Cover Story

"Good things don't come cheap"
Azim Premji talks to Venkatesha Babu and Rahul Sachitanand about Wipro and the road ahead.

The apprentice
Here we take a look at the grooming of Azim Premji’s elder son, Rishad.
Premji's global march
In less than two years, Wipro’s Azim Premji has snapped up 11 different companies, mostly abroad. Why is the tech czar in a tearing hurry? It’s all part of his grand plan to make the soaps-to-software Wipro a truly global corporation, write Venkatesha Babu and Rahul Sachitanand.

2007-09-09

Digital

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Editors note

From the Editor

In the past four years, Wipro has been snapping up biscuit, soap, beverage, personal products and even lighting companies and brands to grow its consumer businesses.

Trends

Global hiring spree: road ahead

Companies express optimism about prospects of the economies of their home countries, despite fears of rising inflation.

Privately-placed debt funds gaining traction

In the first three months of the current financial year, India Inc. mobilised Rs 23,252 crore through the private placements of bonds, a 23 per cent increase over the Rs 18,851 crore it had raised in the corresponding period last year.

Stellar show

India has moved up two notches and is now the fifth-largest producer of steel in the world.

Kidwai targets $1 billion in profits

The HSBC CEO is clear that while the bank has gained in recent years from overall economic buoyancy, it has to grow faster.

Computers get cool

PC sales are expected to hit 8 million units this year, according to hardware industry apex body MAIT, and computer makers are looking for newer ways to expand the market.

Battery blues

Does your Nokia mobile phone use a BL-5C battery? If it does, you may be interested in reading on.

Want a deal? Just SMS Mkhoj

Shoppers looking for a particular product in any locality can send an SMS to a number which will then throw up the best three or four deals available in the area.

Goodbye reforms?

The impasse over the Indo-US N-deal may stall any further reforms till the 2009 general elections.

Gujarat on top, again

It’s raining investments in corporate India and Gujarat seems to reaping the benefits.

Money laundering clouds loom over India

The booming Indian economy and, specifically, the rapid expansion of the financial services industry has exposed the country to a very high risk of becoming a haven for money laundering.

A house in London, Sydney, Florida, anyone?

The maximum demand is for two-bedroom apartments in central London and in areas like Mayfair and Westend.

IT companies target SMEs in smaller centres

According to a report, marketing spends in tier-II and tier-III cities by infotech companies have risen 100 per cent over the last two years.

Higher ADR prices open up arbitrage opportunity

IT firms must be happy to see their stocks enjoying premiums compared to their prices on BSE and NSE.

Football is grabbing eyeballs and ad revenue

Not just cricket, football is now a big draw for brands.

The BT 50 Index

The BT 50 index

Here's a look at the performance of a few selected stocks.

Treadmill

The 15-minute workout

It isn’t always necessary to spend hours at the gym. You can create a good workout regime that can be done in 15-20 minutes.

News Maker

Going for growth: Malvinder Mohan Singh

The Ranbaxy MD and CEO has made six global acquisitions last year and has already become a major thorn in the flesh of European and US drug companies.

Policy Watch

A dollop for manufacturing?

The government is going all out to woo investments in the manufacturing business. Firstly it was the petroleum sector, and now it is the manufacturing sector.

BT More

Celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor gives tips on cooking fast food

Sanjeev Kapoor writes on food that can be cooked fast, while at the same time retain its taste, texture and nutritive content

Accessorise Yourself

Getting into the right outfit is just the first step to looking and feeling good. You need to get the right accessories to add the extrapunch to your looks.

Gadget for girls

Very few manufacturers will say that a device is meant specifically for women; that might drive the male customers away. But it’s a fact that they are making devices with women buyers in mind. Kushan Mitra sifted through several products and zeroed in on some that seem made for women on the go.

Do-Little Secrets

It is a misconception that good food takes a long time to cook. here, we present a few recipes from master chefs— Sanjeev Kapoor, Ritu Dalmia and Siddharth—that you can impress your guests with, without spending hours in the kitchen. Bon appétit!

Six yards of power

As an attire, it’s 5,000 years old and yet the most versatile piece of clothing in a woman’s wardrobe. Here’s how you can make the saree work for you in the corporate corridors and party circuit.

9 steps to a designer home

Confused about how exactly to do up your new house? Grappling with millions of suggestions from friends? Envious of photographs of homes of the rich and famous? Look no further. BT More tells you how to go about it in a few simple steps.

Guest Column: Ron Dayan

Your home should be in harmony with nature.

Exotic eateries

Tired of the usual sweet and sour prawns, the tandoori chickens and the green and red curries that most restaurants seem to specialise in? We bring you an illustrative list of restaurants that serve food you are unlikely to get in too many other places.

Fastest on four wheels

Cars that fly like the wind are now available here. If you are a speed fiend, here are four cars for you.

The best frequent flyer programmes

Some airlines reward loyalty more than others. Here, we highlight two programmes that give you the maximum benefits.

Step out in style

Finding the right balance between style and comfort is always a personal call. When it comes to shoes, some prefer comfort over cuttingedge style while others go to any length to appear like a barometer of contemporary styles.

Designer, not duds

Don’t despair at the high prices of “designer” clothes. You can still buy the genuine stuff at steep discounts to their regular prices.

Features

First movers in the second tier

Few marketers can afford to ignore the non-metros, but there are those who are seeing the virtues of starting with the small towns. The big cities can wait.

Make mine subprime

Even as bankers in the US run scared of subprime borrowers, those in India are going out of their way to woo them. Why? Blame it on the booming economy.

Tower power

Telecom operators are hiving off their infrastructure into separate companies, which are commanding heady valuations. Why are they worth so much?

Beyond Bengal

A clutch of mid-tier Bengal-based companies like Linc Pens, Xenitis and Khadim, among others, are going national. Can they succeed in the bigger arena in the face of cut-throat competition?

A deal for survival

Indian brokerages are roping in foreign partners to compete in a market that's both booming and fiercely competitive.

In This Issue

How the house came down

Lending in the US housing market to people with poor credit profiles took the wind out of Wall Street—and has resulted in money being sucked out of markets worldwide.

Special

Wind under their wings

With low-cost carriers becoming part of full-service airlines, there’s hope that the industry will soar into the profit zone. But too many things can still go wrong.

Beyond the horizon

Private Indian carriers are keen to get a piece of international travel, simply because it’s a growing market and that’s where the money is.

Wanted: better infrastructure

Overcrowded and inadequate terminals, delayed flights and a lack of space for parking planes are just some of the problems plaguing the Indian aviation sector. The good news is that things may begin to change for the better from next year.

A battle of two

As elsewhere in the world, Airbus and Boeing remain the two big aircraft vendors in India, but a few smaller players are also angling for a share of the market.

Reporters Diary

Justice at the doorstep

India’s first mobile court begins with high expectations and, surprisingly, meets them as well.

Printed Circuit

Spice up your Symbian handset

You can add Gmail, Yahoo! and other applications to your Symbian Nokia phone.

People

Dream chasing

Starring Yahoo India's former MD George Zacharias; R Balakrishnan, National Creative Head of Lowe India; Standard Chartered Bank's Regional CEO for South Asia Jaspal Bindra; and many others.

Money

Have the NFOs delivered?

Yes they have, and well enough. But focussed and niche funds outperformed their peers.

Where to invest now?

It’s all happening out there — declining interest rates, tumbling stock markets and gold and real estate prices going nowhere. It’s uncertain times now, and a multiple-whammy for the middle class. Is there a safe haven?

On rough seas

The global liquidity scare has spooked the Indian stock markets. How to sail through the storm.

At the ULIP's end

IRDA’s ban of complex ULIP products is the first of its kind.

All round growth

All the key sectors have turned in stellar performance. That’s good news for investors.

Pepper your investments

Commodity investing is fast maturing and there are many products you can ride on.

Leadership Spotlight

Man on the move

In this issue we profile Kundapur Vaman Kamath, MD and CEO, ICICI Bank.

Jobs

Virtual workforce

Dotcoms are booming once again, and so are internet jobs.

Lively growth

The animation sector needs skilled professionals.

Editorial

Wipro's way ahead

Wipro, the Bangalore-headquartered soaps-to-software company, has laid out elaborate plans to globalise its businesses and become yet another Indian MNC.

Current

Workshop of the world

India is where the action is in steel, write Manu Kaushik and Ritwik Mukherjee.

In top gear

Mahindra Renault's Logan has been quick off the blocks.

An air of resignation

Why is Yahoo losing CEOs — globally and at home?

Partners in profit

SingTel's riding on Bharti's heady growth.

Dunlop's property play

The tyre maker is busy sorting out land issues.

Bye bye celluloid?

An Essel Group venture pursues digital cinema.

Pharma's big opportunity

A McKinsey report projects $20 bn in revenues by 2015.

Bungling with black gold

The coal ministry has turned coal allocations into a mess.

Good game of bridge

Why gas pricing is a game of cards for the minister.

FM's great clean-up

Finance Minister P. Chidambaram is planning to do way with some of the tax shelters in his proposed Income Tax Code, and this could signal Code Blue - an emergency - for big companies.

DLF after the IPO

After raising nearly $2.2 billion from its public offer this summer, the real estate giant is now in spending mode, and the first stop is Delhi, where the firm has just bought a 38-acre project for around Rs 1,675 crore.

Grapes of growth

Champagne Indage is creating a global wine cellar. After taking over Australia’s Thachi Wines, the company is now setting sail for other shores, reportedly the US and UK.

Walking on water?

With Tata Tea eyeing overseas markets right from US to Russia to China, Ratan Tata might as well add the word 'international' to the company's new name, in case they come up with one.

The global show

Here’s an Indian production house that has created its own intellectual property in the space of reality shows, a refreshing change from rehashed shows like Indian Idol and Biggest Loser Jeetega.

Turn on, tune in

Will MSN-WorldSpace tie-up benefit both parties? For the subscription-based radio service provider, finding space on the MSN India portal gives it an opportunity to target a wider user base.

Reining in the rupee

The Reserve Bank directive on external commercial borrowings (ECBs) by Indian companies has only eased up the frowns of the IT industry a wee bit.

Land bank

Real estate and transparency seldom go hand in hand, but here’s one entrepreneur who plans to bring a semblance of clarity into what’s perceived to be a very murky business.

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