Cover Story
- The affordable jewellery it provides sets Bluestone apart from most other jewellery stores, whether brick-and-mortar or online.
- Pune-based MindTickle, a year-and-a-half-old start-up, provides web-based "gamified" training and orientation products for companies. It uses its two products, Allboard and Hifli, for training and team-building programmes, so that new employees can settle in quickly.
- Sachin Chhabra's peel works enables companies to keep tabs on people who close the sales cycle to check whether they are performing optimally. The start-up's cloud-based solution, called 9Yards, gives companies analytics data on nine parameters to measure the performance of sales staff.
- Pixpa.com, a do-it-yourself web designing platform, using which creative professionals can showcase and sell their work online.
- The company has stirred much debate in scientific circles with its technology platform, Oncoprint, which analyses - in just seven days - a range of drugs to arrive at the right fit for a cancer patient.
- Aurus Network provides the tools for video creation, video management and video delivery. It does not create any content, but gives customers a 'proprietary box' programmed with its own software.
- With more funding options available, the number of start-ups in the country is rising exponentially. Deal tracker Venture Intelligence says the number of early-stage VC investments have grown 71 per cent in 2012 against 2010 levels. Full coverage
- Entrepreneur G.S. Bhalla was casting about for a unique food-and-beverage business idea when it occurred to him that frozen yoghurt would go down well in the hot Indian summer.
- Glocal Healthcare Systems, headquartered in Kolkata, but with all its hospitals based in rural or semi-rural areas of West Bengal, hopes to change the face of rural health-care in the state - and subsequently in other parts of the country.
- Navigene Genetic Science was cofounded by Rishi Dixit and Vrushali Joshi. It collects urine samples of newborns from hospitals and paediatric clinics across six major cities and tests them at its lab in Thane for as many as 110 possible genetic disorders.
- Qyuki is a platform for performing arts and fine arts, as well as a marketplace for creative minds to earn money from their work.
- Founded in Sept 2011, Pradeep Prabhu and Prasanna Raghavendra, CloudMunch has created a platform where developers, testers, web architects, programme managers even customers have access to a single dashboard that tracks the progress of a code being prepared in real time.
- Edutor Technologies created a solution that digitizes school textbooks and other learning material so that students no longer need to carry as many books to school and back as before, but can access study material on their touchscreen tablets.
- Hatti Kaapi provides a quick cup of steaming South Indian coffee at Rs 8
- Emart was set up in July 2009 to create exclusive e-commerce platforms for brands and provide other web-related services, such as managing loyalty programmes and product delivery.
- Start-up Hector Beverages put in their own funds, and began scouting boutique research and development firms in Europe for a "magic" formula that would provide an affordable energy drink that "did not taste weird",
- Six of the leaders bond before the Business Today cover photoshoot.
Siemens Armin Bruck admires business leaders Deepak Parekh
Armin Bruck, Managing Director, Siemens Ltd; CEO, Siemens South Asia Cluster admires Deepak Parekh.
Book review: The Arab World Unbound
Despite its problems, the region has immense business potential, says this book.
Despite slowing sales, consumer electronics business still attracting investments
The consumer electronics market may have slowed down, but continues to attract sizeable investment. This is because of the massive untapped potential in both rural and urban areas and the country's steadily growing young working population.Many NBFCs may soon morph into banks
The corporate-backed NBFCs have a brand presence across the country through the diversified operations of their groups. Like banks, these large NBFCs are also selling a range of products to their customers in metros and urban areas. Analysts say it would be easier for these NBFCs to transform into banks because of their financial muscle, management bandwidth and a well-established brand name.Business confidence continues upward trend
For the second successive quarter, optimism has risen from the nadir of mid-2012, finds the latest Business Today-C fore Business Confidence Survey.Regional retailers are thriving despite a tough economic environment
Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 By staying small and focused, many regional retailers have avoided many of the traps that have pulled down national retailers, such as high rentals, massive stocks and heavy debt. st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;}Green hurdles drive highway projects off course
Many road projects are stuck due to delays in environmental clearances. The highway authority is lobbying to get forest clearance delinked from environmental clearance.
Employers using psychometric tests as hiring tools
An increasing number of infotech and consulting firms are using psychometric tests to map the minds of job applicants.
Peugeot changes plan but Sanand on track to be auto hub
Industry executives say the French automaker decision to go slow on its India plans will not affect Sanand's fortunes. Tata Motors is already making Nano cars at its factory, Ford is constructing a plant and several auto parts suppliers have also set up units.Will SEBI's proposals help in checking misuse of the share buy-back route by companies
Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), has mooted an overhaul of share buy-back norms to safeguard the interests of small shareholders and check manipulation of share prices by companies. Analysts, though, are divided on the need for reworking the guidelines.Why imposing an additional tax on the super-rich will be self-defeating
The practice of taxing the rich has been tried in India with disastrous consequences. At their zenith, income tax rates soared to 97.75 per cent and this achieved the unintended twin objectives of massive tax evasion with serious erosion of our national character.Bet on the right sectors to make money in the stock markets in 2013
After the strong rally in 2012, stock market valuations are back at long-term averages. Mean reversion is our core theme for the next two years - FY 2014 and FY 2015. We see mean reversion across the board - government policy, macro economy, corporate earnings and stock markets.Outlook for Indian industry in 2013: Who said what
The pace of reforms, investor-friendly amendments and steps taken to ensure that large projects are implemented … are enough proof that 2013 will be a much better year than 2012, says Adi Godrej, Chairman, Godrej Group, and President, CII, to CNBC-TV18.Fourteenth Finance Commission is asked to insulate the economy from politics
Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 To address the deteriorating fiscal situation, the UPA government is now seeking outside help in the form of the Fourteenth Finance Commission, which has been given an unusual mandate - insulate the economy from politics. st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;}
How Burberry capitalised on the social media revolution
In 2009, British luxury brand Burberry, like its competitors, was still unsure of how to build a valuable presence in social media. This case study looks at how it eventually capitalised on the new medium - without eroding the exclusive, aspirational qualities that are core to the world of luxury.
Devices, appliances will soon be much faster and smarter
Trends at this year's Consumer Electronics Show suggest devices and appliances will soon be much faster and smarter than before.
Letters To The Editor
The cover story The Pipe Runneth Over (January 20) was thoughtprovoking. It is good to know that by 2020 India will get abundant fuel at cheap rates from many countries, which will make our subsidies shrink, and debt servicing easy.Readers Response to Diageo case study
BT receives many responses to its case studies. Below is the best one on Diageo (November 25, 2012).
Round-up: Events of the fortnight
Kingfisher Airlines Chairman Vijay Mallya has reassured employees that the airline will fly by summer with a Rs 650 crore infusion from the UB Group.
US presidential polls has deep implications for India's immigration policy
The US presidential election has deep implications for the country's immigration policy and also has lessons for governments around the world.
'Start-ups always get our adrenaline going'
Start-ups always get our adrenaline going, and an able group of writers joined Das in telling the tales. Deputy Chief Photographer Shekhar Ghosh shot the cool cover and the gatefold after, helped by the intrepid pictures team.
