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| Unique Visitors: 15 |
| Total Unique Visitors: 56423 |
| Visitors Out: 1850 |
| Total Visitors Out: 3888 |
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| Samir Mehta & Vijay Mallya steal the show this fortnight... |
| 2008-05-09 00:25:00 |
IIPM-InternationalOf high spirits & audacitySamir Mehta & Vijay Mallya steal the show this fortnight...A trillion dollar economy – that’s what India is now; and although business confidence seems to have dipped this quarter (as per FICCI Business Confidence Index), India Inc. is still going strong. We have Samir Mehta, MD, Torrent Pharmaceuticals and flamboyant entrepreneur Vijay Mallya of UB Group and Kingfisher Airlines, who have completely overawed the global and Indian business circles. The past fortnight bore testimony to both men chasing their dreams. One was a grand success, while the other missed by a whisker. India Inc. derives immense encouragement from such successes, and even the failures keep fighting spirit alive and kicking... Though Samir Mehta was not successfu...
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| Now for hum sabka Bajaj… |
| 2008-05-07 03:17:00 |
Tussle between scions paves way for demerger of Bajaj AutoSibling rivalry and Indian business go together like tea and sugar, both incomplete without the other. Having recently survived a public spat between the Ambani brothers, and another feud in the Singh family (Ranbaxy), the axe has now fallen on the Rs.47.7 billion two-wheeler major Bajaj Auto (BAL). But, putting an end to all speculation, the two-wheeler behemoth has prudently decided to demerge in a three-fold way. Bajaj with focus on auto business, Bajaj Holdings & Investment Ltd. (BHIL), primarily into investment and Bajaj Finserv(BFL) into wind energies and financial services. According to the new scheme, BAL (now BHEL) will be handled by Rajiv Bajaj, while BFL will be managed by the younger Bajaj scion Sanjiv Bajaj. The app...
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| Wharton’s memorial for Dhirubhai Ambani |
| 2008-04-28 02:52:00 |
What a way to keep the memory of late Dhirubhai Ambani – the man who lived the Reliance dream – alive! The University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School (that was founded in 1881 as the first collegiate business school ) h a s named a 300-seater state of- the art auditorium as the DhiRubhai Ambani Auditorium. This was announced at a ceremony in Philadelphia, where Wharton received a multi-million dollar gift from his son, Anil Ambani, Chairman of the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG). On the occasion, Patrick Harker, the Dean of Wharton had this to say about the late Dhirubhai Ambani: “He was a true pioneer in the development of the Indian economy, opening opportunity to thousands of his fellow citizens through his then-innovative public stock of...
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| Tintin, now the leading man |
| 2008-04-18 02:57:00 |
Who doesn’t know of – and love – Tintin, that Belgian intrepid journalist, who was always game for a spot of adventure? He’s easily the world’s best known cartoon character, created by Herge in 1929. And who doesn’t adore Snowy, Tintin’s loyal dog who was his companion and fellow adventurer in all his missions? And what about Thompson and Thomson, those Irrepressible twins who were always goofing up? Captain Haddock? Professor Calculus? Well, Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson (now best known for making the Lord of the Rings trilogy on celluloid) are also unabashed fans of Tintin. So much so that the two are going to together, direct and produce a series of three films on adventures of Tintin. According to a report in entertainment magazine, Daily Variety, Spielberg and Jacks...
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| IIPM-Hot Spots Advertising |
| 2008-04-01 04:10:00 |
BRAND : Parle GBASELINE : Hindustan Ki TaakatDESCRIPTION: A soldier leaves for his camp and the VO exclaims, “Taakat mein taakat hoon, door hoon, paas hoon.” A dhabawala practices writing in English and the VO continues, “Swayam ka aabhaas hoon.” Boys are shown wrestling & the VO says, “Taakat, mein taakat hoon.” A girl walks on the road and deals boldly with eve-teasers; the VO goes, “Aahat hoon, saahas hoon.” And so on. Finally, a female photo-journalist is shown taking pictures, amidst the trouble-torn scenario and the VO states, “Subah ki taswir hoon, maa ko diya hua vachan hoon. Mein taakat hoon.”4Ps TAKE: Nice campaign from Parle G with effective communication through VO, powerful visuals to back the effort, and the message that Parle G biscuits are a part of ...
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| Yahoo! Googles its way up |
| 2008-03-27 02:48:00 |
Top management shuffle at SunnyvaleGlobal internet economy looks well poised for yet another bull race, bigger and more spectacular. Post the dot com bust that left many battered and bruised, this one promises to be more of a conquest! A battle between the Goliaths of the virtual world – Google and Yahoo!. In Terry Semel’s much awaited stepping down from the boss’s chair at Yahoo!, is a harbinger of what holds for the massively growing internet audience and of course, impatient shareholders. Stocks at Yahoo! Soared 8% immediately after Semel stepped down. “Jerry (co-founder, Yahoo!) and Sue (Susan Decker, head of Yahoo’s Advertiser and Publisher Group) will make an unbeatable team,” mentions Semel in his resignation letter as he vacates the corn...
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| Three To tango… |
| 2008-03-25 06:01:00 |
What do you find extremely odd in the following description? “A fuel-efficient auto-rickshaw with a working meter, having ample leg space and a smart & extremely humble orangutan (!!!) as the driver!” We know, that was easy! A fuel-efficient auto with ample space and a working meter, simply doesn’t exist! As the statement mentions, it would be much easier to find an honest orangutan driving an auto! But still, autos continue ruling the travel roost in metros and auto companies, despite fighting each other till death, keep churning out the same old versions of outdated autos (if you believe CNG introduction is a mark of innovation, oh please...!). So what’s with the marketing warfare in this segment and what’s really with the product quality? “Bajaj Auto does not make ‘jug...
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| It’s a Kodak moment |
| 2008-03-20 00:14:00 |
At the age of 24, George Eastman made plans for a vacation to Santo Domingo. On a suggestion of a co-worker, Eastman bought a photographic outfit with all the paraphernalia of the wet plate days so that he could record the trip. However, Eastman cancelled the trip. The photographic outfit that he described as ‘a packhorse load’ fascinated him instead. Eastman took upon himself the task of making photography a less gruesome and inexpensive affair. Some years later, Kodak was born. The goal was simple, to make photography “as convenient as the pencil,” and that’s what this visionary entrepreneur did. He gave the world a device that had the power to make moments timeless, was easy to use and also easy on the pocket. ...
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| Playing for a cause! |
| 2008-03-10 00:53:00 |
The contribution of sports to society is much more than what meets the eyeMankind’s sojourn with sports is perhaps as old as his rendezvous with the very concept of civilisation. Even in the pre-historic era, rival kingdoms oft en used sports as a medium to get a momentary respite from relentless conflicts. From the Greek civilisation onwards, sports started getting institutionalised as a key activity. It was the Greeks who introduced the concept of Olympics, the resonance of which can be felt till this millennium. With the onset of 20th century & the two World Wars bringing about paradigm shift in the way the world would henceforth function, sports have become a crucial reflection of the changing geopolitics & the dominance of few countries in the world. Emergence of USA & U...
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| A couple of Google’s offerings... |
| 2008-03-06 00:20:00 |
The search engine company, Google has come out with a new service for small businesses. The Google Custom Search Business Edition is a $100 per year service, which allows visitors to search information on their sites. This is a 10 minute sign-up process completed in three steps. The only requirement is a particular embedded code. California based Google is also mulling expansions in its Print Ads programme. This new expansion will permit online advertisers to publish their ads in 225 newspapers in the US market.For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM ArticleSource : IIPM Editorial, 2007An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) InitiativeRead More:-Committing for a lifetime…The ‘democratic’ route to self-destruc...
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| Global good over evil! |
| 2008-02-25 23:05:00 |
The legend of India’s most ideal man, at least going by mythology, has quite a cult following in southeast Asia too. In the six month period between May & October that includes the time when we celebrate Lord Ram’s homecoming to his kingdom Ayodhya after slaying demon king Ravana (Dussehra) in India, there are performed the famous Ramayana Ballets in the Pramabanan Temple compound in Java, Indonesia. A world heritage site, the compound houses temples dedicated to the Hindu trinity of Lord Vishnu, Shiva & Brahma and their respective carriers.Magnificent architecture attracting the faithful and the curious, the temple’s most renowned event is the ‘Sendratari’ or the dance recitals of Ramayana. As 250 artists render an ornately executed tale of a fami...
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| Who’s saving? |
| 2008-02-21 23:39:00 |
Financial inclusion is the key...‘Inclusive Growth’ is perhaps the much touted concept in the economic forums, and this can be amicably achieved through ‘financial inclusion.’ The good old days of funding the burgeoning need of credit by means of sale of surplus government bonds & securities (which banks held in excess of the minimum statutory requirements) may be over. Undoubtedly, this presents immense opportunities for the banks, but as statistic suggests, as of March 2007, the commercial banks holding in SLR had declined to 28%, as compared to 42.7% in April 2004; given this fact, banks must move beyond mere selling of securities & bonds. Amidst this scenario, financial inclusion provides a much more viable option. For the uninitiated, financial inclus...
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| Voyage to exhilaration! |
| 2008-02-16 00:40:00 |
With festivities on the anvil, the Indian tourism sector gets yet another reason to celebrateAmit Gupta, a senior manager with a leading realty firm, says, “I have already applied for a week’s vacation at my company as I plan to celebrate this year’s Dussehra with my friends in Goa.†That’s quite an unusual concept during the festival season. Especially during the Diwali period, people take about three to four days breaks to be at home, which means religious rituals, lots of partying or just spending some quality time with their families. However, a new trend is emerging, especially among the young adults in metros, which Amit aptly represents. Rather than enjoying the festival in a traditional way, like staying at home and performing religious rituals, peo...
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| Maya jaal spreads far & wide! |
| 2008-02-05 01:02:00 |
Mayawati is sincerely working for creating a new caste combinationMayawati’s dreams to occupy the Prime Minster’s chair in Delhi have got a ray of hope, when her party recently won the UP Assembly bypolls. Mayawati’s political outfit BSP was able to win the Swar Tanda (Rampur) and the Farrukhabad seats. That SP was able to retain its hold over Gunnar Assembly segments does not really worry Mayawati because she may have got the intuition that she is fast inching towards achieving her ultimate objective. Now that the queen of the Dalits has increased her seats tally to 211 in the 403-member UP Assembly, she is more confident of handling Delhi. Brimming with new found confidence, Mayawati is looking forward to mid-term Parliamentary elections. Political p...
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| Another hogwash! |
| 2008-01-30 00:32:00 |
The US does not intend Iraq to unite as nation againBush is losing Iraq & that too in a rather ungracious manner. The desperation of the American administration over Iraq is clearly visible nowadays. The US is haplessly trying to appease the same Bathist elements in Iraq, who they had earlier condemned as destroyers of Iraq. Recently, the United States gave a tacit approval for a new policy in Iraq and that will allow low-level Baath Party officials in Iraq to serve in the government. The agreement signed by some of the top Shiite, Sunni & Kurdish leaders endorses an upcoming draft bill that, if passed, will help relax rules preventing most of the members of Saddam Hussein’s Baath Party from holding government posts. According to American officials, the law is aimed at encouragin...
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| COMMUNALISM |
| 2008-01-25 01:13:00 |
There is a growing clamour in India to punish those guilty of the 1992-93 riots that victimised the Muslim community. But unlike those accused of the bomb blasts, will the guilty here be brought to book? Was the Mumbai police polarised, pressurised or simply patronised by the political class to carry out their sinister strategies? Why have the policemen, who behaved in a partisan manner during the 1992-1993 riots not been punished till date? Leave alone punishing the guilty, what has the Mumbai police done towards de-communalising the force & introducing professionalism?In an atmosphere of communal polarisation, what does one expect from the police? The guardians of ‘public good’ are expected to be non-partisan; diligently douse the fires of bigotry & display compassion for the...
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| While the mayhem continues! |
| 2008-01-16 00:14:00 |
India breaks into top three in terror casualty chartThe serial blasts in Hyderabad are a reminiscent of the fact that terrorism is here to stay and that no one is safe from being at the receiving end of terror. While Special Task Force of Andhra Pradesh Police is out on major manhunt, this incident has once again shown sheer incompetence of the state police in fighting an invisible enemy, remote-controlled mostly from across the border. And while a spineless government is expressing its helplessness to both remove or reduce terror as well as give shape to strong anti terror laws, it is the common man who keeps paying the price. Terrorism in India has already claimed more than 47,371, since January 1994, which is just second to the war-torn country - Iraq. India is the worst hit country on ...
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| Billions spent on million light years... |
| 2008-01-10 00:29:00 |
The Nasa has been a big hole in the pockets of the American tax payers...!What the world opines about NASA has changed dramatically lately. An organization infamous for its widespread depletion of resources – that was the association of NASA. But the success of NASA’s Shuttle Atlantis seems to have made all the difference. But does that necessarily mean that recent success off - set the blunders that NASA did in the past? NASA has spent a staggering $450 billion since the Apollo 11 Project of 1969, of which most has been sheer wastage. If one was to believe Wernher von Braun, one of the most important rocket developers and champions of space exploration during his times, then by the year 2000 there should have undoubtedly been a sizable operation on Moon, manned Mars landing and men in...
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| The art of splitting hair? |
| 2007-12-12 01:00:00 |
As long as there is property, inheritance, money, ego and ambition, business families will continue to split. Given their size and the profile that they enjoy in public imagination, the Ambani brothers have been getting more than their fair share of publicity and gossip. If one looks at the whole issue objectively, there is no doubt that stakeholders have benefitted immensely after the two brothers agreed to a split arranged by ICICI Bank boss K. V. Kamath and morally presided over by the matriarch of the family Kokilaben Ambani; the widow of Dhirubhai. Around the time the two brothers split, the Reliance Industries share was hovering in the range of Rs.700 or so for a while. There were many so-called pundits who sniggered when it was suggested that a split between the two and a clear divi...
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| POTA? Funny! |
| 2007-11-25 23:28:00 |
DEFENCE : ANTI TERRORLAWIt’s funny there’s no Act now...Probably there’s no other country in the world, which has faced such a severe onslaught of terrorism and yet finds itself lacking tough laws to combat this menace. NDA Government’s POTA (Prevention of Terrorism Act) was brought in effect through an ordinance, but the UPA, to prove its secular credentials, revoked the powerful law, arguably only to handicap the police in convicting terrorists. Though POTA’s efficacy can be questioned, the fact is that the absence of a sensible Act has helped terrorists to continue with their work knowing well that even if they get caught, there were high chances of their getting spared (For example, it is nothing less than ridiculous that state police still ne...
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| The army’s fallen behind China |
| 2007-11-23 00:01:00 |
Defence : ArmyBarmy army?Considered to be among the best in the world in terms of skills and professionalism, the second largest army of the world has for long kept itself apolitical and has won many a war for the country. But over the last few years, it has been losing some of its sheen due to a severe shortage of commissioned officers, increasing pressure to deal with insurgency, suicides among its personnel and inordinate delay in getting the right kind of hardware owing to political indecisiveness. While it finds its artillery capability severely hamstrung owing to cannibalization of its old Bofors 155mm guns, for fear of political backlash, the new contracts for the 155mm Howitzers are not being awarded to the Swedish company, even though now it is a su...
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| The Man of Steel gets his hands in Oil |
| 2007-11-21 00:19:00 |
After becoming the country’s Steel baron, L. N. Mittal has set his eyes on oil. Taking an exception to the current 26% FDI limit in public-sector petroleum refineries, government gave green signal to Mittal, allowing him to pick up 49% stake in Bhatinda refinery of HPCL for Rs.33.65 billion. The stake in the state run refinery with a capacity of nine million tonnes per year is being acquired through Singapore- based Mittal Energy Investments. The deal marks Mittal’s foray into the oil sector and is also the largest FDI in the PSU refining sector. Land of Uncle Sam; worth $2 billion Indian investments in the US have touched the $2 billion mark in 2006-07. The IT and the ITeS sectors accounted for 48% of the total deals. The investment figure is likely to...
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| HLL ‘Lever’ ages the power of Hindustan |
| 2007-11-20 00:26:00 |
In tune with its global identity, FMCG giant Hindustan Lever Ltd. (HLL) has finally re-christened itself as Hindustan Unilever Ltd. (HUL) after getting the government nod. The name change episode can be traced back to December last year when rumours started floating around about its probable name change. In February this year, the name change got the board of directors’ approval which was followed by shareholders’ approval in May 2007. The new name asserts the equilibrium between the company’s heritage in the country and the desired global alignment with its corporate brand ‘Unilever’. After much deliberation, the name Hindustan was retained in the new name, keeping in mind that India plays a vital role in Unilever’s scheme of things. Hindustan has been integrated in the new na...
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| Delicious divorce! |
| 2007-11-19 04:32:00 |
How can divorces be delicious? For starters, Cadbury Schweppes plans to bring in Cadbury plc as its new identity once its separation is complete. Strategically, the company will take up a cost reduction initiative to ‘focus on fewer, bigger and more value-creating initiatives’ and ‘significantly reduce complexity across all aspects of the business’. Cadbury now plans to close 15% of its manufacturing sites globally while reducing 15% of its labour force. This is to achieve mid teen percentage margins by 2011, from the 10.1% in 2006. Over the next four years, the company aims to abridge its organisational structure for better execution of a focused commercial strategy. It was in March 2007, that Cadbury announce...
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| Going going . . .gone?! |
| 2007-10-31 01:28:00 |
Exasperated with greenhouse emissions beyond human control, scientists prescribe another 15 - 25 years before we face drastic shift s in climate patterns. Resources have been exploited to the ‘t’ while alternatives are still at nascent stages. Under such circumstances, some areas pose a major threat to our future. Here’s a rundown on the most potent of all. . .Fish n’ chips, a legend!Man’s greed has forever got the better of him, so it’s hardly astounding that despite knowing awfully well the after effects of hurting perhaps the most imperative of all creatures summing the aquatic food-systems, in those gigantic killer-trawlers, they went ahead and killed fishes by the millions of tonnes. With such over-fishing affecting the marine food web with dwindling numbers of turtles, sh...
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| Microsoft makes a Quantitative move! |
| 2007-09-24 01:21:00 |
In one of its biggest acquisition ever, Microsoft has acquired a Quantive, the online marketing biggie at a whopping price of $6 billion. With this deal, Microsoft has complied to its previously outlined vision of providing the advertisement industry with a world-class advertisement platform. “The deal represents the next step in the evolution of our ad network from our initial investment in MSN, to the broader Microsoft network including Xbox Live, Windows Live and Office Live, and now to the full capacity of the Internet,” said Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft . The deal has a lot of potential for Microsoft as it would enable the company to strengthen relationship with advertisers, agencies and publishers.Microsoft , which is a dominant player in o...
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| KINETIC MOTORS |
| 2007-09-03 04:34:00 |
Kinetic gatecrashes into the party!Though having failed to make a mark in our survey last year, Kinetic Motors makes its debut this year at rank 90, but what 4Ps B&M sees in Kinetic is its inherent capability to manoeuvre its way right to the top under its exuberant Jt. MD, Sulajja Firodia Motwani. With an ever increasing appetite and not limiting itself to domestic catfights, Kinetic Motors, this February, signed contract with companies from Egypt and Sudan to export its scooters. Moreover the icing on the cake comes with the news that the company is already exporting scooters to Japan with the second export order already secured. While new models to be launched are kept under wraps, one can be rest assured of quality and a brand value only to be reve...
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| VIDEOCON |
| 2007-08-31 01:04:00 |
Everyone talks about its umpteen foreign acquisitions, but listen to its India strategy too – it’s incredible! When you talk about a global brand, imagine ‘Videocon’ and that’d be enough! In consumer durables, Videocon has Akai, Sansui, Allwyn, Hyundai, Electrolux and Kelvinator – the very names that have earned some degree of respect for giving convenient technological solutions to their consumers. And besides the much-hyped Daewoo acquisition being the most heard-of event for 2006-07 when it comes to Videocon, about which Tushar Bhattacharya, Senior Economist, FICCI, feels, “This acquisition forms a major part of Videocon’s branding strategy.The brand is not only getting brand equity but also the entire Daewoo network”; its recent India- centric strategies cannot be ove...
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| GOOGLE |
| 2007-08-21 01:39:00 |
Brand Google is soaring globally, but its India strategy clearly needs more punchEvery one loves the $144.6 billion giant Google! And why not, thanks to them, you have the world at your finger tips! It might have slipped fifteen places to a seemingly unimpressive number 37, but surely, with 53.7% of the world search-engine market share, it undisputedly stands tall and worthy to be called a brand that garners a swashbuckling $10.6 billion in revenues during 2006 (at a growth rate of 121.6%, since 2002). The year 2006 also witnessed quite a few acquisitions, starting with Google’s acquisition of YouTube – a popular video sharing website, making it a huge rage among the youth. Then in October 2006, it cemented its hold even on the working population with ...
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| HYUNDAI MOTORS |
| 2007-08-20 01:14:00 |
Once upon a time, Maruti was the only rival for the sunshine car. Till Tata Motors came along...Here’s a Korean auto major, who boasts of three ambassadors – SRK, Preity Zinta and Sania Mirza. Yes! Hyundai, and small wonder then that the brand has been able to dent Maruti’s un-challengeable dominance to some extent. Arvind Saxena, VP, Marketing and Sales, Hyundai Motor India, explained to 4Ps B&M: “We have been doing product specific campaigns during the last year based on our requirements.” He added that the company will consistently focus on 2 core areas – innovation and reliability in all its communication. Hyundai posted sales of 299,513 units in CY06, an elephantine increase of 18.5% as compared to CY...
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| RELIANCE COMMUNICATIONS |
| 2007-08-17 00:41:00 |
Airtel beware... As Anil Ambani gets more serious about the GSM route, your nemesis is finally here!If you formulate a list of India Inc.’s most aggressive, Reliance Communications would be a frontrunner. Be it the sassy branding activities, bold marketing campaigns or strong below the line activities, RCL has constantly stormed the Indian telecom market with its aggressive streak. One experiences this belligerence in RCL’s approach, even when talking to Sanjay Bahl, Branding Head of the company: “Reliance has been a pioneer in spearheading the value creation and product innovation in the Indian telecom market. The spirit of our marketing strategy lies in leading the market growth,” he iterates. Always hawkish in its approach, the RCL brand...
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| WIPRO TECHNOLOGIES |
| 2007-08-16 01:06:00 |
Their focus was on acquisitions in FY07. Ready for the big game?From a modest peanut oil business to one of India’s largest Technology Service Companies, Wipro has come a long way. Headed by one of India’s greatest entrepreneurs – Azim Premji, Wipro is India’s third largest software firm. Over the past four fiscal years, Wipro has nearly tripled income and registered itself in the prestigious $3 billion club and its employee base has also tripled to around 65,000. The company hires a staggering three persons every working hour! In what is described as its ‘String of Pearls’ strategy, Wipro has embarked on an acquisition spree in different regions to gain access to new markets. Some of the major acquisitions include Austria’s New Logic, USA’s MPower, Quantech Group and the l...
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| What problem?! |
| 2007-08-08 01:38:00 |
Trade deficit is being coolly ignoredOh, alright! This time we’ll not beat about the bush with smart words to make this article an easy read. We’ll bite the bullet right away. India’s trade deficit reached a worrisome $56.74 billion figure for FY 2006-07, widening a killing 40.5%! But what’s got our goat is that not many seem to be making any bones about it! Of course, a growing economy has its own ill-effects (or side effects, as government supporters would love to portray), but even if the 30.3% increase in the oil import bill can be termed as transitory, considering oil prices to become moderate or even to fall, the same would not hold true for the non-oil import bill, which has seen a dramatic rise for past some time now, growing by 24.74% over the last fiscal. “Th e trend is...
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| ‘Da’-the ‘Som’(raas) socialist! |
| 2007-08-07 04:05:00 |
The erudite Speaker of the Lok Sabha has had an unblemished & impeccable Parliamentary recordSomnath Chatterjee may or may not become the first ‘Communist’ President of India, but he will certainly go down in history as one of the most controversial Speakers the Lok Sabha has ever had. His run-ins with the Opposition & the judiciary have been making headlines ever since he took over as Speaker on June 4, 2004. During his earlier nine stints in the Lok Sabha, he was one of the most seasoned orator. He seems to have carried forward the legacy to the post of Lok Sabha Speaker, as his is, still the most resounding and frequently heard voice in the lower house of Parliament.Chatterjee represents the Bhadralok. Despite having studied Law in UK, Somnath is known for his love for everything Be...
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| ‘Burning’ urgency |
| 2007-08-01 01:04:00 |
Deadly smoking zones of IndiaJharia is virtually India’s only reserve of coking coal. As per industry estimates, over 50 million tonnes of coking coal have been lost to subterranean coal fires (SCFs) over the last few decades. These SCFs give birth to plumes of smoke, dead and junk vegetation, and arid and infertile terrain. The exposure of women and children to this kind of environment affects irrevocably their quality of life. Even those who do not work in the mines also complain of various respiratory illnesses and skin diseases. Due to terrible economic and financial conditions, these victims of deadly gases are left with no choice but to live and work under these deadly prevailing conditions.People residing near mine-sites are forced to consume the contaminated water that affects th...
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| Futuristic technologies |
| 2007-06-12 00:14:00 |
LOOK WHAT I’VE CREATEDGive a print out, what do you get? A simple paper copy. What if you are an architect or a ceramic designer and you want to see your creation that you have so tediously made as a 3D object? Well you will be off to purchase thermacol, clay, paints and adhesives to build the model, right? Wrong. Just get a 3D printer. This amazing printer works like ordinary inkjet printer, but builds layers on layers; ultimately producing a 3D copy. With this method, you get to convert a three-dimensional image into a real object. Contemplating the futuristic importance of 3D printing, it is finding increased use in bio-technology & tissue engineering.For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM ArticleI’M A PART OF YOU! From wear your clothes, to wear your attitude, to wear your comput...
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| Hero of his Time, but an Inconsistent Reformer |
| 2007-06-10 23:47:00 |
A smooth operator, but Yelstin lacked the vision to steady a teetering nation!Boris Yeltsin was utterly unique. Russia’s first democratically elected leader, he was also the first Russian leader to give up power voluntarily, and constitutionally, to a successor. But he was also profoundly characteristic of Russian leaders. Using various mixtures of charisma, statecraft , and terror, Peter the Great, Catherine the Great, Alexander II, Lenin, and Stalin all sought to make Russia a great military power and an economic and cultural equal of the WestYeltsin aimed for the same goal. But he stands out from them in this respect: he understood that empire was incompatible with democracy, and so was willing to abandon the Soviet Union in order to try to build a democratic order at home. At the hei...
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| The thin red line... |
| 2007-05-30 00:37:00 |
...that is soaked in blood and greed...Ever wondered as to why does Africa have most of its international boundaries as straight lines? Well, as an accident of history that was deliberately heaped on Africa, the European colonial powers used scale and rulers to carve out territories for themselves during the infamous Berlin conference of 1885. This sinister move which earned the sobriquet of ‘Scramble for Africa’ in history not only brought rival tribes in the same national domain but segregated national groupings in different political landscape. As a result these lines have not only divided tribes and communities but have also caused internecine warfare in Africa killing millions of people.The European quest for exploiting the resources of Africa, gift ed the region with blood and bu...
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| And the Bakwaas Ads... |
| 2007-05-21 04:22:00 |
After you have gushed over the blockbuster ads of this fortnight, here are some, which – we are absolutely sure – will never make it. 4Ps B&M lists the three worst ads of the fortnight... Ads that almost made you swear that you won’t ever buy the advertised brand. And even if you managed a peek at it, you were left with a bad taste in the mouth. Medium error, complex message or just plain bakwaas communication!BRAND: Getz PrimeBASELINE: Drive GlobalAGENCY: Innocean4Ps TAKE: In a time and age when India Inc. is bent on proving to the world that its goods and services are second to none, Getz Prime in this ad is going all out to drive home its German antecedents. Come on guys, you could have done so much more (just look at some recent four-wheeler ads!) and the only power idea that...
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| Cross-cultural cinema’s champions |
| 2007-05-01 02:40:00 |
The year was 1988, Mira picked up an unconventional story of Mumbai’s street children to narrate, and made the world sit up an take stock of her talent as Salaam Bombay! went on to receive an Oscar nomination for the Best Foreign Film, the second earned by India. Mehta’s first feature film was no masala fare either. Sam & Me was about the friendship between a Muslim boy and an ageing Jewish gentleman, which scooped up an award at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival.The two took on blatantly honest stories, which predictably, created quite a furore. 1996 was a particularly interesting year for the two, for while the first of Deepa’s elemental trilogy–Fire–rankled conservative-Indians’ propriety, Mira battled similar ire as her film Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love was banned in India and Pa...
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