Cover Story
- By helping some of India's mega-corporations make global-size acquisitions and raise billions through public issues, deal makers are making hay. In the first half of 2007, the top 10 investment banks collected some $441 million in fees. The going can only get better.
Homing in
With foreign vendors striking big-ticket domestic deals, will their Indian rivals start paying attention to the home market? As scale becomes critical, the bigger BPOs are bulking up by buying captives and other smaller outfits. And like in IT, the top three companies may become the dominant force. How software giant Microsoft and a few others are working to make computing affordable and relevant to India's poor. RCL to be outsourced IT department for SMEs
Most small and medium enterprises (SMEs) cannot afford the services of a full-time IT department, nor make large capital investments in equipment.Sell, sell, sell cars any which way
By the end of the first week of July, the Maruti Udyog (MUL) had over 8,000 referrals and had sold over 2,100 vehicles. Maruti Udyog (MUL) has grown sales by 17.1 per cent in the first quarter of the current financial year to 169,669 units. The prices of several popular consumer imports, particularly electronics, have not declined in tandem with the rising rupee. India is already the diabetes capital of the world and accounts for almost 20 per cent of the world's diabetic population. After a successful 29-year stint with hp, the 63-year-old Suresh Rajpal, former President and CEO of Hewlett-Packard India has floated a string of new ventures with mixed results.Food coupons for ration cards?
The coupons could enable the government to target the nearly Rs 25,700-crore food subsidy more accurately. The gradual decline in the rate of inflation is expected to lead to a softening of interest rates. India's space budget is Rs 45,000 crore in the 11th Five-Year Plan.Wealth managers flock to Kolkata
According to the survey by National Council for Applied Economic Research (NCAER), Delhi and Mumbai continue to be the major centres of wealth in India. Senior ministers are holding up important reform measures. The fortnight's burning question: Is the Doha round of the WTO talks doomed to failure?"Bud invents a beer only for India"
Stephen J. Burrows, president & CEO, Anheuser-Busch, Asia Pacific, was in Mumbai recently to announce the company's foray into the Indian market. P-watch
A bird's eye view of what's hot and what's not on the government's policy radar. The why, what and how-to of policy making. Newsmaker: R.S. Sharma
For R.S. Sharma, 56, who recently took over as CMD of ONGC, the appointment was as challenging as finding oil. Now, IT gets harder
Indian IT went from $5 billion to near $50 billion in just a decade. But growth hereon will need vastly different strategies. Hitting the mark
The 4th quarterly Business Today-TeamLease Employment Outlook Survey shows that the bullishness of the previous three quarters has remained constant. There's a surge in jobs for telecom value-added services. Tarun Sheth answers queries related to your career. Flipside of deal making
In the corporate world, there are two types of people who like big-ticket deals. One, the CEOs and, the other, the investment bankers. The Indian IT sector is expected to clock revenues of $50 billion, a growth of 30 per cent, this year.Nip this in the bud, proactively
India's image has changed now. Currently, India is seen as a knowledge superpower on the brink of global economic and political superpowerdom. Untiring quest
The avid traveller is set to hang up his boots at work, but wants to visit Antarctica some time soon. Karnataka's Nandigram
A proposed SEZ, 20 km from Bangalore's new international airport, comes under sustained fire from farmers' lobbies and the opposition, but the government and developer refute any underhand deals. Grand old man of India Inc.
B.K. Birla, the grand old man of the Birla clan, prefers to maintain a low profile. Beyond 15K
You'll be rich in the long term, but watch out for gremlins now. Wipro Consumer is now India's third-largest FMCG company. Kochi to Singapore at Rs 1,600? That's without the taxes. Danone may find a taker for its stake in Britannia. Players running container trains are crunching delivery times. Ashok Leyland is taking the JV route into "sunrise" areas. India's mega-corps are becoming PE players. SBI forms a holding company for non-banking activities. Several Indian cities will have a second airport by 2010. Mohnish Pabrai invests and gives away like Warren Buffett. Magically, the HIV infected population in India halves. That's literally what Lanco is planning in Hyderabad. Ambani's 27-storey partly-built condo is under threat. Cornered, Neo Sports decides to go solo. Walt Disney will co-produce animation films out of India. Online cricket coverage grabs viewers and advertisers. Now, a contraceptive that can reduce acne and facial hair. Legrand makes India the "epicentre" of its growth plans. Potential for CRAMS is huge, but where's the manpower? Hip-hop is passé, Reebok seeks a more universal message. Societe Generale Consumer Finance opts for Kolkata. Surviving Wal-Mart
A former Wal-Mart strategist tells you how to survive and thrive in a world dominated by the retail giant. Two tweaked moves
Dumb-bells can be used to work out your upper and lower bodies and may, in fact, be much better at helping you strengthen and build your muscles. Delightful spread
If variety is the spice of life, then food courts are the flavour of the season. We present some of the most popular food courts across six cities that offer delectable cuisine and a peppy ambience. Dumb-bells can be used to work out your upper and lower bodies and may, in fact, be much better at helping you strengthen and build your muscles. The boss, no doubt
Southern superstar Rajinikanth's latest flick Sivaji: The Boss promises to be the biggest blockbuster ever, with projected box office takings of Rs 350 crore in India and abroad. What makes the ageing star a global phenomenon? ICICI Bank, SBI and a host of other banks have mobilised thousands of crores or plan to do so soon. But given their growth momentum, they will probably have to come back for more.What's eating Indian advertising?
Advertising for the chewing gum may have bagged numerous awards, but the country's agencies-despite robust growth in recent times - would appear to have little reason to smile. Generic drugs will continue to dominate the Indian pharma market over the next five years, but multinational companies are lobbying to shape patent laws to protect their profitability over the long term. How far will they succeed? Balancing the risks
More families today are exposed to different risks when creating wealth. How to manage them? Multiplexes are poised for rapid growth. But watch the valuations. For higher studies, don't ponder over the money situation. Education loans are handy, and cheap. Private banking has a lot to offer, if you have the moolah that is. IPOs are better placed to deliver returns, if you pick and choose carefully enough. Liquid funds have a new avatar. Park your savings here. 
