselves in the global IT landscape and emerge as an end-to-end IT solutions provider". Our regular feature, Meet the CEO, presents an interview with V.Srinivasan, MD and CEO of 3i Infotech Ltd, who discusses the stages through which his company has evolved to become a true global player, how they have made 'customerizing' their abiding passion and how the CEO gets his inspiration from quotes of Kural.

© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved

NEGOTIATION SKILLS

Silat and the fine art of negotiation

- - Patrick Low Kim Cheng

The article shares the interesting parallels drawn from Silat, the Malay martial arts of self-defence, which is indigenous and popular in Southeast Asia. It applies Silat's various learning points to the fine art of negotiations in business. What is critically assessed here is the portrayal of Silat and the key negotiation parallels.

© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved

GLOBALIZATION

Brazil : A business perspective

- - R Puratchimani

The economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC) are the talk of the world today. These economies are expected to become the largest economies by 2050. In this article, the author highlights Brazil's sectoral opportunities, business environment, business practices and the challenges facing businesses there. When we say Brazil, the first thing that comes to our mind is football because Brazilians are the indisputable leaders of the game and have the credit of winning the World Cup five times. But today, the country is also gaining popularity for its growing economy. World business leaders have turned their attention towards Brazil, ever since BRIC Report was published by Goldman Sachs. It will not be an exaggeration to say that every corporate leader has started thinking of establishing a shop in Brazil.

© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The new global agenda

- - N Janardhan Rao

Amidst increasing concern about global warming, the business world is embracing socially responsible and eco-friendly practices to improve their bottom line. Serious money is lining up behind the sustainability agenda. The World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting has been providing opportunity to leaders from diverse fields and areas of the world, to address global concerns and take necessary actions to address those challenges. This year's meeting Davos 2007 focused on the framework to shape the global agenda and identify effective responses.

© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved

MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS

Tata's acquisition of Corus : Steeling the future

- - V Venkateswara Rao

The Tata-Corus deal is a strategic move and a unique opportunity for Tata Steel in terms of scale, location and culture. Further, it would also provide access to global markets and synergies as a low-cost producer in India. The end of January brought euphoria for India when the empire struck back. Pundits said the country at last attained true world power. Yes, it is the Tata Group, which won a bid for its European rival, the Corus Group at $12 bn (over Rs. 50,000 cr), the largest ever acquisition by an Indian firm and also the biggest deal ever from an emerging market. India Inc., is on the roll, going by the overseas bids that soared to $21 bn in 2006 compared to $1 bn in 2000.

© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved

BUSINESS STRATEGY

Strategy, ERM and KM : Understanding the linkages

- - A V Vepdpuriswar

While Strategy, Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) and Knowledge Management (KM) are distinctive terms that look quite different and are led by people with quite different backgrounds and training, there is a lot that is common between them. This article is an attempt to understand the links that exist between these three areas. The word `strategy' is quite familiar to academicians and practitioners. ERM is a term that has caught the imagination of people in recent years in an increasingly volatile and turbulent environment. Another buzzword today is KM, which is concerned with the need to create and share knowledge systematically in an organization to generate sustainable competitive advantage. The common thread running through the three approaches emphasizes on developing a thorough understanding of the environment and making the organization sufficiently responsive to threats and opportunities.

© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved

BUSINESS STRATEGY

"Co-opetition" and the art of competitive collaboration

- - Jayshree Bose

Competition is no longer the mainstay of business. Today's mega corporations and small businesses alike have realized that in order to compete effectively, they must also cooperate successfully, sometimes with the very entities they are competing with. If this Janus-faced approach seems to be a contradiction of terms, this article provides a deep insight into how global corporations are managing this strange animal co-opetition so effectively.

© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved

BUSINESS STRATEGY

Competitor analysis : A closer look

- - Ajaya Kumar Mohanty

Competition has become the biggest growth driver in the present millennium. Firms are becoming conscious to gather information about their competitors and make an all-out effort to predict their behavior. The knowledge of the competitors' strategy, performance, strengths, weaknesses and reactions are becoming crucial. This article, with the help of 7-S framework and Porter's Model, throws light on competitor's analysis and helps frame the offensive or defensive moves in an attempt to consolidate one's stand in the industry.

© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved

LEADERSHIP

Change leaders

- - Swarnika Dixit

Organizations today require `long marches' and not `bold strokes' to respond to the changing business environment. Globalization and Information Technology has resulted in uncertainty due to which detailed plans cannot be chalked out and owing to ample job opportunities, people are not willing to accept autocracy anymore. Therefore, change leaders today are required to be visionary, empathizing and empowering. They ought to understand both the beauty and the horrors of the ever-changing business environment and take measures to cope with them.

© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved

CASE STUDY

McDonald's in Japan : Rebuilding the brand

- - Nusrath Jahah Maldar

In 1971, McDonald's opened its first store in Japan. Since then, McDonald's Japan has grown to become the largest food service provider in the country. With around 3,800 restaurants operating and a 20% market share, the company controls a major chunk of the fast food industry. But trouble came knocking at its door in 2002, when McDonald's Japan plunged into losses for the first time in 29 years. The company drove a nail in its coffin by instigating a price war in the fast food industry, with the result that the entire industry suffered huge losses. At this juncture, Eikoh Harada was appointed as the CEO of McDonald's Japan. Under his leadership, the company took up various initiatives to rebuild its brand image that primarily revolved around revamping the menu and remodelling the company stores. These initiatives helped in enhancing the brand's value to the customers, resulting in a turnaround of fortunes for the company.

© 2006 IBS Case Development Center. All Rights Reserved.

BOOK REVIEW

Peripheral Vision : Detecting the Weak Signals that Will Make or Break Your Company

- - Authors: George S Day and, Paul J H Schoemaker Reviewed by Prof. C M Madtha

Great opportunities and grave threats often begin as weak signals which manifest at the periphery and are hard to spot and difficult to interpret as they lack clarity. Companies need to develop peripheral vision to scope and scan the market, identify and interpret these peripheral signals in order to respond appropriately to stay ahead of competition. Managers have to probe deeper in order to improve clarity on the insights gained and evaluate the flexible options before finalizing a suitable action plan. A systematic process of building a vigilant organization includes putting in place the capabilities required to build peripheral vision. Successful organizations balance peripheral vision with focal vision to develop a coherent image.

© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved