Think Tank

Forbes has brought out a list of World’s Most Innovative Companies, ranking them by a matric called Innovation Premium:  
http://www.forbes.com/special-features/innovative-companies-list.html 
Salesforce.com is ranked as world’s most innovative company. Amazon.com is at #2, confirming that technology companies will remain in the most innovative lot as a practice. Some favorites appear like this: #5 Apple, #7 Google. We have [...]

I remember the day when I had to buy my first motorbike. I was on my first job, in Chhattisgarh, and I went on a search to find a bike in the market. I wanted to buy an Indian brand only. I won’t even take a Hero Honda because Honda for me was Japanese, even [...]

One fine morning, I realized that Airtel had changed its logo. The new logo propped up everywhere in the city in a matter of a week. At first glance, I didn’t like it. On second thoughts I criticized Bharti for the extravaganza (consider the cost of changing the logos and hoardings all across the nation; [...]

I hope you saw the new Five Star chocolate ad. The ad shows two guys Suresh and Ramesh who have a temporary loss of memory because they are having 5 Star. The ad seems to be popular.  
Now 5 Star’s popularity is near immortal. 5 Star brand has always been in the Indian market, from the [...]

The company has a very big campus in Hyderabad. It has more than a dozen buildings amidst trees and gardens. The whole campus is an aesthetic delight. The company is also among India’s biggest, with more than a lakh employees. Naturally, a lot of parents aspire to have their kids working here. And the manner, [...]

Page 115 of Mahindra and Mahindra Annual Report 2009-2010 makes an interesting disclosure. It tells about the company’s donations to political parties; as under: 
(a) Indian National Congress                 Rs 1 Crore
(b) Bhartiya Janata Party                      Rs 1 Crore
(c) Shiv Sena                                      Rs 0.50 Crore
(d) Nationalist Congress Party                Rs 0.50 Crore
(e) Bihar Pradesh Janata Dal (United)     Rs 0.25 Crore 
Corporate [...]

Philips Electronics has signed an agreement with Videocon according to which Videocon would make and sell Philips brand TV sets in India.  
http://www.dnaindia.com/money/report_philips-videocon-in-marketing-pact_1373358 
Videocon would pay around 3% of royalty to Philips in return. The initial contract is for five years which can be extended by another spell of five years.   
I see the benefits to the two [...]

Business Reliance shuts petrol stations Reliance Industries (RIL) has decided to close all its 1432 petrol pumps. It is because the subsidies given to the public sector oil retailing companies were making its business economically unviable. The company hasn’t sold off its stations – but is waiting for any favourable move by the government to extend the [...]

BusinessPropaganda of Retail A government ‘study’ has come up, proving that organised big retail is harming the unorganised small retail shops’ business. [Link] This survey (and they call it a study) was started on the directive of UPA chairperson. The survey involved around 1000 small retailers in four Indian cities, including 800 who were within a [...]

Any Time Money (ATM) Kumar Rahul Tiwary In the classes of financial accounting, we learnt how to maintain journals and ledgers. The professor gave practical examples, but this art and science of commerce is not that easy, unless you are a B.Com. At one time, I used to keep an account of all my expenses; but [...]