Foreword

It gives me immense pride to write a foreword for a book written by two of my professors—Prof. Jairaj Kochavara and Prof. Dileep Saptarshi. Prior to their teaching experience of about 10 years in B-Schools, they both have a collective experience of more than 30 years in various managerial positions. Prof. Kochavara who is from TISS is a specialist in human resources whereas Prof. Saptarshi has an MBA degree from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA and specializes in marketing.

In this book, they have chosen a unique theme of writing about outstanding Indian companies in the form of case studies. There is a dearth of quality Indian case studies and the management fraternity is keen to have such case studies. In this book, companies like JSW Steel, Marico and Glenmark amongst others have been thoroughly covered after the painstaking efforts put in by these two gentlemen. Moreover, their academic and industrial exposure has contributed to a deep understanding of the industrial world.

The book covers the growth of these companies from scratch and emphasizes that the journey to the top has not been an easy one. In 1991, we all know how the liberalization of the Indian economy opened up the Indian market and increased the level of competitions. Apart from this, the companies were also hit by the crises of the global slowdowns. Despite these factors, the companies were innovative and agile enough to develop their own strategies and have been able to come out victorious. As it is said, ‘When the going gets tough, the tough gets going.’

Besides writing the case studies about all the 10 companies, the authors have added a new dimension to the book. They have enclosed a DVD of 10 CEO video interviews. This would enable readers to understand how the CEOs have steered their companies out of trying situations and the strategies they have used.

I am sure you are in for an invigorating experience.

Prof. Vijay Page
Director General
METIOM