Cover Story

Kotak's next move
He used a combination of timing and talent to build a powerhouse. He’s got plenty going for him. Can he make the big leap to take on mightier competitors? Rachna M. Koppikar tells more.

'I have seen people slip up on simple home truths'
Here are the excerpts from a free-wheeling interview with Kotak Mahindra Group founder Uday Kotak.

2009-08-09

Digital

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Editors note

Running a smart business

Know about Uday Kotak's journey from bill discounting in 1984 to creator of a financial conglomerate with a market value close to Rs 20,000.

Features

Q&A with Venu Srinivasan

The TVS Motor Company CMD tell us a few of his business secrets.

Healer of the well-heeled

Shivinder Mohan Singh is an unabashed torchbearer for corporate and super specialty hospitals. Can he help make healthcare the next big thing and Fortis the leader in the industry?

Is 3G equal to Rs 35,000 crore?

The government hopes to net the single largest chunk of funds from 3G spectrum auctions for plugging its fiscal deficit. If it succeeds, telecom users will eventually end up footing the bill.

Raiders on the high seas

Why are two shipbuilders, Bharati Shipyard and ABG Shipyard, slugging it out with offers and counter-offers to lay their hands on an offshore services provider? Virendra Verma finds out.

Friendly side of the dragon

There's growing evidence that imports from China may actually be helping the Indian industry-big and small-in manufacturing better quality products or products they earlier couldn't make.

A market, afloat

Kerala’s cooperative body launches a super bazaar to reach customers in the backwaters. The floating Superstore has a computerised inventory management system linked with corporate and regional offices via the Internet, and it stocks up at designated points close to the road network.

67% market share but still insecure

GlaxoSmithKline rules the malted food drinks segment and has a comfortable presence in pain relievers and antacids. So, why is it acting like an insecure underdog?

People

People, places and products

The who, what and where of this fortnight.

Special

Success against the tide

In this sea of distress, there are SMEs that have not overstretched themselves and have thriving business models.

Win some, lose none

The first ever Business Today-YES Bank SME Awards honoured the achievements of India’s small and medium scale enterprises - some of whom are doing things differently and some, well, are doing different things.

The small and the beautiful

Take SMEs out of the equation and India Inc. will suddenly appear to be on wobbly legs. For, while the big boys may make the big picture, the big picture itself is composed of thousands of minutiae.

Craning for a bigger piece

Small in size, but big in ambition, Anupam Industries is ramping up to be among the top shots of India Inc. in half a decade.

Tomorrow's man, today

Vinayak Chatterjee has blended varied management styles to transform Feedback Venturesto a top infra advisory firm.

Like Caesar's wife

It’s not just important to be above board and transparent, but also appear to be so for this software company. No pun intended.

Costs low, not profits

Innovation and profitability do not have to be mutually exclusive, as Kavveri Telecom’s example demonstrates.

Weaving relationships

Taking care of its stakeholders—the artisans—has ensured that if not its carpets, the company will surely keep flying high.

The 'M' in chlorophyll

From a seed capital of Rs 10 lakh — pooled in by four partners — to a turnover of Rs 91.4 crore in 11 years, Nandan Biomatrix has indeed come a long way.

Peace dividend

With the 26-year-old civil war coming to an end in Sri Lanka, India Inc. is on the threshold of a never-like-before opportunity to do business with the island nation.

Utility

Finally, a navigator that works!

MapMyIndia’s new Personal Navigation Device (PND) is the first of its kind in India.

The power of feedback

Effective and substantial critiques given to employees can go a long way in changing the face of organisations.

Walk on splinters to be employable

‘Employability’ is the next big market for the new-age education players. And there are no full stops here.

One SIP at a time

Even with a volatile market, it makes sense to stick with a systematic investment plan.

Post-Budget game plan

Don’t focus only on the finer points of saving taxes in your post-Budget investment plans. Instead, channel the savings to build wealth.

Columns

Why fiscal deficit isn't the problem

If there is no growth then a smaller fiscal deficit or low inflation or long-term rates are of little use.

Time to privatise Air India

AI assets must be worth several thousand crores—the Nariman Point building itself should be worth a couple of thousand crores.

How to fight a poor monsoon

A few years back the Prime Minister had announced setting up of the Rainfed Authority of India. One may ask what has been achieved so far?

Battle of the operating systems

New applications can be written using every developer’s favourite web technologies and will automatically run on any standards-based browser on the Windows Mac and Linux.

What makes Nandan uber-cool?

I'm glad that the time has come for Nandan to make good on his dream of adding value to the country through his technology knowledge, writes N.R. Narayana Murthy.

Letters

The FM's fix

Pranab Mukherjee’s Budget shows a lack of appreciation for the principles of both capitalism and socialism

60 minutes

Praful Patel says the merger of two commercial firms has not gone too well with people

Praful Patel says the merger of two commercial firms, Indian Airlines and Air India, has not gone too well with people.

Focus

Fixing the people supply chain

The first phase of the government’s employment exchange portal project is set to roll out in a year.

Bloggers beware

Blogging is “essentially a public activity,” and confidentiality of identities is not legally protected

Poor man's Metro!

Engineers at BEML are designing “low-cost coaches” for metro services in tier-II and tier-III cities.

Can Maytas stay afloat?

The Maytas lost the Rs 12,000 crore Hyderabad Metro Rail project that a consortium led by it bagged last year.

India's connected poor

‘Bottom-of-the-pyramid’ Indians own more cellphones than radios since they find it better suited for both work and play, finds a study.

Energy boosts for the FM

NHPC and Oil India are preparing to list their shares on Indian stock exchanges.

Most watched ads in June 2009

Business Today in association with TAM People Meter System has come up with a first-of-its-kind list of “India’s most watched ads on television”.

India's urban fiascos

Urban development expert Jeb Brugmann talks to Rajiv Rao on his new book “Welcome to the Urban Revolution”. Here are the excerpts.

'Chinese view Pepsi as an aspirational brand'

Indra Nooyi, Chairman & CEO, PepsiCo, in BusinessWeek online, says the chinese youth view foreign brands as a mark of safety.

'99.9% talk about leadership pipeline. Only 1% do it'?

India is inherently strong in human capital, but succession planning is not high on India Inc.’s agenda, Cheryl Buxton, Global Managing Director, Client Services, Korn/Ferry International, tells Saumya Bhattacharya. Here are the excerpts:

A taxing drive

Did you know that buying an Amby was once considered “conspicuous consumption” and the excise on cars was as high as 60%? Here is a chronology of Excise duty rates on motor cars.

BT history

Five years ago, the UPA's coming to power coincided with a bad monsoon.

'We have doubled our staff strength recently'

Nasdaq-listed Corporate Executive Board MD Shaurav Sen tells Shalini S. Dagar about the issues facing India Inc. and CEB’s plans for India. Here are the excerpts:

Consumer anxiety

Indians and Chinese are an anxious lot, but it’s not the slowdown that’s got them worried, finds JWT’s recent “Anxiety Index” study on consumer concerns.

Case Study

Comeback kid?

Jack of all foods, Nirula's, has been confounded - if not confused - by the onslaught of the kings of niche foods. But its perceived weakness could become its key appeal and strength, says Shalini S. Dagar.

Book

Is your company dying?

Collins charts the demise of big companies and finds that in most cases indisciplined growth, arrogance, and big bets without empirical validation are culprits.

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