Category: Strategy

Strategy

How can Crossword compete with FlipKart.com?

The only thing I indulge myself is in buying andreading books. Lots of books! I love going to a bookshop, browse their bookcollection, read a few pages of a book and buy it if I like what I see. Thereare times when I got so immersed in the book that I read the complete book atthe bookshop itself. I loved the cozy chairs that these bookshops provided withso many books to browse and read. Of late, I have seen that the stock of books atbookshops like Crossword has been on the decline. I also find myself and all myfriends (who […]

Strategy

HCL is Obsolete Now, Says CEO Vineet Nayar

This is a bold statement to make for a CEO of a billion $ organization. It is also a provocative statement. What follows could determine the future of the organization. Any change process starts with instilling a sense of urgency within the organization that there is something that needs to change and it needs to change now. I think that is exactly what Vineet is trying to do within his organization. Next steps that HCL could take could be Identify and name a change champion high up in the organization who will be responsible to channelize all the energy that […]

Strategy

What ails the airline industry?

I am always fascinated and surprised by the fact that the most of the airlines in the world are operating under losses. This baffles me due to the following facts: There number of people flying is increasing by the day. The cost of new entrants is very high à Existing players have an opportunity to charge a healthy margin. One reason that many argue is that the input cost (cost of aircraft, fuel, airport usage charges, maintenance of the aircraft, salaries, etc) is spiraling upwards and the fare is dropping due to intense competition. Though the above argument is true, […]

Strategy

Digital + physical publishing model = Improved profitability for publishers

I am surprised to see that the Kindle versions of regular books cost almost the same as the physical copies. I am really surprised about this because, with Kindle versions, the publishers do not incur any printing, distribution and inventory costs. These books should be selling at a much lower price than their physical counterparts. The reason I feel this is not happening right now is that the publishers fear that the sale of the physical copies will decline sharply if they make the kindle versions available for much lower prices. This is the classic mentality of clinging on to […]