Cover Story

The Contrarian
But nothing sticks in public memory more than his most recent avatar - Ajay Piramal, the investor. The contrarian, who is placing big bets on businesses ranging from financial services to healthcare on one hand, and drug discovery and realty on the other.

2016-08-14

Digital

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Cover Story

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Features

Even though thoroughly amusing, Pokemon Go is not flawless

Pokemon Go is an augmented reality game that uses your phone's GPS and clock settings to make different types of Pokemon - such as Spearow and Rattata - appear all around you.

The New No.1

Getting past Splendor, the world's largest-selling two-wheeler between 2001 and 2015 is no mean feat, especially if we consider that the scooter category was all but given up for dead a few years ago and most firms decided to focus on motorbikes.

Smarter, Better

The iOS 10 brings in some much needed changes; refreshing and still familiar. The new Raise to Wake feature changes the way we interact with the lock screen. A new lease of life has been added to the left side of the lock screen where a page full of widgets has been added.

Face Off

The slugfest between the OTAs and hotel aggregators for a bigger slice of the estimated $20 billion (Rs 1.32 lakh crore) Indian budget hotel pie has led to discovery of a host of value-additions.

Agents of Travel

Will the start-up be able to maintain low burn rates with growing competition in the marketplace model? Today, a holidayer can go to a large offline agent like Cox & Kings; he can also go to an online player like MakeMyTrip.

#DesiTalk

Brands are increasingly leveraging India's linguistic diversity to connect better with consumers. There are reasons to do so.

"You should know the right time to enter or exit"

Piramal is now targeting a four-fold jump in the value of his business empire to $20 billion in just four years. Edited excerpts from an interview with P.B. Jayakumar.

"It makes sense for a lot of enterprises to operate in hybrid mode"

Andy Jassy, CEO, Amazon Web Services (AWS), talks to Venkatesha Babu about its competitive pricing strategy and growing user base.

Breaking the Fall

Business confidence levels show marginal improvement as companies believe that the government is taking concrete measures to boost the economy, finds the latest Business Today-C fore Business Confidence Survey.

Trade Bilateral Investment Treaties: Undoing the Damage

The government has begun a major initiative to rewrite the bilateral investment treaties India has signed with other countries in the past.

Biotech Battles

Indian drug makers are slugging it out with Big Pharma over launch of biosimilars. Will they be able to hold their fort in this emerging space?

Lessons Learnt

How the government learnt from the failure of the disclosure window under the Black Money Act and designed a much more effective Income Declaration Scheme.

Chain of Transparency

The game changing Blockchain technology, which records transactions permanently in online ledgers, and lies at the core of virtual currencies like bitcoin, is taking baby steps in India.

Inside the RBI

This is a no-holds-barred account of the author's tenure as RBI governor amidst the global financial crisis and differences with the then government.

A Fitting Tribute

The compilation of essays is inspirational and topical for students as well as practitioners of HR.

Getting Better at Business

Fixing power problems is paramount for enhancing India's international competitiveness.

HR on the Go!

Companies are increasing productivity and efficiency by transferring employee-related processes to apps.

Just not Enough

The Rs 22,915 crore injected into public sector banks will not be sufficient if we consider their severe asset quality deterioration, plunging profitability and low valuations.

Calendar

GST : Gearing Up For Change on August 4 in New Delhi.

Upfront

"Wait for the monetary policy" - RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan, when asked what message he would like to give to his successor.

LATEST

Fault Lines

The most telling problem is inadequate infrastructure. For instance, Delhi has just three runways, and airlines have been demanding one more for smooth functioning during peak hours.

Hail the Tab Top

As the sales of laptops and tablets decline, PC manufacturers are launching 2-in-1s to revive the market. Will they turn the corner?

Choked

India's internet pharmacies are seeing their businesses shrink and struggle in the face of myriad hurdles.

Focus

Missing Pieces

Perceived as a panacea for India's convoluted tax structure, GST is designed to subsume taxes on production, sales and services - ranging from services tax, entertainment, luxury and purchase tax to excise duty, value-added tax, central sales tax and entry, or octroi, taxes.

Micro View, Macro Run

According to India Ratings data, out of the 1,153 MSMEs in the country, 97 companies have been upgraded by credit rating agencies, compared to 34 downgrades as on July 19, 2016. 

Race to the Bottom

In fact, relatively high costs of 3G data packs and patchy services have not really caught the fancy of the masses. There are just over 100 million users in the six years since the launch of 3G services. Now, the early adopters of 4G have also been a section of 3G subscribers.

Manufacturing Pains

The manufacturing sector, the major holder of IIP, is dragging the index numbers down due to weak output.

The Perils of Reform

Opposition from APMC in Maharashtra has thrown a spanner in the works of free-market reforms. And, it will remain so.

Self-inflicted Wounds

We must realise that generalist judges cannot be the optimal resource to run specialised tribunals.

Letters

Letters to the Editor

Business Today readers share their feedback on the magazine's coverage.

Insurance

Pick the Right Insurance for Your Dream Car

Not many people realise that choosing the right car insurance is as important as choosing the right car

Insurance in a digital world

The draft guidelines issued by the IRDA will help the insurance industry serve the customer better

End Of the Road

Several insurers have withdrawn their existing health plans. Read on to find out what implications this has for policyholders

Protect Sweet Home from Shocks

A calamity is not in your control but monetary help in case your house is damaged can help you recover fast

Travel Insurance Tips

All that you need to know before filing a claim during overseas travel.

People

People Business

ICICI Banks decision to sell 12.65 per cent of its stake in its insurance arm ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company via IPO could fetch the parent company more than Rs 5,000 crore.

Editors note

Taking Contrarian Bets

Ajay Piramal was just 29 when he had to suddenly take charge of the family textile business. His elder brother Ashok Piramal had passed away, and Ajay was left with the task of running the group's flagship Morarjee Gokuldas Spinning & Weaving Mills in 1984.