preview

Electrochem, Inc.: Energy for a Clean Planet

Decent Essays

Radha Jalan took over management of ElectroChem, a struggling company that researched and developed fuel cell technology, after the sudden death of her husband Vinod Jalan in 1992. She did so because she was intrigued by the possibility of participating in the early stages of a growth industry, and she looked forward to the intellectual stimulation and challenge. The biggest challenge she faced early on was funding, mostly because the company was not profitable and the government grants that had been keeping it afloat were quickly coming to an end. When looking at ElectroChem from a SWOT analysis perspective we would like to start when Jalan was first faced with the decision to sell the business or continue as its president. There …show more content…

Jalan also demonstrated many of the key attributes that are common with successful entrepreneurs. She is task oriented, she sets goals and puts forth the effort required to reach them and even in the face of adversity she continues to work and does not give up. From the beginning Jalan was fighting an uphill battle, people in the company didn’t have faith in her ability to run it and as a result she lost two key employees. Although losing these employees was technically a setback, the loss of their salaries as a liability allowed the company to pay some past due expenses and continue operations. Another major turning point was when Jalan decided to fulfill a contract at cost, in order to build the companies reputation and keep the doors open until more contracts could be attained. Jalan knew her husband was respected in the fuel cell industry and she saw an opportunity to take advantage of the contacts he has already made, as well and building new relationships of her own. When speaking to people about her company she always maintained an honest approach, even disclosing her lack of knowledge in the technical aspects of fuel cell technology. Her honesty helped her build credibility amongst influential contacts and eventually led to research and development contracts for ElectroChem. The next step nobody could have see coming, Jalan met with a

Get Access