Global forays are likely to be the growth drivers
Setting ambitious targets for itself, fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) major Dabur India has announced plans to double both its revenue and profits by the financial year 2010. Unveiling its Vision 2010, Dabur has identified three main growth drivers for the company – international business, homecare and healthcare & foods. Sunil Duggal, CEO, Dabur India Limited elaborates, “as a part of our vision strategy, we plan to develop a more balanced portfolio of businesses. International business, Home Care, Healthcare and Foods will be our main drivers of growth. We plan to increase our presence across new segments...”
The Indian FMCG giant is eyeing revenues to the tune of $350 million this fiscal. Though the company wants to increase the contribution of its international business to its overall business to 16% from the present 4%, it remains to be seen how successful would a “balanced” focus be. The Rs.15.37 billion company has six overseas manufacturing facilities and is looking to take both – the organic and inorganic route – for expansion. With a war chest of about Rs.1 billion (amounting to about 4% of the revenue) set aside for the inorganic expansion, the company does claim to be high on the M&A uptake. However, it is quite clear that the past has never shown Dabur being action oriented with respect to M&A strategies.
Interestingly, Dabur has already launched Hajmola in Pakistan, which currently accounts for half of Dabur’s sales there. The home grown giant now seems well poised to take on global giants like Unilever, Procter & Gamble and Nestle. On another note, Pakistani actress Zara Sheikh has been signed on as the Dabur Pakistan brand ambassador – Hopefully not for their stomach cleansing medicines.
And who, may I ask, are we to throw our arms up in protest against a contorted display of prejudice on Reality television? It takes only but a microscopic measure of introspection to realise the supremacy in expertise that we, in this country, possess when it comes to the extremely fine art and (un)polished act of discrimination and intolerance.
Beginning from the pages of matrimonial advertisements to loutish vernacular nomenclature accorded to nearly every community to firestorms raging every second day due to dogmatism and sectarianism associated with caste, religion, language, locality or colour. From stray incidents on the road to deliberate outbursts of irrational resentment, it’s hardly the sort of stuff that would do anyone proud. Yet, teeming millions in our land revel in this form of bigotry.
I feel the broader and more ‘real’ concern, so to speak, is that of an intrinsic element of racism at every level of society – domestic and global – subtle at the harmless end of the spectrum or definitively pronounced on the extreme. Be it a fixation with social order, class or creed that forms part of humdrum existence to the complex, aggravated state of apprehension and insecurity leading to antagonism against the Asian community at large post 9/11, the fact remains that discrimination is a legacy of human DNA.
And in that sense, however unfortunate, it might even be termed natural. What is unnatural though, is the kind of reaction and uproar generated when a semblance of the same is created in a reality show!
Respect, restraint and forbearance of disparate origins, opinions and value-systems in a world that is only poised to become increasingly inter-connected present the singular solution to the malaise of racial, national and cultural bias.
And while we walk down the (un)beaten path and strive towards that evolution, let’s take pride in the fact that the green-eyed monster called ‘jealousy’, symbolises an apt barometer of success... more power to the steamrollering commercial might of India and Big Brother’s Winsome Winner!!
Written On:
8/11/2007
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