People Matters

How To Sustain When Crisis Strikes?

By Ester Martinez, Managing Editor

Jul 3rd 2012

Euro zone crisis deepening, US recovery tentative, the Rupee in a free fall, declining industrial production and high retail inflation, - all this makes for an alarming business scenario. The recent release of GDP growth rate for 2011-12 at 6.5% (and a 9 year low of Q4 growth rate at 5.3%) adds to the downturn indicators.In response to this environment, business leaders are reshaping their strategies and relooking at opportunities. To understand today’s leadership challenge and the impac... Read more »

Let’s not Waste a Good Crisis

By Gyanendra Kumar Kashyap & Rajlakshmi Saikia

Jul 3rd 2012

Times have changed. 2012 is not 1991. The political as well as business environment has undergone a paradigm shift. In the last two decades, India’s economic landscape has changed permanently. Comparing the present economic malaise with that of 1991 may be exaggerated but nevertheless an important reflection. Foreign exchange reserves were less than USD 1 billion in June 1991, adequate to cover two weeks of import, compared with USD 290 billion today, adequate to cover a period of seven ... Read more »

It may be a tough act to pull off

By Vinita Bali, MD, Britannia Industries

Jul 3rd 2012

How grave is the economic scenario in India? How will this impact your business?The last 2 quarters have been particularly difficult for the Indian economy, with growth contracting by as much as 2% compared to earlier periods. Further, the problem of slow growth is compounded by high inflation and high interest rates, putting pressure on consumption demand. Being a primarily consumption led economy; one could say India is in the midst of economic rough weather. In addition, we have challenges... Read more »

Increasing employee trust and confidence should be the primary focus

By Sreekanth K. Arimanithaya, VP & Chief of HR, Britannia Industries

Jul 3rd 2012

How will the present economic crisis impact your talent strategy? We see a big talent development opportunity in this tough environment. Despite the overall external challenges, we are on a growth trajectory and recognize the importance of ‘people and capability’ in fuelling growth. We will therefore invest in building and sharpening our people and capability, through training, experiential learning and excellence in execution.In an environment of gloom, it is but obvious tha... Read more »

Soaring new heights

By Aditya Ghosh, President, IndiGo

Jul 3rd 2012

How has the economic scenario in India impacted your business?In a global economy, no country is an economic island and India is no exception. Having said that, I would not describe the present economic scenario as ‘grave’. The consumption story in India remains strong and there is huge potential for growth. India is one of the most under-penetrated aircraft markets in the world and tens of millions of Indians need to fly. IndiGo will continue to chase that opportunity.Is there any... Read more »

In the long run, there is nothing to worry

By S. Y. Siddiqui, COO, Maruti Suzuki India

Jul 3rd 2012

At a time when the growth rate is declining and rating agencies one after the other are downgrading their outlook on India, it is time we emphasize on understanding the basic fundamentals of our economy. We need to decide the terms of the real application of liberal economic policies, when it should happen, how it should happen and with what speed it should happen. It is true that the growth enablers are moving south; but from a medium to long term perspective, the fundamentals of the economy ... Read more »

Re-look at the opportunities and re-prioritize

By Neelam Dhawan, MD, HP India

Jul 3rd 2012

What is your reaction to the present economic scenario in India? India’s GDP growth has declined in the last quarter to the lowest in a long time, so it is prudent to assume that we will face difficult economic scenarios ahead. However, while this will impact the general macro economic environment in India, it also makes the business scenario more competitive and challenging. It is important for organizations to re-invent and prioritize to continue to win.What is its implication on your ... Read more »

Reduce waste as much as possible

By VR Ferose, MD, SAP Labs India

Jul 3rd 2012

How will the present economic scenario impact your business and talent strategy?While we are facing some challenging times on the political and economic front, I believe we will sail through. The need of the hour is quick and tough decision-making by our leaders to accelerate the sluggish economy. While a slow economic growth will impact all businesses, we do see this as a great time for companies to invest in our software products to enhance efficiency and provide better return on investments... Read more »

The Ultimate Value

Jul 3rd 2012

For M&As to yield desired results, companies should focus on the journey as much as on the final business outcome, shares Gene Wickes, Global Benefits Director, Towers WatsonAs Indian MNCs expand their global reach by inorganic growth, what important factors should they consider when acquiring businesses?There are a few key challenges that any company would face when making an overseas acquisition. The major risk in any M&A is being able to actually realize the perceived transaction va... Read more »

What people managers do? A Great Place to Work® Institute Series

By Dr. Prasenjit Bhattacharya

Jul 3rd 2012

In my last article, I referred to a term we call “Giftwork®” - an interaction in the workplace where an employee gives more than is expected or required for the sake of the organization or the relationship. When you do more Giftwork®, you increase the level of trust, which is the foundation of creating a great workplace.Trust has direct business benefits. In a recent blog, Jim Clifton, the Chairman and CEO of Gallup, quotes the seminal research done by Alex Edmans of The Wh... Read more »