What are P-Notes? - Participatory notes (PNs) are instruments used by foreign funds, not registered in India, for trading in the domestic market. They are a derivative instrument issued against an underlying security that permits the holder, some of whom may not be eligible to trade in Indian stock markets, to get a share in the income from the underlying security. The investors, who buy PNs, deposit funds in US or European operations of the FII, which also operates in India. FII uses its proprietary account to buys stocks in India. A government report has said that FII or the broker acts like an exchange since it executes the trade and uses its internal accounts to settle this. Other such instruments include equity-linked notes, capped return note, participatory return notes and investment notes. 18-Oct-07 | More
Creating a modern Indian city: An interview with Delhi’s chief minister - Dikshit would be among the first to acknowledge that progress has not come fast enough or without snags. Delhi is straining under the weight of a vast and growing population. More than 13 million1 people live there, and half a million more move in every year. Decision making can be excruciatingly slow, especially since her administration shares authority in the city with elected municipal leaders and a lieutenant governor appointed by India’s president. Recently, Shirish Sankhe, a director in McKinsey’s Delhi office, met with Dikshit in her residence and discussed the challenges of urban development in India, as well as some of her successes. 18-Oct-07 | More
India 2nd favourite destination for FDI - India has emerged as the second hottest FDI destination of the world, next only to China, but ahead of Russia and Brazil. While large markets along with cheap labour were driving transnationals to invest in India and China, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development's (Unctad) World Investment Prospects for 2007-09 has put US, which reclaimed the top slot as the biggest FDI recipient, as the third preferred destination. The World Investment Report 2007, released on Tuesday, pointed to the interest shown by foreign retailers in India as a possible sector for inflows. In addition, poor infrastructure and banking sector liberalisation and the gaining strength in manufacturing sectors like steel and petrochemicals were flagged. 18-Oct-07 | More
An uncivil society -  On a weekday afternoon recently, a bunch of young men disrupted the screening of ‘Gandhi, My Father’ in a plush cinema in one of Gurgaon’s many new malls. They laughed and yelled abuses at the Mahatma as the movie was coming to its poignant end. The senior citizens and housewives, the audience that afternoon, were helpless. As they filed out of the hall, looking disapprovingly at the hooligans, one of the young men advanced menacingly to a woman, and said, “You have a problem, do you?” Let us say it clearly, we have a problem. Incivility and violence in our society have reached unacceptable levels when school boys are dragged out of their school bus and beaten up in an upper middle class area of Delhi because they tried to stop some young men from teasing their female school mates; when police recruits go on a rampage molesting female students in Delhi University; when dozens of scheduled caste men are lynched in a Bihar village; when a rickshaw puller is beaten to a pulp by a crowd in the presence of police men; when stories of road rage resulting in death are daily fare. All violence against living beings is sickening. (We at Bee Management share Arun Maira's concerns and extend our support to the cause) 10-Oct-07 | More
Small retail cos embrace IT to spruce up ops - After domestic retail biggies, mid-to-small retail chains are queuing up to embrace IT solutions to spruce up operations. These players are concentrating on building their IT infrastructure with the sector getting crowded by financially strong corporate houses and the likes of Wal-Mart. Industry sources claim that emerging retailers are increasingly adopting IT solutions for merchandising and supply chain requirements, multi-channel requirements, store level innovations and planning as well as for business intelligence solutions. Interestingly, even mom-and-pop stores are beginning to invest on tech infrastructure. 10-Oct-07 | More
Call it a power play in Arunachal Pradesh. Tucked away in India’s North-East, Arunachal Pradesh may produce 25,000 MW of hydel power in the next seven to eight years. Of this around 65% of the total generation may come from the private sector alone. That means the total installed capacity of just one state in India will be more than the combined power generation of six ultra mega power projects of 4000 MW each. What’s more, the projected capacity is more than 24,800 MW which is India’s current installed capacity of all hydro projects put together. Statistics speak loud. It is estimated that once the power generation begins, Arunachal Pradesh will earn an annual revenue of Rs 6,000 cr per year from hydel projects alone, which will be 380% more than the current expenditure budget of the entire state. 19-Aug-07 | More
Unilever shares soar on takeover talk - UNILEVER is once again being seen as a takeover target, and its share prices rose across European markets on Wednesday. Unilever shares closed 2% up, after rising 4% on FTSE and 2% in Amsterdam, amidst a whole range of rumours surrounding the Anglo-Dutch major: one report cited competitor Colgate Palmolive as a potential buyer, a number of others said the price had been talked up on expectations that Nelson Peltz is to take a stake in Unilever, and another report even mentioned Procter & Gamble and private equity in the takeover talk throughout the day, covering more or less all possibilities. Neither Colgate Palmolive or Unilever would comment on the rumours. Analysts said that a bid cannot be ruled out, but a market capitalisation of over £20 billion can make any M&A approach a daunting task. 02-Jul-07 | More
What makes managers & societies tick - It is high time we questioned the value of economic and management models based on an inherently false concept of the nature of man, says Arun Maira. SOARING executive compensation has stirred public debate not only in India but also in hard-core capitalist societies like the UK and in columns of papers like the Financial Times. Shareholders of companies, theoretically their owners, in these countries are complaining about uncapped and soaring executive bonuses. “Business is hard enough without such tosh”, retorts the CEO of a British firm in FT’s columns. He goes on to say that shareholders don’t understand that, “most of our staff are rational and, if you cap their rewards, when they reach the cap they stop work.” That is a remarkable statement. Amused, one showed this to the old man sitting next in the airline lounge. He had taken off his shoes and was stretching his tired legs after a busy week in India. He was the head of a global charity for children who had retired as CEO of a large British company. “If that statement were true, I would have stopped working ten years back when I retired,” he said. 02-Jul-07 | More
Naga model to improve public service delivery - FEW would confute that India’s bloated welfare bureaucracy is a drain on the exchequer. Corrupt and indolent as it is, simply putting more resources at the disposal of the bureaucracy wouldn’t, for sure, revitalise India’s social welfare infrastructure which is in perennial disrepair. In recent years, apparently hoping to make some difference in governance standards, the central government has, however, stepped up public expenditure in social sector — it was up 36% in budget 2007-08, with significant rises in outlay for Bharat Nirman (32%), education 34% and health & family welfare (22%). This is not to forget that the combined expenditure of the centre and states on this count declined as a proportion of GDP in recent years and that the larger-than-usual increase in absolute spend by the centre in the last couple of years would barely reverse the trend. However, the question is not only of insufficiency of the resources, but also of lack of efficient (unwasteful) use of the resources. 02-Jul-07 | More
Jatropha turns cash crop for farmers - Dwarka-Based Co Gets Enquiries From UK-Based Companies For Contract Farming Of Jatropha - JATROPHA farming has now caught the attention of foreign companies for contract farming. Dwarka-based P Manek Biofarms, manufacturer of various essential oils, has been getting enquiries from a few UK-based companies for contract farming. The firm is engaged in developing nursery and irrigation development facility to help farmers. The crop requires less water, grows in arid region and can be used as an alternative to costlier fuels. Nearly 5,000 farmers will join hands for the project which would enable the farmers to double their income. “We have been approached by a few UK-based companies to take up contract farming in jatropha cultivation. The future of jatropha seems to be bright and our focus is on increasing domestic as well as overseas marketing of the crop,” says P Manek Biofarms CEO Manish Asawa. The firm has recently tied up with Tata Chemicals to grow jatropha in a total area of 2,000 acres. As per the agreement, Tata Chemicals will buy the whole production and use it for its own manufacturing purposes. The total investment for the project would be around Rs 400 crore over the next four to five years. 02-Jul-07 | More
TRADE WILL LEAD THE WAY - At least that's how it's been as far as Indo-Kuwait ties are concerned. Jhumur Ghosh traces the trade potential between the two countries. At first glance, Kuwait may look like just a speck on the global map. But its size belies its power in the global economy. Kuwait holds 10 per cent of the world's oil reserves. India accounts for one of its largest oil exports. Waleed K Al Hashash, deputy managing director, marketing, Kuwait Petroleum Corporation says “We export 250,000 barrels of mixed crude a day. About 16 per cent of the exports are to India” he shares. Kuwait has come a long way since its days of a trade based economy in the 18th and 19th century. A new era of Kuwait's economic development started with the discovery of oil in 1938. By the 1950s and 1960s, Kuwait started developing its non-oil trade by investing overseas in property and businesses in Britain, US, etc. By the 1970s, Kuwait's overseas investment programme grew manifold owing to its vastly expanded oil revenues. By the late 1980s, Kuwait was earning more from these overseas investments than it was from the direct sale of oil. These overseas investments came in handy during the post-Iraqi invasion reconstruction of Kuwait. Indian companies played a major role in the reconstruction of war-ravaged Kuwait. 11-Jul-07 | More
Service sector corners 35.5% of total FDI inflow in 2006 - IF higher industrial production has encouraged India Inc to invest in new projects, as has been reflected in the sharp rise in the number of industrial entrepreneur memoranda (IEM) filed last year — up from 6,203 involving Rs 3,53,956 crore investment in 2005 to 6,260 with Rs 5,88,271 crore investment — it has likewise prompted foreign investors to raise their stake in Indian industries. Aggregate inflow of foreign direct investment (FDI) has increased by more than two and a half times from Rs 19,270 crore in 2005 to Rs 50,357 crore in 2006. FDI inflow had declined sharply in 2003 over the previous year, following deceleration in industrial growth. Industrial production has grown rapidly since then and has helped reversing the trend — industrial production has grown by 11.5% in 2006-07 over 2005-06. 02-Jul-07 | More
Wait may be over for new SEZ plans - THE wait is over for developers of special economic zones (SEZ) who submitted their proposals to the government after April 6. After the temporary freeze on approvals was lifted, April 6 was the informal cut-off date for taking up pending proposals for consideration. Since there was a huge backlog of pending projects, the government was focusing on them rather than taking up new ones. More than a 100 proposals have been approved after the freeze was lifted and the board of approvals (BoA) is ready to take up proposals submitted after the cut-off date. 02-Jul-07 | More
India not friendly to small biz - Ranked 46 Among 53 Countries In Promoting Entrepreneurship. India may have entered the top league of world economies on the back of robust economic growth and booming stock markets, but it ranks among the bottom 10 when it comes to promoting small businesses.The country has been ranked 46 among 53 countries in a list compiled by global media conglomerate CNN-Time Warner group’s Fortune Small Business (FSB) magazine for their friendliness to small businesses. The less-friendly approach toward small businesses probably also reflected the performance of smallsized companies, whose financial progression pales in comparison to their blue-chip counterparts. 02-Jul-07 | More
Smaller realtors take exit route as funds dry up - LIQUIDITY crunch in the real estate market is driving many small-time developers to look around for a cover. Many want to liquidate their land or incomplete projects by selling them to larger developers or private equity players even on reduced valuations. What is forcing them to take this drastic step is the stagnant market, where property rates are showing signs of a major correction, said industry sources. 27-Jun-07 | More
FM won’t treat overseas Indians on par with NRIs - STRIKES DOWN MOIA PROPOSAL TO GIVE OCIs INVESTING RIGHTS AS ENJOYED BY NRIs - OVERSEAS citizens of India (OCIs) may continue to be poor cousins when compared to non-resident Indians (NRIs). The finance ministry is against giving them rights akin to NRIs for investing in the country and has shot down a proposal in this regard by the ministry of overseas Indian affairs (MOIA). North Block officials have questioned the rationale behind the Cabinet proposal mooted by MOIA. If OCIs are to be treated on par with NRIs, a change in regulations under the foreign exchange management Act (Fema) would be needed, a government source said. The official also pointed out that the OCI scheme was notified in 2005 by MOIA and further clarifications are not needed. 27-Jun-07 | More
States get 60-day deadline to clear SEZ proposals - Failure To Grant Necessary Approvals Will Lead To BoA Striking Off Project From Its List Of Pending Proposals - THE Centre has warned state governments that if pending state approvals for proposed SEZ projects are not granted within 60 days, the proposals would be taken off the list of cases to be considered by the board of approvals (BoA) for SEZs. As many as 170 SEZ proposals lying with the commerce department are still to receive the go-ahead from the respective state governments, where they are to be set up. Reliance ADAG’s proposal for a multi-product SEZ in Noida also figures in the list as the Mayawati regime has withdrawn the state’s approval. 27-Jun-07 | More
India is top job-spinner in Bric club - But Must Grow Faster To Keep Pace With Rising Unemployment - For reformers who have often had to battle the taunts of jobless growth, this may be a piece of good news. A study by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), a club of rich countries, has brought out the pleasant fact that India has been generating more jobs than any of its Bric counterparts (Brazil, Russia & China). 20-Jun-07 | More
Planning board seeks rethink on industry, SEZs - Sounding alarm bells on the growing disparity between the rich and the poor, the Maharasthra planning board has recommended a complete reconsideration of the state’s industrial and SEZ policies. Emphasising on a development plan aimed at greater job creation and improvement in the quality of life, vice-chairperson of the board Ratnakar Mahajan said more incentives and tax concessions to industries in SEZs would fuel an economic divide in society and also hurt local businesses. 20-Jun-07 | More
Realty stage shifts to smaller towns - If you are unable to invest in real estate at the prevailing steep rates in the metros, a good idea would be to look at properties in smaller towns and cities which are still at a nascent stage of witnessing a realty boom of sorts. After reaching dizzying heights in metros like Mumbai, the real estate action is gradually shifting to upcoming smaller towns and cities. Chandigarh, Guwahati, Nagpur, Bhubaneswar, Ludhiana, Surat, Kochi, Indore, Visakhapatnam, Mysore, Coimbatore, to name a few, have been described as “emerging centres of growth” which are now lending sparkle to India’s booming economy. 20-Jun-07 | More
India’s outbound FDI to touch $35bn - India Inc’s shopping-spree across the globe is at an all-time high and will continue to be robust even in 2007, says a report by Ficci and Ernst and Young. The total outbound deals, which were valued at $4.3 billion in 2005, crossed $15 billion-mark in 2006 and it could well breach the $35-billion level this year, the report on ‘Direct investments in the United States of America by Indian enterprises’ said. 18-Jun-07  |  More
SEZ: A tipping point - Budhadeb Bhatattacharya, chief minister of West Bengal, must wonder what he did in his previous life to deserve Mamata Banerjee in this one. All his good work to make Bengal attractive to investors is beginning to unravel. Companies have begun to shy away from Bengal for safer, more attractive destinations. After Mamata threatened a few weeks ago to pull down their boundary wall, even the Tatas are worried and must rue their decision to build a car factory in Bengal. Most Indians, however, are confused by this debate, especially this animal called Special Economic Zones (SEZs). 17-Jun-07  | More
Ensure VCs don't drag you out of your venture - Starting Up takes you behind scenes with the legal modalities of a term-sheet deal and gives you the dos and the don'ts while bringing on board a venture capitalist. 16-March-07 | More
Ottawa pitching trade deal to India - Agreement would create huge market for service industry. Ottawa will on Monday call for Canada and India to pursue a free-trade agreement, saying efforts to secure one should start after the two countries conclude existing talks on a foreign-investor-protection accord. The message is being delivered in the Indian capital of New Delhi today by Ted Menzies, parliamentary secretary to Canada's International Trade Minister, David Emerson. 12-Mar-07 | More
The trouble with India:  Crumbling roads, jammed airports, and power blackouts could hobble growth. 10-Mar-07 | More
Does your school make the grade?: Here are four things to consider when applying to an undergrad business program. 10-Mar-07 | More
Hybrid funds herald entrepreneur's entry : A class of funds called multi-strategy or hybrid funds has sprung up in India and the people who run these funds believe they are exactly what is needed in India. These funds have both short-term money as well as long-term money and this allows them to invest in the flavour-of-the-month companies as well as companies that will deliver returns only in the long run. 19-Feb-07 | More
Mashelkar prescription may get second opinion : This may disappoint pharma MNCs, especially Swiss drugmaker Novartis, which is involved in a globally-watched legal tussle with the government for getting patent protection for Glivec — a drug widely referred to as a gold standard in treating blood cancer. The government is not inclined to accept the controversial view taken by Dr Mashelkar panel that the country does not meet its international obligations in protecting intellectual property. 19-Feb-07 | More
Need a financier for your biz ideas? : Hens hatch their own eggs, but young would-be entrepreneurs may need a little external support to hatch their ideas into viable businesses. The government proposes to step in with an incubation fund. It could be announced in the forthcoming Budget. The fund will help graduates from leading technical and management institutes with the seed money to float their ventures. 19-Feb-07 | More
India emerging as key biotech leader in Asia: Agri Expert : India is emerging as a key biotech leader in Asia, surpassing China for the first time in areas planted with biotech seed, according to a leading agricultural researcher. 18-Feb-07 | More
No one can exclude India in expansion plan : With the proposed Delhi-Mumbai industrial corridor set to attract big ticket investment from Japanese companies, the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) has geared up to play a role of a facilitator in India. JETRO chairman and CEO Osamu Watanabe, expressed optimism that more Japanese companies would like to invest in India. However, he indicated a few regulatory bottlenecks which have not been addressed as yet. 18-Feb-07 | More
Primary market a goldmine for retail investors : If this year’s IPO listings are any indication to go by, it would seem more and more issuers are pricing their IPOs conservatively to attract buyers. Out of the 13 IPOs that have been listed so far, the current market price of 10 issues is more than the offer price. In some cases, it has doubled and in a few cases, it is three times more the offer price. The primary market is thus proving to be a ‘goldmine’ for retail investors, in terms of quick gains from the market. 18-Feb-07 | More
The Economist – The world in 2007 - It’s been quite a ride. Firing on all cylinders, the world economy powered ahead in 2006 at its fastest pace for over 30 years. But already, heading into 2007, the engine is rattling, the pace is dropping and the road ahead looks a lot bumpier. On the face of it, such astonishing growth is an unambiguously good thing in a country where poverty is still widespread. But it may be storing up problems for future years. Investment is surging but it is unclear how much of this is commercially sound. Overcapacity is rife: as new factories spring up by the day, output of many products is running far ahead of demand, depressing prices and profits and ultimately risking a sharp rise in bad debts as companies struggle to meet loan repayments. It is a rather different story in the United States, the world’s largest economy. Two years of steady interest-rate rises are catching up with America’s serial borrowers, and spending in 2007 looks set to be a lot softer than in the past few years. So soft, in fact, that some economists, while predicting a slowdown, are whispering “recession” to their personal fund managers. Higher interest rates will constrain the ability of individuals and companies to spend. All this suggests a broad-based slowdown which could easily turn into something worse. The Warren Buffet of Mumbai, Mr. Chandrakant Sampat comments. 28-Dec-06 | More
Some straight talk on SEZs - With a stiffer export obligation of 60-75% of production, 60-75% reservation of land for production units and logical and fairer land acquisition process, SEZs may serve the ends that they should serve. At the outset let me say that I welcome all policies, schemes that encourage investment, technology flow and employment generation in the country, be it by domestic investors or foreign ones. Any effort to improve infrastructure and provide a hassle-free business environment is worthy of encouragement. In that sense, the SEZ policy is a welcome one, says Rahul Bajaj. 04-Oct-06 | More
Engineering Outsourcing The Next Sizzler - The $750bn-A-Year Global Engineering Services Sector May Be The Next Big Thing For Offshore Firms. AFTER tweaking codes, testing software, answering calls and processing documents it's probably time for India Inc to look at engineering services outsourcing (ESO). And with good reasons Engineering services a $750 billion-a-year global industry promises to be the next big frontier for offshore firms to tap. While only $10-15 b of the $750 b is at present offshored, the potential is huge, it may reach $150-225 b by 2020. Already global companies in the telecom, automotive, aerospace, utilities, construction and industrial machinery are looking at India to cut costs via ESO. India has the potential to corner a share of $12 b to $16 b by 2010, but the more likely scenario is a size of a mere $3b to $5b! To take a big bite into the ESO pie India has to fight off competition from Israel, China , Canada, Mexico and East Europe. 04-Oct-06 | More
'Market research is growing rapidly in India'- They are the trend trackers of the world. Through surveys, polls and data crunching, market research firms help companies as well as the media spot emerging trends and gaze into the future. Their role could not have been more critical in a rapidly growing economy where technology, rising incomes and global exposure is stirring up socio-economic norms at all levels. Thomas Puliyel, president, IMRB International, one of India’s leading market research firms, spoke about how market research firms are trying to grow and capture the evolving trends better. 25-Sep-06 | More
RBI to clear $1bn foreign VC funds in realty space - Foreign venture capital investment in the real estate sector may finally see the light of day. The funds had been blocked due to differences between regulators. The government has asked the banking regulator — the Reserve Bank of India — to approve proposals submitted over seven months ago by dozen foreign venture capital firms to invest in the Indian realty sector. These firms had lined up plans to invest over $1bn in real estate projects here. 25-Sep-06 | More
What's Really Propping Up The (US) Economy - Since 2001, the health-care industry has added 1.7 million jobs. The rest of the private sector? None. If you really want to understand what makes the U.S. economy tick these days, don't go to Silicon Valley, Wall Street, or Washington. Just take a short trip to your local hospital. Park where you don't block the ambulances, and watch the unending flow of doctors, nurses, technicians, and support personnel. You'll have a front-row seat at the health-care economy. 14-Sep-06 | More
Why India will overtake China - Despite recent growth, political oppression will keep the Asian tiger on a tight leash. 31-Aug-06 | More
Sancheti hospital goes for 'block booking' - Pune -  Setting a precedent in medical tourism, renowned orthopaedic surgeon K H Sancheti on Friday announced an exclusive tie-up with the Oman government to treat a batch of 272 patients with advanced complications from arthritis, scoliosis (spine deformity) and major mismanaged fractures. "This is probably the first tie-up at the government level," Sancheti, who has been awarded the Padma Bhushan said, explaining that collaborations with government agencies abroad will further boost medical tourism prospects in India. 05-Aug-06 | More
Mr. Gopalakrishnan (IIT Alumni IIT KGP) succeeds Mr. Ratan Tata as Chairman of Tata Sons Ltd.,the holding company for many of the Tata Bluechips like Tata Steel, Tata Motors, Tata Power, Tata Chemicals,Tata consultancy Services(TCS),Voltas, etc. Possibly, he is the first non-Tata person to head the Tata Empire. This article has been written by him. 02-Aug-06 |  More
Textile companies go shopping abroad - The $35-bn Indian textile industry will soon be witnessing a number of cross-border acquisitions by Indian businessmen, according to a study made by a team of KPMG professionals specializing in cross-border acquisitions and mergers. 26-Apr-06 | More
Indian investors can go for a commodity portfolio now - The world of finance never ceases to amaze. There’s never a dearth of men who are willing to design the right product, hawk it to the right investor and even tread the regulatory twilight zone in chasing the smart money. You have heard about portfolio management services (PMS) in shares, where a high net worth individual (HNI) asks the broker to manage some serious money, say a crore, and even gives him the discretion in picking the stocks. 26-Apr-06 | More
Equity research, client meets, travel arrangements - There is a rise in number of Indian brokerages which ramped up their research capabilities, and even those who were earlier providing a pure transacting platform now have begun to generate research based `buy and sell’ reports. Basically, it is for these reports, which FIIs receive, that brokers are paid `soft dollar’. Further, these brokers service their FII clients by setting up meetings with the management of any company that the FII client wants to invest in. Also, some Indian brokers send their analysts abroad to their clients’ offices in Singapore, New York or London ( in most cases) for discussions and advice. 24-Apr-06 | More
Firangs eye mid-level jobs in India - The reasons may be different but the destination remains the same — India. Foreign nationals are coming to India to work. And no, these are not global leaders who are in India on inter-company deputations nor are they experts who have been brought into India to fill strategic roles in different companies. These are ordinary middle to senior management people who, just want to work in India. 13-Apr-06 | More
Project Synchronicity - We have today reached a stage where everyone knows what needs to be done but unfortunately wants it all to be done by someone else - possibly a messiah. As India globalizes, at the least internationalizes and we wish to raise our efficiency standards to gain from opportunities - at a country level, state level or more micro firm and entity level, each stakeholder class seems to be working out of tandem with others. As Mr. Chaini stated synchronicity is the need of the hour and  it may be worthwhile considering a reorientation of the planning commission to run  `Project Synchronicity'. This would be in essence, an effort in inclusive planning for greater stakeholder receptivity and involvement and therefore resulting in superior synchronicity for greater effectiveness. 08-Apr-06 | More
The global edge (Knowledge Process Outsourcing) - It’s an irresistible force, and it's on the rise. A few years ago outsourcing outfits were looked upon as sweat shops. Now, a few organizations are moving upstream, swinging into such high value services as consulting, integration, and architecture. Many countries are now looking at India for highly technical and knowledge related tasks, giving birth to KPOs (Knowledge Process Outsourcing), which are firms that provide technical and functional services to global giants. 14-Sep-05 | More  (We are proud to have established in 1989 with a vision of this.)
In continuation of our stand on the absence of a wealth creation model for globalizing India - Our COE had the pleasure of hearing and meeting Mr. Gurcharan Das on August 28th at the Stanford ATI in Mumbai and read his article in the Times of India the next day where Mr. Das commented on the National Employment Guarantee Act. Both of them have interacted on mail thereafter drawing reference to quotations from Singapore Ex-PM Lee Kuan Yew and a role prescription for the newly organized Planning Commission in India. 06-Sep-05 | More
Unearthing India's mineral wealth - There's a gold mine out there—if the government eases restrictions on market entry and improves infrastructure. 29-Aug-05 | More
India's economic agenda - An interview with Manmohan Singh - The prime minister discusses his plans to modernize the country's infrastructure, attract foreign investment, and create jobs—all in the service of eliminating chronic poverty and disease in India. 29-Aug-05 | More
Hazare to adopt villages in 5 states - After turning Ralegan Siddhi in Maharashtra into a model village through people’s participation, veteran Gandhian Anna Hazare is planning to adopt 80 more villages in five states. Hazare has visited AP, MP, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra to select the villages, which he would develop into self-sufficient model hamlets. He said that once the 80 villages were identified, he would campaign for drip irrigation, family planning and extensive tree plantation and fight against alcoholism. 22-Aug-05 | More
Bombay Municipal Corporation Praja Online Complaint management system - The city of Mumbai has been plagued by incessant heavy rain and flooding over the past week. This makes the degenerative and callous growth of the metropolis evident. Government authorities, development agencies and construction agencies have been lashed out at by the public. In the midst of this the BMC claims efficient redressal through an online complaint management system. Check it out at your own risk. 01-Aug-05 | More
Outsourcing Is Good for U.S., Says Professor - Outsourcing may be controversial in the United States political debate, but Professor Gene Grossman of Princeton University believes sending certain jobs overseas is beneficial. 07-Jul-05 | More
Service Companies Bank on Word of Mouth - Companies continually look for ways to measure the effectiveness of their customer service operations. Now, service-oriented companies are keeping an eye on customer advocacy. 23-Jun-05 | More
The return of the NRI - Banks are witnessing the return of the global Indian who is dumping sizeable deposits in non-resident accounts. This time, the main draw for NRIs is not the difference in interest rates but the opportunity to cash in on the appreciating rupee. Besides, fears of withdrawal of tax exemptions on these deposits have been allayed in the recent budget. For the first time since July ’03, when Reserve Bank of India sought to deter deposits with a cap on interest rates, fresh deposits from non-residents has crossed $500m in a month in March ’05. 18-Jun-05 | More
SSI death toll: One in three - The number of SSI units that have closed down is 42.39% of the total units in Mumbai. One in three small scale units has downed shutters in Maharashtra, one of the country’s most industrially prosperous states. In greater Mumbai, for example, the number of units that have closed down is 7,347 — over 40 per cent of the total manufacturing units in the region. The writing on the wall is clear if one goes by the third National Census of SSI units, 2002-03, (the latest figures available). Consider the figures: half of the 3,343 units in Aurangabad have closed down. 10-Jun-05 | More
The Values we choose to live by - To change cultures, we must change the ‘unwritten rules’ that guide people, which they learn from the stories they are told and the people they admire. Can businessmen be trusted to keep their word and honour their obligations, even if there is no legal compulsion to do so? This unspoken question kept popping up, like Banquo’s ghost, on BCG's Arun Maira's recent visit to the United States. He was with an Indian mission to promote India as a business destination. 13-May-05 | More
CRM for Small Biz Market: Building Better Relations - Businesses realize that to be competitive they have to know their customers. But they don't know how much to spend. They have to get first-level benefits before they move to the second level, and that could take 12 to 18 months after deploying a CRM system. 04-May-05 | More
Getting more from call centers - Used properly, they can be strategic assets. Call centers have become essential to the marketing and customer care strategies of many businesses over the past 30 years. But our experience shows that most of these facilities don't maximize their usefulness. No one can argue with the need to keep a firm grip on costs, but indiscriminately moving customer traffic to a company's Web site or haphazardly outsourcing call centers can make them less rather than more effective. The key is to develop a customer service strategy that successfully balances costs, revenues generated, and quality. Only then can companies transform their call centers into strategic assets that provide a competitive advantage and promote growth. 29-Apr-2005 | More
Blogs Will Change Your Business - Look past the yakkers, hobbyists, and political mobs. Your customers and rivals are figuring blogs out. Our advice: Catch up...or catch you later. 22-Apr-2005 | More
Beyond Blue - Never mind computers and tech services. IBM's radical new focus is on revamping customers' operations -- and even running them. It was over a lunch in Cincinnati two years ago that IBM Chief Executive Samuel J. Palmisano got his first inkling of Big Blue's next act. Palmisano was talking business with A.G. Lafley, CEO of Procter & Gamble Co., one of IBM's big customers. At one point, Lafley asked Palmisano to estimate how many of P&G's 100,000 employees it truly needed to keep on its payroll. When Palmisano didn't venture a guess, Lafley stunned him by saying that P&G might be able to get by with only a quarter of its workforce. Specialized service companies might be able to handle everything else, from human resources to customer care. 18-Apr-2005 | More
Forget BPO, it's now time for KPO - The acronym BPO is passé. It's time to move up the value chain for the Indian BPO industry to KPO, a niche, high-value knowledge process outsourcing business. Globally, the KPO pie is estimated to touch $25 billion by 2010. By that time, India would command a 60% market share, with an employee requirement of over 3, 00,000, said recent study conducted by Evalueserve. 17-Apr-05 | More
MphasiS call centre fraud net widens - It’s a crime that could only have taken place in a globalised world, the hacking of bank accounts of Citigroup customers in New York by call centre employees based in India. The recent arrest of a number of Pune-based rogue employees of IT services and BPO company MphasiS BFL, for stealing money from Citigroup customers in New York, may have had an adverse impact on India’s growing reputation as the world’s favourite back-office. Industry observers say that the local police needs to act fast to restore India’s credibility as a provider of quality BPO services. 14-Apr-05 | More
The Digital Hospital - How info tech saves lives and money at one medical center. Is this the future of health care? Peter A. Gross has been a doctor for 40 years, rising up the ranks to become the chairman of internal medicine at Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack, N.J. But one day this winter, a homeless man checked in to the hospital with HIV, and Gross made a decision that could have seriously harmed his patient. He chose to give the patient an HIV drug, tapping a request into a hospital computer and zapping it off to the two-year-old digital drug-order entry system. Moments later he got back a message he never would have received before the system was in place: a warning that the drug could mix dangerously with an antidepressant the patient was already taking. Gross got on the phone to figure out the problem, eventually asking the man's psychiatrist to reduce the dosage of his antidepressant. "There's no way I would have picked that up," Gross says. "It was totally unexpected." 18-Mar-05 | More  | Some more
The right passage to India - Companies attracted to the country’s potential must do more than merely transplant products and systems that have succeeded elsewhere. India, for some time now the focal point of the global trend toward strategic offshoring, has simultaneously become appealing as a market in its own right. With GDP growth more than double that of the United States and the United Kingdom during the past decade, and with forecast continued real annual growth of almost 7 percent, India is one of the world's most promising and fastest-growing economies, and multinational companies are eagerly investing there. 18-Mar-05 | More
How private equity firms can play in China - Given the difficulties of doing business there, direct investment in Chinese companies isn’t always the best option. International private equity houses are stepping up their efforts to invest in China in the next few years, reflecting a gold rush mentality that could leave some investors disappointed. Private equity funds with good connections and deep insights account for the bulk of recent investments. But some new entrants have relatively untested China investment teams. 05-Mar-05 | More
Silent Partners - They never meet, but a de facto alliance has formed between the leaders of Japan and Taiwan. In dealing with the delicate issue of Taiwan, most governments follow the American model. They vow at regular intervals that they recognize only One China—the People's Republic—but then send diplomatic personnel to Taipei (under commercial cover), trade with the Un-China, and maintain discreet official contact. The much heavier burden of maintaining peace in the Taiwan Strait—making sure China doesn't try to take Taiwan by force, or Taipei doesn't provoke Beijing into trying—is shouldered by Washington alone. 03-Mar-05 | More
Emerging markets aren't as risky as you think - Are emerging markets riskier than developed ones? Not if you take a portfolio perspective on corporate investments. International companies may be attracted to the promise of fast-growing emerging markets, but they are unnecessarily cautious when assessing potential investments there. Certainly, some caution is understandable. High-profile setbacks in Russia, difficulties in managing operations in China, and the on-again, off-again performance of Latin America have heightened sensitivities to the risks of investing in the developing world. 03-Mar-05 | More
Brand building in emerging markets - Western consumer goods companies entering rapidly expanding emerging markets should imitate the local competition. European and US consumer goods makers, confronted by slowing growth at home, are turning to the fast-growing countries of Africa, Asia, and Latin America. In 2002 the top 20 consumer goods companies spent more than $10 billion to expand their share of these markets, which now account for nearly 40 percent of all worldwide sales of clothing and grocery products. However, many such companies find that their expensive brands and management processes are more a hindrance than a help in reaching the lower-income segments. 03-Mar-05 | More
Union Budget 2005 - Finance Minister P Chidambaram has presented a pragmatic budget given the constraints he is operating under. There is no major impact of the budget except on the direct taxes side. As expected and required, the Finance Minister has earmarked increased funds for education, children’s welfare, healthcare, backward communities and backward areas, minorities and rural development. At the same time there is continuity of commitment to services, pharma and biotech, infrastructure, agriculture and urban development. 01-Mar-05 | More

Cabinet clears FDI in real estate - The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs liberalised rules for foreign investment in the real estate and construction sector, a senior industry ministry official said on Thursday. The move is another step to reform India's financial sector and deepen the liberalisation process which kicked off in 1991 when the country embraced free market reforms. Construction stocks surged as the Cabinet on Thursday gave in-principle clearance to foreign direct investment in real estate, reported TV channels. To start with, the 100-acre criterion for FDI in realty has been removed. The government will shortly announce its decision on modifying FDI norms in construction sector to make them more construction-centric rather than land-centric. 25-Feb-05 | More
100% FDI in construction gets nod - Government today allowed 100 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) in construction industry in a bid to boost employment and growth. Announcing the decision, Commerce Minister Kamal Nath said FDI up to 100 per cent will be allowed under automatic route in townships, housing, built-up infrastructure and construction-development projects. 24-Feb-05 | More
CRM Needs New Pricing Models - The whole software industry's move toward process rather than transaction is very much in flux. In fact, says Meta Group analyst Carole Macpherson, organizations will have to shift from packaged apps and toward composite applications that contain a variety of processes to achieve their CRM goals. 17-Feb-05 | More
Govt (of India) may allow FDI in construction - You can soon own a sleek three-bedroom apartment in your neighbourhood which not only has one of those ‘phoren’ names, but will also be constructed by a leading foreign company. In yet another big ticket opening in FDI, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs is slated to take up a proposal on Thursday to allow foreign companies in construction activities. Currently, foreign players are only allowed to set up integrated townships on a minimum area of 100 acres. The new proposal, mooted by the department of industrial policy and promotion (DIPP) envisages foreign real estate developers to undertake small housing projects without any restriction on minimum land area. 17-Feb-05 | More
Nath backs 100% FDI in shopping malls, hotels - The commerce and industry ministry has proposed opening up of the foreign investment policy by allowing 100% FDI in construction of commercial properties such as shopping malls and hotels. The Cabinet is expected to decide soon, on a proposal to this effect by commerce minister Kamal Nath last week. 14-Feb-05 | More
10 TECH TRENDS - Why There's No Escaping the Blog - Freewheeling bloggers can boost your product—or destroy it. Either way, they've become a force business can't afford to ignore. 12-Feb-05 | More
"It Was a No-Brainer" - That's what Procter & Gamble's A.G. Lafley says of his decision to buy Gillette. Here's why he thinks so—and how the deal came about. 08-Feb-05 | More
Growing, Growing ...Gone? - China's under control, Europe's finally reforming, and the global economic outlook is rosy, right? Not quite. TIME's experts peer cautiously at the year ahead - 2004 was a year for the record books — the world economy grew at its fastest rate in almost three decades. And most observers predict that growth in 2005 will continue to be relatively robust in Asia, the U.S. and even laggardly Europe. The developed world, to paraphrase British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan's 1957 proclamation to his countrymen, has rarely had it so good. Why, then, are so many economists so nervous? 06-Feb-05 | More
Orchestrated growth of Indian Enterprises through globally situated Free Trade Zones & Special Economic Zones - a perspective for globally situated Free Trade Zones & Special Economic Zones promoting their destinations to prospective Indian Enterprise Investors, to achieve sucess in greater measure. A presentation made by our Director & Chief Opportunities Executive at the World Free Trade Zones Expo 2005 in Mumbai. 04-Feb-05 | More
What is a Special Economic Zone ? - Special Economic Zone (SEZ) is a specifically delineated duty free enclave and shall be deemed to be foreign territory for the purposes of trade operations and duties and tariffs. At present there eight functional Special Economic Zones located in India at Santa Cruz (Maharashtra), Cochin (Kerala), Kandla and Surat (Gujarat), Chennai (Tamil Nadu), Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh), Falta (West Bengal) and Nodia (Uttar Pradesh) in India. Further a Special Economic Zone at Indore ( Madhya Pradesh ) os now ready for operation. In addition 18 approvals have been given for setting up of SEZ at Positra (Gujarat), Navi Mumbai and Kopata (Maharashtra), Nanguneri (Tamil Nadu), Kulpi and Salt Lake (West Bengal), Paradeep and Gopalpur (Orissa), Bhadohi, Kanpur, Moradabad and Greater Noida (U.P.), Vishakhapatnam and Kakinada (Andhra Pradesh), Vallarpadam/Puthuvypeen (Kerala) Hassan ( Karnataka), Jaipur and Jodhpur ( Rajasthan) on the basis of proposals received from the State Governments. Any private/public/joint sector or State Government or its agencies can set up Special Economic Zone (SEZ). Foreign Companies can set up SEZs. 03-Feb-05 | More
P&G: Teaching An Old Dog New Tricks - CEO A.G. Lafley has kicked up the good ideas at the stodgy Midwestern giant—and the company's growth too. Here's an inside look at how he's doing it. 29-Jan-05 | More
TOYOTA - Full Speed Ahead - Toyota CEO Fujio Cho is driving the Japanese automaker to new heights—and straight past the competition. 29-Jan-05 | More
Linux Inc.- Linus Torvalds once led a ragtag band of software geeks. Not anymore. Here's an inside look at how the unusual Linux business model increasingly threatens Microsoft. 21-Jan-05 | More
FIIs call in at Cyprus for India entry - FIIs are loving this. Cyprus - the newest EU member - is all set to become the newest low-tax country for routing foreign investments into India. The country taxes corporate profits at rates lower than those in Mauritius. More importantly, dividends and profits from trade in securities are normally tax-free in Cyprus. Tax consultants have been advising FIIs to avoid the Mauritius route due to the questions being raised on the money laundering front and the majority of the new FIIs registering with SEBI are dumping Mauritius for Luxembourg. 10-Dec-04 |  More
Outsourcing is a bubble in India - According to the father of outsourcing, Michael F Corbett, the bubble is pertaining only to the market growth, as it is not possible to sustain the current growth rate (70%). Even as India enjoys its status, as the most preferred outsourcing hub, critical but neglected issues continue to pose a threat to its growth. In the second edition of the annual 'India Outsourcing Summit 2004', Michael F Corbett, CEO of Michael F Corbett & Associates Ltd., and popularly known as the 'outsourcing guru', shares his views with Sigi Achappa of CIOL. Excerpts of the discussion. 14-Oct-04 | More
Wal-Mart to set up wholly-owned arm here - Wal-Mart has finally done it. Exactly a year after its top team came knocking on India’s doors to shop for goods worth billions of dollars, the world’s largest corporation is setting up a wholly-owned subsidiary in India for product sourcing services. 01-Oct-04 | More
Temasek keeps line open for small equity investments - The Singapore-based private equity firm Temasek Holdings has chalked out a strategic plan to tap smaller equity investments —involving less than $5m — through dedicated funds, while focussing its energies on relatively higher investments. As part of its India strategy, Temasek, which has so far pumped in over $500m into the country, is now considering investment opportunities in new segments. These include distressed assets and real estate. The investments will be routed directly or via Funds, depending on the deal size. 20-Sep-04 | More
McKinsey plans for India - Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia has been part of the larger effort by the US consultancy company McKinsey to enter Indian policymaking for at least four years now. He has finally succeeded in placing representatives of this organisation on Planning Commission consultative committees in the crucial areas of agriculture, health and family welfare, power and energy, as well as higher and technical education, in a move unprecedented in the history of the body that Mr Ahluwalia now heads. 10-Sep-04 |  More
India Has Ingenuity - That's why Tata Consultancy Services's Faqir Chand Kohli says the country's "cost of doing innovative technology is very, very low". Clearly visible through the windows of Faqir Chand Kohli's office in Nariman Point, Bombay's financial district, is the graceful sweep of the city's bay and beyond that, the bewildering number of high rises that are rapidly changing the colonial city's skyline. Kohli has occupied the corner office for 30 years as chairman of Tata Consultancy Services, Asia's largest software services outfit. Led by Kohli, the concern pioneered India's phenomenal rise as a power in software outsourcing. 09-Sep-04 | More
When Marketing Can't Go by the Book - Bored with the Holocaust, reviewers wouldn't even give my new book a look. So, like any entrepreneur who believes in his product, I've had to make make my own rules. Last month, I attended a prerelease screening of a German movie, Rosenstrasse, the story of a group of Christian women who conducted street demonstrations in Nazi Germany to win the release of their imprisoned Jewish husbands. While I thought the movie was well done, I was more intrigued by the guest of honor at the event, Meyer Gottlieb, the president of Samuel Goldwyn Films, a New York-based film distributor. 09-Sep-04 | More
Investing in Growth - Putting money into your business, even when times are bad, reaps a richer harvest when the economy picks up, according to a new study. "You have to spend money to make money," the old saying goes -- and the latest look at U.S. small-business owners appears to support that traditional wisdom. Conducted by accounting software giant Intuit, the survey polled a national sample of small-business owners in May and June, 2004, and found that 64% who had invested in their companies saw growth over the last 12 months. 09-Sep-04 | More
Big bulls make way for spin docs - There is a fundamental shift in the stock market. The lone wolf operator driving up stock prices is being replaced by a new breed of players. Portfolio managers, sources say, are emerging as momentum drivers in the market. The aggressive style of portfolio managers, who manage funds for wealthy investors through portfolio management schemes (PMS), has also contributed to the recent mid-cap stock rally. Earlier, a successful operator was known by the extent and momentum of follow-up buying in his favorite stocks. Now, the momentum in the market is controlled by portfolio managers. PMS’ are becoming increasingly popular with high net worth individuals. They have grown from almost nothing to collect close to Rs 3,000 crore. (Our company has promoted PMS as a preferred stock market investment route for HNW investors including NRI's since incorporation in 1989. Even today we reorient the revenue model of stock brokers from the fast diluting broking streams to `buy side' `fee based' PMS streams. We align their services with bankers and financial institutions situated abroad which seek to attract NRI clientele investments into Indian stock markets. This article clearly vindicates our recognition of the opportunity and applied approach.) 09-Sep-04 | More
Payhikes may kill mid-level IT firms - High salaries are sweet music to the ears of employees, but may well sound like a death knell for companies. Especially, if there are a small & medium size (SME) software service vendors . Head hunters who focus on the software service sector predict that huge hikes in compensation cost will cripple sectoral growth. 08-Sep-04 | More
Auto parts firms seek Thai base, guard against FTA - An increasing number of Indian vehicle parts makers are rushing to establish buying offices and manufacturing bases in Thailand in a bid to guard against risks emerging from the recently inked Indo-Thai FTA. While two leading parts makers — Sona Steering and Rico Auto Industries — have already firmed up investment plans for Thailand, industry observers said at least 6-7 other companies are finalising similar strategies. 03-Sep-04 | More
BPO jobs are moving abroad - The next back-office job that goes to an Indian outsourcing company may not be moving as far as you think. In a bid to tap new markets and satisfy customers keen to outsource to more than one location, back-office service providers are setting up shop overseas. Infosys Technologies Ltd's back-office subsidiary Progeon has opened a centre in the Czech Republic, while MphasiS BFL Ltd.'s arm MSourcE has a contact centre in Mexico. 02-Sep-04 | More
World Bank Group Launches New Strategy For India : The new World Bank Group Country Strategy for India envisages an increased lending program of up to US$3 billion a year to substantially scale up the impact of development efforts on some of the world’s poorest citizens. The Board of Executive Directors of the Bank discussed today the 2005-2008 strategy, a document that both describes the Bank’s strategic approach to helping India achieve its development goals and indicates the level of assistance that will be provided. 26-Aug-04 | More
Shoo the shibboleth trader away - Come August end, and the Union minister of commerce and industry will dwell on a road map for India’s trade. A trade policy is perforce an important element of a country’s overall economic policy. 25-Aug-04 | More
Global retail firms back off on FDI flip-flop - Blame it on the Red flag if you cannot find globally renowned retail outlets at your doorstep. With the Left-backed United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government struggling to push liberalisation of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the retail sector, leading overseas players like Carrefour of France, Tesco and Debenhams of the UK, NTUC FairPrice of Singapore and John Keels of Sri Lanka — who were keen to invest in India — have shelved their plans as of now and are looking at other avenues for growth. 24-Aug-04 | More
2nd-hand research just won't cut it - One aspect of Indian B-schools that comes in for constant criticism is the lack of research. It’s no different in the area of executive education: Professors at Indian institutes don’t publish enough research in renowned international journals. Such ‘visibility’, say experts, is what proves your worth as an exec-ed service provider. 23-Aug-04 | More
The reward in taking risks - The risks and rewards of the world's most dangerous business opportunities. WHEN, last month, Marsh & McLennan, a huge insurance broker, bought Kroll for $1.9 billion in cash, some gasped at the price. Why so much? Because demand for the sort of services that firms such as Kroll provide—intelligence gathering, investigation and security, especially in nasty parts of the world—is now booming, and Kroll is the brand leader. Kroll is not alone in making money from dangerous parts of the world. The second-quarter results of Halliburton, a giant, controversial American conglomerate, revealed that work related to Iraq contributed $1.7 billion—around one-third—of the firm's total revenues in that quarter. The revenues of its engineering and construction subsidiary, Kellogg Brown & Root (KBR), were 68% higher than in the same quarter of last year, thanks to government contracts in the Middle East. But 42 of its workers have died so far in Iraq and Kuwait. This week, Pentagon auditors reportedly found that Halliburton had failed to account for 43% of the $4.18 billion that KBR has charged for feeding and housing American troops in Iraq and Kuwait.  12-Aug-04 | More

Iraq - India's potential role and opportunities. - Our COE Rajiv Bhatia provides closing remarks at a CII Session on the subject where Mr. Haridarshan Singh Mejie, Chairman of PCP International Ltd. made a presentation. 03-Aug-04 | More
Managing Capital Flows in East Asia - The developing countries of East Asia have grown rapidly during the past quarter century. This growth has been led by rapid export expansion and supported by substantial capital inflows. Initially, most inflows were in the form of official lending, followed by commercial bank lending with government guarantees, but more recently the composition has shifted toward a wider variety of private sources, often without government guarantees. 03-Aug-04 | More
Indian ITeS/BPO Industry - India is the largest ITeS player in the world in terms of manpower and has the potential to generate direct employment for one million by 2008. 03-Aug-04 | More
Foreign Direct Investment Policy & Business Opportunities -  India is the second most populous country and the largest democracy in the world. The far reaching and sweeping economic reform undertaken since 1991 have unleashed the enormous growth potential of the economy. There has been a rapid, yet calibrated, move towards deregulation and liberalisation, which has resulted in India becoming a favourite destination for foreign investment. 03-Aug-04 | More
Venture capitalists are leading the way, investing serious money in India – in some cases instead of the much-more-hyped China. Many are saying that if you have a five-to seven-year investment horizon, the smart money is on India. 03-Aug-04 | More
Why are oil prices so high - Crude oil prices have risen by about 30% this year to levels not seen since the early 1980s. The latest rises are causing worries in importing countries about the economic cost of higher energy prices. 02-Aug-04 | More
Govt. keen to fix BPO tax ambiguity - The government states that there were apprehensions in the BPO industry about a CBDT (Central Board of Direct Taxes) circular taxing foreign companies outsourcing 'core' activities from India while exempting the 'ancillary' activities, and assured that it was looking into the matter. 27-Jul-04 | More
Impact of the Indian Budget 2004-5 on Non Resident Indians. 20-Jul-04 | More
Do we need foreign funds for telecom sector - The debate over raising the foreign direct investment in telecom from 49 per cent to 74 per cent has thrown up an interesting question as to how Indian is the country's telecom sector and whether after five years of liberalization do we need foreign funds for achieving the tele-density targets. 17-Jul-04 | More
India must promote its brand name - Observing that India had adequate potential to attract foreign investment, eminent Non-Resident Indian Ram Buxani on Saturday said the country had to sell itself as a brand name not only to market its products abroad but also to attract NRI investment.10-Jul-04 | More
Bilateral Trade Relations - EU-India trade has grown impressively over the years, from € 4,4 billion in 1980 to €28.4 billion in 2003. Trade with the EU represents almost a quarter of Indian's exports and import. The EU is also India's largest source of foreign direct investment. However, India accounts for just 1.6% of total EU imports of goods and 0.8% of import of services. India attracts only 0.3 % of the EU's world-wide investments. 04-Jul-04 | More
The debate on outsourcing - Our COE Rajiv Bhatia provides closing remarks at a CII Session on the subject where Mr. Ashley Willis, ex ambassador of the U.S.A. to India, made a presentation. 24-Jun-04 | More
Take note of India’s anti-capitalism vote - THE election in India unleashed the usual media platitudes about the nobility of the people’s judgment in the world’s biggest democracy. For investors and businesses, however, the defeat of the most economically successful government in the country’s post-independence history raises some very troubling questions, not only about India, but about the prospects for market-oriented reform and globalization throughout the developing world. By Anatole Kaletsky - timesonline 25-May-04 | More
Retail trading sector to be split for FDI inflow - The retail trading sector is in for a shakeup, with the government planning to carve out a new category -- organized retail business -- where foreign direct investment can be allowed. This will ensure that entrants in the sector do not drive neighborhood stores out of business. 11-May-04 | More
Oil, Currency and the War on Iraq: It will not come as news to anyone that the US dominates the world economically and militarily. But the exact mechanisms by which American hegemony has been established and maintained are perhaps less well understood than they might be. One tool used to great effect has been the dollar, but its efficacy has recently been under threat since Europe introduced the euro. 18-Apr-03 | More
India's Foreign Trade - INDIA has witnessed an impressive 96.57 percent growth in country's exports in less than a decade, since 1995, when India became a member of the WTO. Country's exports have gone up from US$ 26.3 billion in 1994-95 to US$ 51.7 bn in 2002-03. The country is slowly moving up the international trade ladder to attain its target of having at least 1 percent share of total global export trade by 2006-07. 01-Apr-04 | More

Economics scholar comments on our letter to the Hon'ble Finance Minister: Gaurav Saroliya is 24 years old and hails from Jaipur and is an Economics scholar at the Centre for Development Studies, Trivandrum where he is in the process of finishing his MPhil research. He has three years' work experience as an editor for an organisation called the Research Development Association, Jaipur, which publishes journals like Journal of Accounting and Finance and Management Persepectives. Besides that he has taught French at Alliance Francaise and has alos worked on a UNDP project on behavioural reforms in the police for one year. He has sent us his views on our CEO's letter of October 2002 to the Hon'ble Finance Minister. But before that he comments on the reduction of interest rates by the Fed in the US. 21-Nov-02 | More

Open letter to the Hon'ble Finance Minister of India Shri. Jaswant Singh : Our CEO writes an open letter to the Hon'ble Finance Minister of India voicing concers over the current economic scenario with a focus on the capital market. 26-Oct-02 | More

Should You Short this "Rigged" Market ? : Going short in this market may seem like a good way to make money and a lot of folks went short when the markets / stocks were slammed and a gloomy outlook pervaded the markets. This may be a wrong time to be short, unless one has a longer-term perspective, says Pinank Mehta. 19-Oct-02 | More

Haier Reaches Higher : No foreign brand has ever made it big in the U.S. major-appliance market. But China's top white-goods maker is determined to change that. "It's very difficult to set up a name brand," says Zhang Ruimin, the chairman and chief executive of Chinese appliance maker, Haier. "But if you don't take this road, you will always work for others." As for a major Chinese company manufacturing in the U.S. for the U.S. market--well, that had never been done before. 16-Sep-02 | More

Stock horror: America's retail investors made record withdrawals from stockmarket mutual funds during July, as shares hit four-year lows, according to data released this week. The sell-off has been followed by a sharp rally, leading some to argue that it signalled the end of the bear market. Is the worst over ? For one, despite the falls to date, American shares are still quite highly valued in historic terms. For example, the S&P500, the broadest of the three most common measures of stockmarket performance, is currently valued at 38 times historic earnings, compared with a post-war average of 15. Moreover, America is running a huge current-account deficit. If foreigners slow down the rate at which they are investing in America, the dollar will fall, as it has already begun to do. Lastly, markets tend to overshoot. So, even if one believes that stocks are fairly valued, it would not be surprising if they fell again before moving into a recovery phase again. 30-Aug-02 | More

IT grows up: While it waits for signs of a recovery, the information-technology industry is quietly maturing. WAITING for spending on information technology (IT) to pick up has become rather like waiting for Godot. Having grown by 16% in 2000, IT spending in the United States fell by 6% in 2001 and is expected to be stagnant this year. Analysts are fine-combing quarterly results for signs of a recovery. Last week brought some good news: Dell, a computer maker, announced a year-on-year increase in revenues of 11%. But the third-quarter results that HP, another computer giant, is to announce on August 27th will probably be less encouraging. 25-Aug-02 | More

Sweet Surrender: The market's relentless fall has pushed investors to the breaking point. Hey, could this be the moment we've been waiting for? 25-Aug-02 | More

Jumping but jumpy: Until their recent rebound, stockmarkets had ignored America’s recovery from last year’s recession. Now that the markets seemed to have regained their nerve, there are still reasons to be cautious. 25-Aug-02 | More

Asia's Superman swoops again: IN ALL honesty, most of Asia's tycoons, no matter how illustrious they appear at home, are really keepers of glorified mom-and-pop stores. The main exception is Li Ka-shing. This is not because Mr Li dominates the economy of Hong Kong, where he runs most of the port (the world's biggest), has the monopoly on supplying electricity to the main island, ranks among the territory's top landlords and retailers, and owns the biggest mobile-phone operator. Rather, it is because he, alone in his region, regularly makes his powers felt all over the world, and even influences the future of whole industries. 15-Aug-02 | More

The West may be cracking: Europeans believe that the likelihood that Saddam will pass nuclear weapons to terrorists is small, and that he remains deterrable. An invasion of Iraq is therefore not necessary; containment will work as it has since the Gulf War. And finally, they tend to believe that Muslim terrorists do not represent a general threat to the West, but are focused on the United States as a result of American policy in the Middle East and the Gulf region. The U.S.-European rift that has emerged in 2002 is not just a transitory problem reflecting the style of the Bush administration or the world situation in the wake of Sept. 11. It is a reflection of differing views of the locus of democratic legitimacy within a broader Western civilization. The writer, Francis Fukuyama, is a professor of international political economy at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University in Washington. This comment was adapted by the International Herald Tribune from a lecture in Melbourne on Aug. 8 that was organized by the Center for Independent Studies. 14-Aug-02 | More

Building Better IT Partnerships: If information technology (IT) is the future of business, why is it such a pain to manage productively? The reasons lie in the way it has evolved; the solution lies in a move toward partner relationships among technology suppliers. Imagine a world where you could fill your gas tank with only one brand of gasoline because your car was incompatible with all the others. Or think about owning a phone that could only communicate with other phones of the same type. These ideas sound absurd to us. A world organized this way would range from intolerably inconvenient to completely unworkable. And yet, we created such a world in the early days of the IT revolution - Lou D'Ambrosio (HBS MBA '92) is Vice President of Worldwide Sales and Marketing for the IBM Software Group. 10-Aug-02 | More

Open letter to the Hon'ble President of India Prof. A.P.J. Kalam: Open letter to the Hon'ble President of India Prof. A.P.J. Kalam | More

The Curse of Empires: Although the US stock market has still failed to exceed its early January high, and although a number of important high tech and telecommunication issues have broken down below their September 2001 lows, there was some great news. We know now that the US is an “Empire”. According to several articles which appeared in the international press, some of the most notable US commentators and scholars believe that, today, America is no mere superpower but a full blown empire in the Roman and British sense. Some observers even feel that no other country has been as dominant culturally, economically, technologically and militarily since the Roman Empire and that America’s soft imperial policies, tenacity and intellect can spread prosperity around the world. In fact, looking at the history of empires, I wonder why anyone would wish to have an empire because in the long run its maintenance proves to be far too costly. Inevitably, empires experience inflation, rising interest rates, and a depreciating currency. This is not to say that there are no good investment opportunities in empires, but in general better opportunities arise elsewhere, and if I am right in assuming that the US empire is already past its peak, then we will have to cope in years to come with higher and higher inflation and interest rates, and a weakening dollar. - Dr. Marc Faber 04-May-02 | More

Does India have a revenue model in the process of globalisation ?: A discussion initiated by our CEO - Rajiv Bhatia. "If you want to grow to your maximum or optimum potential, structure your society and your policies such that you can make maximum use of international capital, management skills, marketing skills, technology and knowledge." - Lee Kuan Yew. In the process of globalisation, with regard to India - Are we going to address Indian producers, consumers and investors ? Are we going to create wealth in Indian hands by way of jobs only or investment, profit sharing and entrepreneurial opportunities as well ? We must also bear in mind that salaries are a fraction of revenues whereas market capitalization is generally a multiple of revenues. Is China going to be smarter than us at seeing this and frame its policies accordingly ? We must find a way to equi-distribution of wealth through a free market economy without imposing protectionist restrictions on free flow of capital. At this critical stage of setting our global business model are we going to let our weakest participant and contributor to the economy, the Central Government, determine our path ahead and negotiate our future standing ? Shouldn’t we participate in the deal making at our level too? 17-Apr-02 | More