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Management

Case Folio

June' 05
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Articles

CASE IN FOCUS

Xerox PARC: Innovation without Profit?
-- Shirisha Regani, Saji Sam George

PARC was set up in 1970 as the research arm of Xerox Corp, to invent the technology of the future. In a little over 30 years since it was set up, till it was incorporated as a Xerox subsidiary in 2002, PARC invented a number of products which revolutionized the computer industry. The prototype of the modern PC, local area networks, graphical user interface, commercial application of the mouse, page description languages, laser printers, etc. all took birth at PARC. However, despite its scientific excellence, Xerox failed to capitalize on the commercial potential of most of these innovations. In the early 21^st century, PARC was spun-off as an independent subsidiary of Xerox. Xerox had also set up some subsidiaries to help commercialize the inventions that came out of PARC.

CASE IN FOCUS

Finance

The Google IPO
-- Sanjib Dutta

Google went public on August 19, 2004, using the `Dutch Auction' method. Ever since the announcement on the IPO was made in April 2004, it became mired in some controversy or the other. On the one hand, it was a much-awaited IPOmost IPOs had not performed well in 2004, so investors were eagerly looking forward to the Google IPO as Google was a highly profitable company. On the other hand, most investment bankers had expressed their concerns about the IPO and had declared it to be a failure even before its launch. Google's dual share system also came in for criticism. Just a week before the launch of the IPO, Google's founders, Sergey Brin and Larry Page violated the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) by breaking the `quiet period.' Another violation that SEC discovered was Google's failure to report the shares that it had issued to its employees and consultants during the period September 2001 and July 2004. These issues heightened the controversies surrounding the IPO. However, all these controversies notwithstanding, the Google IPO performed exceedingly well. It helped the company to collect $1.4 bn, and put Google's valuation at nearly $30 bn. The success of the IPO effectively silenced all its detractors.

HRM & OB

Training and Development at Godrej
-- Ramya Narasimhan

The case explains the training and development initiatives of the Godrej group since the late 1990s, such as the TQM workshops, Parivartan, EVA training, GALLOP, Spark, e-Gyan, English language and BPO training. It explains each of these programs in detail and the benefits that the group reaped from all these initiatives. The case ends with a note on the shortcomings in Godrej's training and development initiatives.

IT & Systems

Charles Schwab's Customer Focussed e-Business Strategy
-- Konakanchi Prashanth

This case discusses the customer-focused e-business strategy of Charles Schwab & Company (Schwab), the leading discount brokerage firm in the US. It describes its multi-channel strategy that aimed at providing customers as many channels as possible to interact and transact with Schwab. It examines the way in which Schwab focused on providing better customer service by promoting its website and proactively using Internet-enabled technologies. The benefits Schwab derived from its e-business strategy are also highlighted.

Marketing

Repositioning Dabur
-- Ajith Sankar R N

The case deals with the restructuring initiatives Dabur took in the early 2000s. In order to cater to a wider audience, Dabur decided to reposition itself as an FMCG company with a herbal plank, moving away from its earlier image of an Ayurvedic medicine manufacturer. In order to convey a new vibrancy, the company has adopted new product offerings and new packaging. Dabur's promotional campaigns include leading Bollywood actors and sportstars. Dabur moved away from an umbrella branding strategy and went in for individual branding. It pruned products which were not aligned with its brand architecture. It also took concerted steps towards geographical expansion to international markets, and within India, focused on regions like southern India, which it had earlier neglected. The company's revenues in 2004-05 reveal that the changes undertaken by the company have started showing results.

Book Review

House of Lies
-- Martin Kihn

In House of Lies: How Management Consultants Steal Your Watch and Then Tell You the Time, Martin Kihn describes his experiences at a top-tier consulting firm. While his book is not quite the exposé promised in the title, he does provide an interesting and, at times, funny take on the profession and on his fellow consultants; one that is certainly different from popular perceptions.

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Automated Teller Machines (ATMs): The Changing Face of Banking in India

Bank Management

Information and communication technology has changed the way in which banks provide services to its customers. These days the customers are able to perform their routine banking transactions without even entering the bank premises. ATM is one such development in recent years, which provides remote banking services all over the world, including India. This paper analyzes the development of this self-service banking in India based on the secondary data.

The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is playing a very important role in the progress and advancement in almost all walks of life. The deregulated environment has provided an opportunity to restructure the means and methods of delivery of services in many areas, including the banking sector. The ICT has been a focused issue in the past two decades in Indian banking. In fact, ICTs are enabling the banks to change the way in which they are functioning. Improved customer service has become very important for the very survival and growth of banking sector in the reforms era. The technological advancements, deregulations, and intense competition due to the entry of private sector and foreign banks have altered the face of banking from one of mere intermediation to one of provider of quick, efficient and customer-friendly services. With the introduction and adoption of ICT in the banking sector, the customers are fast moving away from the traditional branch banking system to the convenient and comfort of virtual banking. The most important virtual banking services are phone banking, mobile banking, Internet banking and ATM banking. These electronic channels have enhanced the delivery of banking services accurately and efficiently to the customers. The ATMs are an important part of a bank’s alternative channel to reach the customers, to showcase products and services and to create brand awareness. This is reflected in the increase in the number of ATMs all over the world. ATM is one of the most widely used remote banking services all over the world, including India. This paper analyzes the growth of ATMs of different bank groups in India.

International Scenario

If ATMs are largely available over geographically dispersed areas, the benefit from using an ATM will increase as customers will be able to access their bank accounts from any geographic location. This would imply that the value of an ATM network increases with the number of available ATM locations, and the value of a bank network to a customer will be determined in part by the final network size of the banking system. The statistical information on the growth of branches and ATM network in select countries.

Indian Scenario

The financial services industry in India has witnessed a phenomenal growth, diversification and specialization since the initiation of financial sector reforms in 1991. Greater customer orientation is the only way to retain customer loyalty and withstand competition in the liberalized world. In a market-driven strategy of development, customer preference is of paramount importance in any economy. Gone are the days when customers used to come to the doorsteps of banks. Now the banks are required to chase the customers; only those banks which are customercentric and extremely focused on the needs of their clients can succeed in their business today.

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