Hey! Didn’t you pay your house rent?

Salaried individuals can also claim rent paid by them for residential accommodation, if HRA doesn’t form part of their salary. This deduction is available under Section 80GG and is least of the following: (a) 25% of the total income or, (b) Rs.2,000 per month over the actual rent paid or, (c) excess of rent paid over 10% of total income.

So, these deductions, if utilised fully, can save an individual from a situation where he ends up the financial year just scratching his head and paying up more than he was actually obligated to.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.

1500-plus IIPM students placed across the country with 44 bagging international offers

IIPM set to beat economic slowdown

IIPM Admission Detail

But the ride may not be as smooth for the Panamera in India. Unlike other markets, luxury brand perception in the country is extremely deep rooted. For niche Indian consumers, brands like Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Mercedes Benz and BMW still form the epitome of luxury saloon ownership and sales figures provide some stark realities. As per SIAM data, the super luxury car market in India is roughly close to 5,000 units (April- November 2008-09, two quarters); and more than 80% of the sales come from Mercedes and BMW alone (even in the A6 segment)! But can Panamera enable Porsche to break into established consumer mindsets? There are no easy answers to that, but given that Porsche has actually ‘been there-done that’ with the Cayenne over the last two years of its India journey; it well has the wherewithal to replicate the positioning success again.

Porsche realised early on that if it wants to expand in developing markets in Asia, Eastern Europe and North Africa, the 911 would definitely not do the trick. Sports cars, which can barely seat two, still attract a niche audience and may not find many takers here. The Cayenne, a product which offers flexible seating arrangements and scintillating performance can double up as a sports car and family sedan on a need basis. In Cayenne, Porsche found a versatile product which could be marketed as a mass (still niche though) product that the market would readily accept. Porsche was right. The market was receptive of Cayenne and Porsche’s brand appeal acted as the catalyst.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.

1500-plus IIPM students placed across the country with 44 bagging international offers

IIPM set to beat economic slowdown

IIPM Admission Detail

IIPM Programme :- SUPERIOR COURSE CONTENTS

IIPM INTERNATIONAL – NEW DELHI, GURGAON & NOIDA

Private labels are BRANDS. And any retailer that treats private labels as lesser than manufacturer brands is doing injustice to both business and consumers. Private labels are not a substitute for the real thing. They compete with ‘manufacturer brands’ in every respect, be it quality, packaging or pricing.

In a developing economy like India, there is limited presence of brands available in the market and visible gaps in options available to fulfill consumer needs. Modern retail is still in its nascent form in creating excitement for customers and giving them a whole new way to shop. However, one can easily spot the limited brand proliferation in both mass as well as niche product categories. The opportunity for a retailer in India is therefore twofold: The possibility of creating a unique brand proposition for customers for its private labels and the opportunity of marketing its brands to a captive customer base walking into its stores.

Retailers should base their strategies on maximising profits through private labels. Not only can retailers benefit from higher margins on store brands versus manufacturer brands, but can also use the presence of private labels to negotiate higher margins from manufacturer brands over a period of time. Customers who purchase store brands tend to be more loyal to the store. Herein lies a word of caution for retailers who base their private label marketing strategy on copycat tactics to take on category leaders or on one-dimensional pricing strategies. This would lead to reduced customer profitability and impact the overall basket value negatively as well. Customers are sensitive to quality, and a small variance in quality has a detrimental impact on the image of the store. There is a visionary approach that retailers should apply to their private label branding strategy: “Greater Private Brand Strength = Greater Private Brand Responsibility = Greater Private Brand Reward”.

As an industry we have traditionally looked to the national manufacturer brands to take the lead. Private brands play second fiddle, following their lead and using their systems and processes to achieve the end result. However, private brands are slowly beginning to capture share of market in almost every category and in almost every type of retailing. Sales are increasing at rates faster than the national brand counterparts. Margins are improving and customer allegiance is strengthening as consumers decide to shop at a particular retailer because the brands they offer can be found nowhere else. All three of these facts – increasing sales, improving margins and strengthening customer allegiance – are nice to experience and they help a retailer to survive and compete effectively. But these alone will no longer be enough. And there is a possible next step to take that can reward a retailer. This next step is not without risk, but potential rewards might outnumber the risks with time.

With success comes responsibility. To capitalise on success, retailers can take the lead in emerging areas of interest to the consumer. For instance: Ingredients and composition, nutritional value, effect on environment, appropriate testing, chemical processing, interests of original producers and farmers. Some of these are legitimate consumer concerns and need to be addressed by someone. Waiting for national brands to do so will take more time than the consumer may be willing to allow. Waiting may also bypass an opportunity for retailers to cement a stronger relationship with their consumers.

So, it’s retailers who now need to decide on how they want to use this exciting “new tool” private branding. Continue to follow the leader or take the leadership position? My bet would surely be on the former.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM Programme :- SUPERIOR COURSE CONTENTS
Now IIPM’s World-Class Education… for everybody!!
IIPM INTERNATIONAL – NEW DELHI, GURGAON & NOIDA
IIPM – Admission Procedure
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM : EXECUTIVE EDUCATION
IIPM’s 36th Glorious Year of Academic Excellence
4Ps Power Brand Awards 2007
When IIPM comes to education, never compromise
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IIPM Ranked No. 1 B-School In Global Exposre – Zee…

Alok Bharadwaj,

Senior Vice President, Canon India

When we look at how far Digital Imaging Technology has come since the first digital cameras hit the market in the mid 1990’s, we can only anticipate an equally vibrant and exciting future. Virtually everyone now has the ability to capture clear, sharp and impressive pictures that don’t have to wait for a special moment to unravel the beauty or value the captured moment. The good news is for photographers, whether amateur or professional, that one can now have the ability to take great photographs effortlessly. You can even have high quality photos printed from the comfort of your own home using a home printer or inkjet all-in-one. The technological enhancements and processing power at image capturing as well as printing is making the experience with these products extremely gratifying and enjoyable. If the present is so thrilling, can the future be less exciting? Digital technology is a big enabler for variety of user friendly functionalities. Canon has recently launched a series of digital cameras, which offer revolutionary ways for consumers to interact and enjoy their experiences with never before seen features and concepts like motion detection, face select and track, & AF point zoom in digital cameras.

The latest trend in the digital photography industry is digital printing i.e. printing high quality photos instantly and directly from the camera to the ‘Direct-Connect’ printer. This phenomenon has been made possible by the higher resolution of digital cameras and the advances in printer colour reproducibility over the past year or two. This is further giving rise to a ‘do-it-at-home’ trend where, users are finding it convenient to print photographs directly from personal printers at home, thereby reducing the dependency on external commercial photo studios.

Technology convergence is making devices deliver applications on both still and video cameras. However, both the categories have independent strong distinct drivers. Digital video has been one of the most dynamic evolution story of the recent times. Digital video started five years ago and rapidly different formats appeared on the landscape. From Mini DV to DVD to Hard Disk. Now, the latest technology breakthrough is flash memory. In DV camcorder category, Canon has introduced Double Flash Memory feature for the consumers. Flash memory storage allows to be designed in a compact and lightweight form factor that fits comfortably in the user’s hands. Flash memory also offers the advantages of fast read and write speeds for storing video recordings.

Digital Camera has become a style statement today and most Indian buyers are replacing the traditional “click and develop” cameras with the digital ones that offer much more flexibility as well as functionality. The Indian consumers are gradually shedding their inhibitions and are no more shying away from the latest in technology. Just look around and you would notice people carrying the latest models with the best looks and features… There are absolutely no compromises! The Canon IXUS range is perhaps the best example of digital camera that balances looks as well as features perfectly! Going by global trends and user patterns around the world, it is expected that the digital photo industry in India will mirror the success of the global digital photography industry and move from being expensive equipment for professional photographers, to a lifestyle product, which is increasingly becoming a part and parcel of our day-to-day life. In fact, top five digital lifestyle products, which are of high involvement with consumers are laptops, iPods (personal entertainment), LCD TVs, multimedia phones and digital cameras.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.

Now IIPM’s World-Class Education… for everybody!!

IIPM Ranked No. 1 B-School In Global Exposre – Zee…

Deal-maker

Philip D. Zelikow served as Counsellor of the US Department of State from 2005 to early 2007, serving as a senior policy advisor on a wide range of issues to the Secretary of State. During 2003 to 2005, he also served as an Executive Director of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, otherwise known as the 9/11 Commission. A former trial and appellate attorney in Houston, Dr. Zelikow served as a career foreign service officer overseas and worked closely with Asian groups to start a new phase of relation between Asia and the United States, post USSR disintegration. An ardent supporter of rapprochement, Zelikow was instrumental in formulating the Republican policy towards Asia in general & India in particular. If Robert Blackwill was managing affairs related to Indo-US nuclear deal in India, Zelikow was meticulously clearing one hurdle after another in Capitol Hill.

Zelikow was most vocal in criticising opposition of the deal when Left Parties and BJP threatened to put the country on standstill. He has famously said, “If they back out, they are looking a gift horse in the mouth.” He also criticised BJP’s stand that by facilitating the deal, US was actually trying to influence India’s foreign policy. “There has never been a hidden agenda to try & control India’s foreign policy. Any problems with this deal are domestic and political posturing for a future election. Maybe this is something that India’s democracy and civil society has to work through,” he had pleaded at that time. This seasoned trouble shooter is now working closely with Indian lobby to finally instrumentalise the deal. In the coming years, he is expected to take over Blackwill’s role as India’s most vocal supporter in the US.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM – Admission Procedure
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM : EXECUTIVE EDUCATION
IIPM’s 36th Glorious Year of Academic Excellence
IIPM Ranked No. 1 B-School In Global Exposre – Zee…
4Ps Power Brand Awards 2007
When IIPM comes to education, never compromise
IIPM is A World of Career
Why Study Abroad When IIPM Gives You 3 global Advantages!
IIPM Ranked No. 1 B-School In Global Exposre – Zee…