Author: indiafreenotes

Electronic governance or e-governance is the application of information and communication technology (ICT) for delivering government services, exchange of information, communication transactions, integration of various stand-alone systems and services between government-to-citizen (G2C), government-to-business (G2B), government-to-government (G2G), government-to-employees (G2E) as well as back-office processes and interactions within the entire government framework. Through e-governance, government services are made available to citizens in a convenient, efficient, and transparent manner. The three main target groups that can be distinguished in governance concepts are government, citizens, and businesses/interest groups. In e-governance, there are no distinct boundaries.

Benefits of E-governance

• Reduced corruption
• High transparency
• Increased convenience
• Growth in GDP
• Direct participation of constituents
• Reduction in overall cost.
• Expanded reach of government

Through e-governance, the government plans to raise the coverage and quality of information and services provided to the general public, by the use of ICT in an easy, economical and effective manner. The process is extremely complicated which requires, the proper arrangement of hardware, software, networking and indeed re-engineering of all the processes to facilitate better delivery of services.

Types of Interactions in E-Governance

1. G2G (Government to Government)

When the exchange of information and services is within the periphery of the government, is termed as G2G interaction. This can be both horizontal, i.e. among various government entities and vertical, i.e. between national, state and local government entities and within different levels of the entity.

2. G2C (Government to Citizen)

The interaction amidst the government and general public is G2C interaction. Here an interface is set up between government and citizens, which enables citizens to get access to wide variety of public services. The citizens has the freedom to share their views and grievances on government policies anytime, anywhere.

3. G2B (Government to Business)

In this case, the e-governance helps the business class to interact with the government seamlessly. It aims at eliminating red-tapism, saving time, cost and establish transparency in the business environment, while interacting with government.

4. G2E (Government to Employees)

The government of any country is the biggest employer and so it also deals with employees on a regular basis, as other employers do. ICT helps in making the interaction between government and employees fast and efficient, along with raising their level of satisfaction by providing perquisites and add-on benefits.

E-governance can only be possible if the government is ready for it. It is not a one day task, and so the government has to make plans and implement them before switching to it. Some of the measures include Investment in telecommunication infrastructure, budget resources, ensure security, monitor assessment, internet connectivity speed, promote awareness among public regarding the importance, support from all government departments and so forth

E-governance has a great role to play, that improves and supports all tasks performed by the government department and agencies, because it simplifies the task on the one hand and increases the quality of work on the other.

Wipro Technologies, is one of the largest software companies in india and Azime Hashim Premji chairman of Wipro limited ranks among the Greatest entrepreneur of all times in the list compiled by leading business magazine.He is a well known Indian business leader whose values and ethics are renowned amongst business circles.

Azim premji was the person who made Wipro shift from soap to software. He want to bring company within 100 technology companies in the world. Azimeji Leadership is a paradoxical blend of quiet dynamism with an understand drive for excellence. Under his leadership WIPRO has not only spread in india but also globally because of his humility and commitment toward his work.

According to azimji successful leaders must be able to articulate clear,stated,committed vision for the company. Success has to be built on a foundation of value. According to him leaders must have self confidence which comes from positive attitude.They need extraordinary physical and someway spiritual energy to remain on the top of the demand . Leader must keep improving their standards for excellence in quality. They must be always be on the side of optimism and they should always play to win which gives a new sense of direction and energy.

“If people are not laughing at your goals , your goals are too small…”

– Azim Premji

According to Azimji there are  steps to successful leadership which goes as below

•  Leader must develop powerful personal credibility.
• Great Leaders tell people clearly what they expect from them.
• Great leader are great teachers and coaches.
• Successful leaders need to have energy and be able to energies others.
• Leaders do not always have to be in the limelight.
• Leaders play to win.
• Leaders have the ability to preserve when all odds are against them.
• Leaders surround themselves with people who are on the side of optimism.

Commonly known as Indian steel magnate with Net Worth $12 Billion in 2016, Lakshmi Mittal is the Chairman and CEO of the world’s largest steelmaking company, ArcelorMittal. Here are his top 10 rules for germinating startups:

Knowledge is the key: He personally believes that if you have knowledge, ambition, focus and if you are determined use it to grow. Knowledge is power in simple words knowledge is the key to success.

Take bold decisions: It’s your decisions that differs you from others. The decisions that you take need to be very transformative and it has to succeed. Bold decisions are not easy and free from risk so before taking them you have to apply your full experience, see and analyse through the situation and risk. One can only make a step change in their career by taking such big, bold decisions.

Be responsible: A company’s long term success directly depends up on being responsible. Being responsible not only provides you with more opportunities but it also builds a good reputation and a sense of belongingness towards the company.

Don’t set high goals: Laxmi never sets high goals for himself. He believes to work in present and try to achieve that very target. His goals keeps on changing as he proceeds in life. One should not set high goals to avoid disappointment rather should focus on small targets and its completion ultimately leading to big milestone as a whole.

Seize the opportunities: Opportunities don’t come everyday. For being successful one should make and derive the maximum out of the present opportunities available in front. Opportunities serves as challenges, which are very important for the growth and diversification of any firm.

Prove your critics wrong: Critics are the people who shows the reality and tells you about the mistakes. In this competitive world only those firm achieves milestones who learns from their mistakes and take critics in positive sense.

Dont lose focus: The most important rule for success is to maintain your focus. Being focus on what you desire will only lead to your growth as an individual and startup as a whole. Being focus here means taking any sort of steps small or big but towards the path of success.

Get experience: Nothing is more beneficial than the experience one poses. Experience does not come by education but it can only be acquired by continuously working, sharing and learning from others experience.

Lead by example: For motivating and inspiring everyone, it’s your duty to lead by example. True leader never gives commands to his team but lead by doing things what he wants others to do.

Do things differently: For survival, stability, growth and diversification one should always do things in one’s own manner or differently from others. In such competition a firm’s growth directly depends there focus on core activities, doing the same work,task, activities but in different manner that what makes the difference.

Nagavara Ramarao Narayana Murthy (born 20 August 1946) is an Indian billionaire businessman, and philanthropist. He is the co-founder of Infosys, and has been chairman, chief executive officer (CEO), president, and chief mentor, before retiring and taking the title chairman emeritus.

Murthy was born and raised in Shidlaghatta, Karnataka. He graduated from National Institute of Engineering, University of Mysore with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and a master’s from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur.

Before starting Infosys, Murthy worked with Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad as chief systems programmer, and Patni Computer Systems in Pune (Maharashtra). He started Infosys in 1981 and was its CEO from 1981 to 2002, and chairman from 2002 to 2011. In 2011, he stepped down from the board and became chairman emeritus. In June 2013, Murthy was appointed as executive chairman for a period of five years.

Murthy has been listed among the 12 greatest entrepreneurs of our time by Fortune magazine. He has been described as the “father of the Indian IT sector” by Time magazine due to his contribution to outsourcing in India. Murthy has been honoured with the Padma Vibhushan and Padma Shri awards. He is the father-in-law of Rishi Sunak, the British MP and Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Some of them are mentioned below:

1-You might fail, but get started Learn from mistakes and move on.

In 1976, Murthy founded Softronics, a company that lasted a year and a half. When he realised that his first venture wasn’t taking off, he moved on.

2-Think Big. Don’t Hesitate to Start Small

In 1981, a determined Murthy started Infosys with Rs 10,000 he borrowed from his wife. In few years, Infosys went on to become one of the largest wealth creators in the country.

3-Sharing is Caring

After the IPO, Infosys decided to share a portion of its equity with employees. This helped them retain talent and gave employees a sense of ownership. Murthy is proud of having given away stocks worth over Rs 50,000 crore to employees.

4-Make hay While the Sun Shines

In late 90′s, India’s tech companies made use of the Y2K opportunity to make them known in the global market. For Infosys, it was a great opportunity to enter into long-term relationships with their customers.

5-Founders Keepers, but Not Forever

Murthy’s decision to not allow founders to continue with the company after the age of 65 set another standard for the company. This way, younger leaders at Infosys had a greater chance at the top positions.

6-Get Rich. Honestly

Rich businesses were considered to be dirty in the days when the country had a socialist bent. Infy was a company which got rid of this sentiment. Murthy, with his ‘no compromise’ policy on greasing palms and doing ethical business, set the standards.

7-Do Good, Look Good

Murthy knew the importance of creating an image for Infosys. He invested in creating a sprawling, world class campuses early on, bigger than any other company’s headquarters in the country, that would make his global customers feel like they were in a global office.

For a business to excel, leadership is vital. What makes great leaders? Is it their courage? Their business acumen? Their expert knowledge? Their ability to organize?  Truly great leaders have a specific blend of skills. But they also possess something else; certain characteristics which are harder to define.

A leader is somebody who sets the direction and inspires other people. A leader is able to influence others in meetings or when making decisions. This helps to achieve the goals of the organization. Enterprise has leaders at all levels of its business, not just senior management.

Sunil Bharti Mittal is the founder, chairman and group CEO of Bharti Enterprises. The USD 8.3 billion turnover company runs India’s largest GSM-based mobile phone service and world’s fifth largest wireless company with over 190 million customers across 19 countries in Asia and Africa.

He is a game-changer who dared to redefine the age-old telecom model and emerged as a winner. His new approach of co-partnership and virtual integration are unique approaches in the telecom sector which has seen great success. The quantum growth that Bharti AirTel has witnessed in little more than a decade has been possible only because of the high passion and round-the-clock alertness of Sunil Mittal to take advantage of every opportunity that came his way.

A brief history:

After graduating, Mittal borrowed $1,500 from his father and set up a bicycle parts business in Ludhiana in his native Punjab. Aware of its limited potential, he moved to Delhi in the 1980s and spotting a potential market, started selling imported generators, with profit margins of up to 100 per cent. As the Indian government began to lift trading restrictions in 1991, Mittal moved into the nascent telecommunications market, supplying handsets. He was one of the first Indian entrepreneurs to identify the mobile telecom business as a major growth area. His plans were finally approved by the Government in 1994 and he launched services in Delhi in 1995, when Bharti Cellular Limited (BCL) was formed to offer cellular services under the brand name AirTel. Within a few years Bharti became the first telecom company to cross the 2-million mobile subscriber mark.

A dreamer, an achiever

He has the knack to strike at the right place at the right time. His contribution in shaping

the modern telecom industry in India earned him the sixth place in the Forbes list of ‘India’s 40 Richest’. He is very passionate about his work. He is highly transparent, sometimes even at the cost of having setbacks because of that.  His ability to take decision at the time of uncertainties and keeping the organizational objectives & employees’ aspirations as much as possible distinguishes him from others. He had a strong and wide vision; he knew that the Indian economy was at the threshold of becoming one of the largest emerging economies in the world. The Bharti group launched the “AirTel” brand of mobile telephone service in Delhi in 1995. Today, the AirTel brand is the biggest mobile phone brand in the country. Truly, his vision has transformed the lives of millions across India.

These are the true qualities of a leader which I really admire. But the path that he adopted was not a bed of roses.

The initial years of the cellular business were not as rosy as they are today. The role-out of telecom services required a lot of initial investments and the returns were not adequate due to the low subscriber base. With the help of private equity investors and foreign partner Singapore Telecommunications Limited, Singapore’s largest telecommunications company, he successfully met the challenges of capital intensive role-out, cut throat competition and policy changes. He once said “Having a positive frame of mind can help overcome extremely bad situations.”  A leader must always remain calm and should not take decisions under stress.

His Leadership Style

He strongly believed in giving the best in whatever we do and having faith in oneself.  He adopted a leadership style which develops its people to the level they need not have leaders to guide them. This helped him establishing a strong connect with his employees.

Bharti’s “Professionally Managed, Entrepreneur Supported” model

Responsibility towards employees

Employees are one of the most important drivers of growth and success for any organization is its people. Sunil Mittal’s mantra for employee is delight focus on 5P’s.

• People
• Pride
• Passion
• Processes and
• Performance

According to Sunil Mittal essentials to build a strong place in competitive market are:

• Ability to take decisions amidst uncertainties
• Reading customer mind and predicting the future consumption trend.
• Keep your speed double to the change in market.
• Alignment of organizational objectives & employees’ aspirations.
• Quickly respond to changes in macro environment.
• Build a learning organization.
• Retaining talent
• Building a team by recruiting talent

Sunil Mittal strives to imbibe the Level 5 leadership model in his firm. Level 5 leadership is an empirical finding, not an ideological one.

 His Achievements

• Conferred with the ‘Global Vision’ award by US-India Business Council, a business advocacy organization jointly formed by the United States and India.
• Becomes First Entrepreneur from India to join Elite Ranks of Babson’s Academy of Distinguished Entrepreneurs.
• Chosen as one of the top entrepreneurs in the world for the year 2000.
• IT Man of the Year Award 2002 from Dataquest and CEO Of the Year, 2002 Award (World HRD Congress).
• Heads  a succesful empire with a market capitalization of approximately $ 2 billion.
• Bharti Foundation has funded over 50 schools in Madhya Pradesh.
• Member of National Council of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), Chairman, Indo-US Joint Business Council, Member, Advisory Committee constituted by ministry of IT.

When talking about India’s greatest leaders, one name just cannot be skipped J.R.D. TATA. For decades the sole Indian businessman, global leaders had ever heard of, was Tata.

It’s different today the Sunday Times, Forbes and even the hallowed Harvard Business Review now carries articles written by Indian mgt. gurus on Indian case studies. But for years the world passed India by. Only J.R.D. Tata made an impact.

When J.R.D. became chairman of Tatas in 1938, British firms dominated the environment, but the House of Tata towered above all others. It had 14 companies with sales of Rs. 280 crores.

The year he died, 1993, it was still India’s biggest business house. Sales had mushroomed to Rs. 15000 crores and there were over 50 large manufacturing companies besides innumerable holdings and concerns. He was a distinguished and respected industrialist who was also awarded the “BHARAT RATNA”, remarkable achievement.

What sort of value system made the great man achieve his greatness?
Following is an analysis of some of the virtues & vices, which J. R. D. displayed through the course of his eventful life:

Virtues:

• Approachable: J.R.D. had no problems making friends easily. He had one of the most comfortable personalities that was probably his benchmark of becoming a successful individual.
• Diplomatic: One of the most difficult talents is to say ‘no’ in a nice manner. But Diplomacy was never a problem for J.R.D. Even when he was angry at Nehru for going against industrialists, he was never rude but made his point diplomatically and walked away friends.
• Realistic: J.R.D. never plunged into unviable projects, howsoever exciting they might be. He briefly flirted with the idea of making bombers with “Tata Aircraft”—but despite his love for flying, he shot down the project himself when it became clear that there was no money to be made.
• Charismatic: When J.R.D. was elected chairman of the group, there was no question about the selection. There was no one else who could have been chosen by the board. J.R.D. by then was a hero. The daring pilot, the shrewd businessman. He was already outstanding.
• Courageous: J.R.D. had always supported Nehru’s views on socialism. Something that the board of Tata sons did not agree with. But J.R.D. refused to sign the manifesto against socialism. It must have required considerable courage for a 30- something to stand up for views, which differed so widely from those of the old guard.
• Compassionate: People talk of Russi Mody but he manipulated people. J.R.D. genuinely felt for workers. His approach to labor was that of Fabian socialism. After J.R.D.’s entry, the management of Tisco changed its policy of confrontation. The trade union became not only acceptable but also an association which was vital to the interests of the workers.
• Supportive towards innovation: Apart from his supportive attitude towards Tisco’s lab technicians, perhaps Tata chemicals provides the best demonstration of J.R.D.’s willingness to support innovation in his business and among his managers.
• Aware of a sense of responsibility: There were opportunities for J.R.D. where he was tempted to joined politics. But he rationalized to himself by concluding that he could do more for the country in business and industry than in politics. He says, “I had no doubt that freedom was on its way. But who knows, I might one day have an opportunity to serve in more useful ways than by going to jail today!
• Committed to values: J.R.D. never believed in paying under the table for getting a license approved. He never believed in exploiting the workers, society and earning more profits. It was believed that wealth and respect are disjoint. J.R.D. was considered to be an exception to this rule
• A visionary: J.R.D. was the only director on the board of the Tata group who supported Ratan Tata’s plan to enter high investment high risk industries like oil manufacturing & computers. He believed, that being that stalwart business house of India, such investments were a responsibility.

Vices:

• Conservative: J.R.D. always preferred the more conservative approach. His conservativeness left Tisco unprepared for the outbreak of the second world war and the license-permit raj of free India.
• Aloof: Unlike G.D. Birla, J.R.D. had kept aloof from the congress leadership. For a group that depends as much as the Tatas did on government patronage, this was a major lacuna.
• Bad tempered: Instead of trying to patch up the differences, J.R.D. withdrew into himself. He rejected Nehru’s invitations to the UN session in Paris, and the invitation to lead Indian Rare Earths, one of the first PSU’s. J.R.D. forgot the Public Relations implications of these prestigious invitations and the signals his refusal emitted.

Ghanshyam Das Birla (10 April 1894 – 1983) was an pioneering Indian businessman and member of the Birla Family.

Ghanshyam Das Birla was born on 10 April 1894 at Pilani village in Jhunjhunu district, in the Indian state then known as Rajputana, as a member of the Maheshwari Marwari community. His father was Raja Baldevdas Birla. In 1884 A.D. Baldeo Das Birla went to Bombay in search of new avenues of trade. He established his firm Shiv Narian Baldeo Das in Bombay in 1884 and Baldeo Das Jugal Kishore in 1897 in Calcutta. The firms started business in silver, cotton, grain and other commodities. He was succeeded by 4 sons, Jugal Kishore, Rameshwar Das, Ghanshyam Das and Braj Mohan. Ghanshyam Das was the most successful of the four brothers.

Business of Birla Family

Birla inherited the family business and moved to further diversify them into other areas. Of these, at least three contemporary family business groups existing in India today can trace their ancestry to him. Of these businesses, he wanted to turn the moneylending business into manufacturing. So he left for Calcutta in Bengal Presidency, the world’s largest jute producing region. There, he began “independently as a jute broker”. In 1918, he established Birla Jute Mills, much to the consternation of established European merchants, whom the biased policies of the British government favoured other than the local Bengali merchants. He had to scale a number of obstacles as the British and Scottish merchants tried to shut his business by unethical and monopolistic methods, but he was able to persevere. When World War I resulted in supply problems throughout the British Empire, Birla’s business skyrocketed.

With an investment of ₹5 million in 1919, the Birla Brothers Limited was formed. A mill was set up in Gwalior in the same year.

In 1926, he was elected to the Central Legislative Assembly of British India. He became the founding president of Harijan Sevak Sangh founded by Mahatma Gandhi in Delhi in 1932 .

In the 1940s, he ventured into the territory of cars and established Hindustan Motors. After independence, Birla invested in tea and textiles through a series of acquisitions of erstwhile European companies. He also expanded and diversified into cement, chemicals, rayon and steel tubes. Ghanshyam Das Birla during the Quit India Movement of 1942, had conceived the idea of organising a commercial bank with Indian capital and management, and the United Commercial Bank Limited was incorporated to give shape to that idea. UCO Bank, formerly United Commercial Bank, established in 1943 in Kolkata, is one of the oldest and major commercial bank of India.

Philanthropy

The statue of Ghanshyam Das Birla at Golders Green Crematorium

Envisioning infrastructural development in his hometown, Birla founded the Birla Engineering College (rechristened as Birla Institute of Technology and Science in 1964) in Pilani and the Technological Institute of Textile & Sciences in Bhiwani among other educational institutions in 1943. Both colleges have evolved over the years to develop into one of India’s best engineering schools. Now Pilani also houses Birla Public School, a famous residential public school named after Birla’s family and a number of polytechnic colleges. The town of Pilani and the local population enjoy a highly symbiotic relationship with these institutions, thereby stepping towards realising Birla’s dream. TIT&S also evolved as the Center of Excellence in Textile based education and training. Moreover, G.D. Birla Memorial School, Ranikhet, a premier residential school has also been established in his honour by his son B.K. Birla and is today one of the best residential schools in the country and The Birla School in Kalyan, India was founded by his efforts with the collaboration of Kalyan Citizens’ Education Society (KCES).

In 1957, he was awarded India’s second highest civilian honour, the Padma Vibhushan by the Government of India.

There is a memorial to Ghanshyam Birla in Golders Green Crematorium, Hoop Lane, London. It comprises a large statue overlooking the gardens with an inscription. He died in 1983 at the age of 89.

Late GD Birla was a highly focused man with money. He could earn it, spend it, retain it and make the most useful utilization of it,” Shri Agarwala said. GD was a financial wizard. And he was a man with foresight. Shri Agarwala related an example of the initial stages of HINDALCO. The company was in collaboration with the third largest producer of aluminium in the world. “When we started, the capacity was 20,000 tonnes per annum. At the time the total production of India was only 10,000 tonnes. To start a company with such a high capacity at that time was not a simple task. Our budget was Rs. 20 Crores – a huge amount in 1956-57. GD asked us how we could utilize the funds economically and differently. We came out with a budget of Rs. 16 Crores and started operations of the plant in exactly Rs. 15.6 Crores,” he remembered and emphasized, “Money has to be valued.”

“GD would pay a lot of attention to finance. To arrange funds to the tune of Rs. 20 to Rs. 30 Crores was not a joke. There was no financial institutions, no LIC, no IDB, you could not approach foreign investors because they did not give to India, you could not borrow from the government, yet he could manage funds in such a way that no conditions were attached to it,” Shri Agarwala remembers.

Late G.D. Birla believed in grooming his own people. During those days, India had no B-Schools to do the job for him. He would personally train his people by assigning them work, directing them and making them work. “Whatever I learnt I learnt under him,” Shri Agarwala said, proudly, adding, “Today grooming being a crucial factor, we take the help of institutions. Fundamentals are the same: Focus on work, focus on financing, budget and complete the job on time. Utilize the resources available to the maximum extent,” he ended.

Bajaj Group is involved in a variety of welfare activities, which are carried out with the support of its companies and trusts. The social and welfare objectives of the Bajaj Group are being fulfilled through the many Trusts and Foundations it has established. Spending up to ₹100 million (US$1.4 million) every year.

Education

Shiksha Mandal Wardha was established in 1914 by Jamnalal Bajaj for educating the youth of India. This Mandal was a part of the national movement and received support for several national leaders including Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. It was also the first institute in India to prepare text books and conduct examinations in Hindi and Marathi at the graduate level. Currently, the Mandal runs two commerce colleges (in Wardha and Nagpur), a Science College and Agricultural College and Rural Institute and a Polytechnic at Wardha and in 2017 started its first engineering institution Bajaj institute of technology, wardha (http://bit.shikshamandal.org/). It has almost 10,000 students on its rolls. Its Science College has been adjudged as a College with Potential for Excellence by the UGC. Its Agriculture College has been rated as ‘A’ by its affiliating university and its Polytechnic has been rated as “excellent” by MSBTE.

Kamalnayan Bajaj School location at Chinchwad was established in 1976. Initially, it started off as a school providing education from Lower KG to grade 12 and in 2007 it also started running a junior college.

Dnyaneshwar Vidyapeeth was supported by Madhur Bajaj, Vice-Chairman, Bajaj Auto Ltd for its autonomous engineering school which offers a variety of engineering professional courses.

Janaki Devi Bajaj Institute of Management Studies was established in August 1997. It is a Centre of Management Studies and the Postgraduate Department of Management Education of the SNDT Women’s University. It offers a variety of full-time and part-time professional courses at Masters level and postgraduate diploma courses in management specifically for women.

Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, set up by the University of Mumbai in collaboration with the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University. With a donation from the Jamnalal Bajaj Seva Trust, was established in 1965. It was the first to start a full-time 2-year Masters Programme in Management Studies (MMS) in India. .

Bajaj Group volunteered to adopt 3 Industrial training institutes for Upgradation – ITI Mulshi, ITI Haveli and ITI Ramnager. A two-day training program was organised for all the staff of the Institutes, at a remote location

The company enabled education of eligible bright backward students with the launch of a program that would help scheduled castes and scheduled tribes students achieve academic excellence and make them at par with those who can afford coaching for top institutes.

Health

Kamalnayan Bajaj Hospital in Aurangabad was established in 1990 as a hospital and research center. Although it was relatively small when it started, it has soon grown into a very well equipped hospital with 225 beds, 60 full-time doctors and 150 staff, organ transplant center, well-equipped Cath Lab, CT Scan, MRI, Mammography & Dept of radiation oncology and so on.

The Bajaj-YCM Hospital A.R.T Center for HIV/Aids in Pimpri was established as a Public-Private Partnership between Government of India – Ministry of Health and Family Welfare – National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) to provide healthcare facilities to Aids patients.

Women empowerment

The objective of the Jankidevi Bajaj Gram Vikas Sanstha is to empower women and it has been doing so by training women in using improved technology for storage of food grains and initiating goat rearing projects owned and managed by women, emphasising the importance of family planning particularly tubectomy operations and securing loans for women members for both consumption and income generation.

IMC Ladies’ Wing Jankidevi Bajaj Puraskar for Rural Entrepreneurship, which commemorates the birth centenary of the late Smt. Jankidevi Bajaj, is an award conferred for outstanding contribution of women working for rural development

Self-reliance

The Jamnalal Bajaj Seva Trust initially assisted Sarvodaya workers and Gandhian constructive programmes. It later established the International Sarvodaya Centre in Vishwaneedam to promote agriculture, dairy development, rural development and training local women and youth for self-employment. It also funded the Jamnalar Bajaj Institute of Management Studies and undertook the maintenance of Bajajwadi at Wardha. It also has supported the Kamalnayan Bajaj Hall and Art Gallery.

The Jankidevi Bajaj Gram Vikas Sanstha and it helps the rural population develop self-reliance to do so by building family-size biogas plants, training women in using improved technology for storage of food grains and so on.

The IMC Ramkrishna Bajaj National Quality Awards was instituted in 1997 to encourage Indian Industry to be alert to the importance of quality in the context of global competitiveness. The Quality Award is presented every year to companies in manufacturing, service sector and small business company.

The Institute of Gandhian Studies, established in 1987, promotes long-term and short-term study courses on Gandhian thoughts and methodology. It also organises seminars, consultative meets for Panchayat workers, special courses for women members of the Panchayats and trade union workers.

Rural development

The trusts that work towards rural development include Jankidevi Bajaj Gram Vikas Sanstha, Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation, Jamnalal Kaniram Bajaj Trust and Jamnalal Bajaj Seva Trust. The welfare activities are carried out in collaboration with CAPART, Khadi and Village Industries Commission, NEDA, respective State Governments and beneficiaries. They are aimed at improving the living conditions of the rural population via income generation, training for self-employment, improved health and sanitation, supply of drinking water, improved agricultural and land maintenance practices such as horticulture, social forestry and reclamation of waste land. Other activities include distribution of solar-lantern and solar cookers, installation of biogas plants, deepening and widening of wells and drinking water scheme, tree plantation and kitchen gardens, lift irrigation, veterinary services like insemination, vaccination and distribution of cattle feed, watershed development and building of model villages, distribution of agricultural equipment and building a center of Child Labor Welfare.

In addition, the Bajaj Group has also undertaken several educational activities. They not only focus on mainstream education through the maintenance and running of Bal Sanskar Kendras, Balwadis and conducting study tours, but also on vocational education through tailoring classes, literacy and hobby classes, training programmes for self-employment, and so on. Jamnalal Bajaj Award was established in 1978 by the Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation.

Environment & natural resources

The Jankidevi Bajaj Gram Vikas Sanstha has engaged in water conservation projects for improving agricultural productivity, helping build family-size biogas plants, conducting vermiculture projects, and so on.

Standing on the 12th position, it is one of the few Indian brands with an ‘international’ distinction, and that of being the largest producer of scooters in the world. In the Brand Trust Report 2012, Bajaj was ranked 7th Most Trusted brand in India and in Brand Trust Report 2013 Bajaj slipped one place to the 8th position among India’s Most Trusted brands.

In 2014, Bajaj was ranked 46th among India’s most trusted brands by the Brand Trust Report 2014. The Report also listed Bajaj Pulsar, Bajaj Allianz, Bajaj Electricals and Bajaj Almond Oil among India’s most trusted brands.

Competitive Advantage

In throwing out existing data and process led theories of strategy formation, Prahalad and Hamel developed a simple model of how corporations can achieve competitive advantage. This simplification of their ideas is mine and any errors of interpretation I have introduced are mine too.

Step 1: Corporate Imagination

This is where corporate leaders visualise new markets and how to exploit them ahead of their competitors. They argued that to do this effectively, executives have to:

1. get away from their natural focus on existing markets
2. look for new product concepts
3. be prepared to challenge radically their old assumptions about pricing (this idea would recur in Prahalad’s thinking about how to create markets at the Bottom of the Pyramid)
4. lead customers by creating expectations, rather than follow them by meeting expectations

Hamel and Prahalad had little time for small scale intrapreneurial innovation. They advocated big, revolutionary changes in markets that would allow a corporation to dominate, such as:

• Adding wholly new functionality to your existing products
• Delivering your proven functionality through new products
• Using existing products to deliver functionality in new ways

To do this, they argue that an organisation must understand its ‘core competencies’ – the abilities it has to create and innovate by bringing together its skills, technologies, assets, and relationships in ways that dominate multiple markets by offering big benefits to customers in a way that competitors find hard to duplicate.

The threat of relying on core competencies, however, is two-fold. Firstly, it may cause market and product diversification into arenas where the corporation has insufficient depth of understanding or presence to be effective. This can lead to large failures. Alternatively, over-focus on core competency leads to a rigidity of thinking that is reinforced by a sense of comfortableness, and leads to a sense of complacency. Such circumstances lead to being replaced in your core markets by insurgent competitors.

Step 2: Implementation

Hamel and Prahalad’s focus on core competencies leads them to focus what they say about implementation on building up core competencies and their supporting infrastructures of assets, resources and technologies.

Step 3: Consolidate your Control of Emerging Markets

You do this through what they call ‘Expeditionary Marketing’ to understand how the parameters of feature-sets, performance, and pricing need to be balanced to penetrate, consolidate and dominate your market.

The Bottom of the Pyramid

How do you build a market among people who are too poor to buy your products? By re-thinking entirely how you deliver your products and the pricing model you use. Prahalad was able to find and research numerous case studies that show how corporations can do this successfully, to create:

• Affordability: creating offerings that dramatically change what people need to pay and how they can pay for it
• Accessibility: thinking carefully about the local context, rather than applying first-world distribution models
• Availability: getting products to where they are needed, when they are needed, in a form that makes it possible for people to buy.