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Co-opetition in Nepali Business
By Madan Lamsal
You must have noticed the competition among the colleges to lure students during this new admission season. They are following different innovative strategies and catchwords to catch their preys - the students. Read the following instance of competition at the recent college fair held at BICC.
The principal of a private college was dismayed when his competitor school erected a huge sign at its stall which read BEST DEALS.
He was horrified when another competitor school opened up on his right, and announced its arrival with an even larger sign, reading LOWEST FEES.
The principal panicked, until he came up with an idea. He put the biggest sign of all over his own stall which it read... MAIN ENTRANCE.
Reading the above instance, you must be thinking that the most popular trend in Nepali business today is competition. But how wrong you are! There may be some competition in the private schools and airlines but not in other fields. Rather the trend among the Nepali corporate is increasing co-opetition! Nepali businesses are no longer interested in competition. They’ve got a whole new square dance. Choose your partner and go straight to the dancing floor.
However, this idea was not their innovation. In fact they learned it from the politicians. When two extremists like Marxist-Leninists and the Congress can forge an alliance; why can’t the businesses do the same? If tomorrow the alliance of the seven parties by chance shakes hands with the Maoists to fight against the present government, Nepali businesses too will come up with some more creative ideas along similar lines.
That “co-opetition” is the name for the new trend that is corroborated by a recently forged alliance among the chambers in favour of a bank defaulter. Don’t get surprised if FNCCI and its younger competitor CNI too shun their competition and go for similar alliances. But what would they name the new organisation? Would they go for FNCCI-CNI? Then, wouldn’t CNI complain that the abbreviation doesn’t begin with its name? The issue would not be resolved by naming it CNI-FNCCI either. Then what about beginning the new name with the first letters of both associations? One possibility then would be CFCCIN but I don’t expect that to be acceptable again. The first three letters – CFC – will give an anti-environment image to the association. Also the last two letters – IN – will be objectionable as they may give an impression of being influenced by India. So, don’t get surprised if they settle for something like FCNI with an agreement to change the order of the first two letters every year. The expanded form of the new abbreviation would be the Federation of the Chambers and Nepalese Industries. But what if the people read it to be the Federation Challenging Nepalese Industries?
Corporate matches among the bankers for consumer financing are also attracting attention. But don’t get confused here again. The new trend is clearly in favour of co-opetition. Nepal Investment Bank has recently partnered with Kumari Bank to share their ATMs. This teaming up will surely bring a synergy between these banks that boast of a convenient location. But worry about what their marketing communication agencies may strike at when they try to find some other distinguishing features for their respective clients. What would the new slogan be? Pray that they do not go in for something like “the bank with the convenient location and long queues”.
The spirit of co-opetition is not limited to banks. The transporters in the Narayani zone, who had abolished the syndicate system a few months ago and had opted to compete against each other have also reverted back to syndication. The airline customers, however, were denied the fruits of the newly emerging co-opetition among the airlines due to Yeti Air playing the spoilsport.
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