Business Today back issues from December 2008:
Time for a price cut? ; Despite a call from the FM, industry leaders say cutting production is a better way to deal with recession.
Dec 14, 2008; ... The country's finance minister and india inc. are singingdifferent tunes. While P. Chidambaram wants industries acrosssegments to reduce prices of goods to boost flagging demand, mostindustries feel the right way would be to cut production. Who'sright then? Sample this: Honda Motors sold ...
Instan tip
Dec 14, 2008; ... The fortnight's burning question.Q Do you expect real estateprices to crash by the end of the current financial year? A Yes. Renu Sud Karnad, Joint Managing Director, HDFC Yes. Priceswill go down further. The impact of the global meltdown can beminimised only by second generation ...
'Impossible to be risk proof' ; Inge Boets, E&Y's Global Head of Business Risks, talks about the importance of risk management groups.
Dec 14, 2008; ... I don't think you can ever be completely covered for risk norwould you even want it,says Inge Boets, Partner, Ernst&Young. You wouldn't want to be completely covered because the cost couldbe prohibitive,she adds. So, why bother with risk management if onecan never be completely ...
Numbers of note
Dec 14, 2008 ... 30%:The expected percentage of dip in recruitments in companiesacross 22 segments, according to HR service provider Ma Foi, overthe figures that it put out in January this year. 13%: The fall in the number of air traffic passengers in ...
"Firms in UK and China are looking for investment opportunities" ; Jo Pisani, is a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers, UK, responsible for consumer and industrial products in the Market & Value Advisory team. She spoke to BT's Suman Layak on managing the downturn.
Dec 14, 2008; ... Jo Pisani, is a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers, UK,responsible for consumer and industrial products in the Market&ValueAdvisory team. She spoke to BT's Suman Layak on managing thedownturn. Excerpts: What kind of advice do clients seek during a downturn? Theymostly ask about ...
Heathrow-on-sea ; What? One of the world's largest international airport plans to relocate onto a tidal estuary to the east of London.
Dec 14, 2008; ... What? One of the world's largest international airport plans torelocate onto a tidal estuary to the east of London. Why? London residents have grown increasingly frustrated byHeathrow's development and plans for a new third runway, which willincrease noise in residential areas near ...
The sWaP phone
Dec 14, 2008; ... What is it? It's a watch that costs250 (Rs 19,000). Isn't that a lot of money? Yes, it is. So, why am I paying so much money? Because it is a watch and youcan slide a mobile SIM card into it to make it a phone! But there ...
The fight gets real ; The global crisis has spilled from the international financial system into the real sector. Here's what the UPA government's game plan for dealing with it is looking like at the moment.
Dec 14, 2008; ... A meeting, chaired by Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, on October29 in Delhi deliberated on India's strategy for minimising theimpact of the global economic downturn on India. It recognised thetouch points where the impact is being, and will soon be, felt andthe potential remedial ...
To be precise
Dec 14, 2008 ... India is still shining. Given the current situation, I am sure atleast 150 finance ministers from all over the world will give theirleft hand and left leg to get that growth Madhur Bajaj, Vice Chairman, Bajaj Auto, in Business Standard The economy will rebound in six to nine ...
Ranked ; Reliance Industries (RIL) Chairman Mukesh Ambani, with a net worth of $20.8 billion, is the richest Indian in the world. Ambani has displaced Lakshmi Mittal, according to a list of the nation's 40 richest people compiled by the Forbes.
Dec 14, 2008 ... Ranked: Reliance Industries (RIL) Chairman Mukesh Ambani, with anet worth of $20.8 billion, is the richest Indian in the world.Ambani has displaced Lakshmi Mittal, according to a list of thenation's 40 richest people compiled by the Forbes. Struck: ONGC Videsh and its partner IRP ...
China's 10-point bailout
Dec 14, 2008; ... The Chinese government on November 9 surprised the world with amassive stimulus package of 4 trillion Yuan ($586 billion). To bespent over two years, this will amount to roughly 7 per cent ofGross Domestic Product. The package intends to increase spending in these ...
Banking on a change
Dec 14, 2008; ... Two months after leading investment bankers Goldman Sachs andMorgan Stanley transformed themselves into full-fledged banks, it isnow the turn of credit card giant American Express (AmEx) to followsuit. The world's fourth-largest credit card issuer received a goahead from the US Federal ...
A spirited upswing ; Notwithstanding the ongoing recession, a flurry of wine labels has launched in India last month. Insiders say there are still no signs of a slowdown.
Dec 14, 2008; ... Even as the rest of the economy flounders in a downturn, this isone segment where entrepreneurs are smiling all the way to the bank.The wine industry, which has been growing at a healthy rate of 25per cent over the past year is showing no signs of slowing down.With half a dozen foreign ...
Licence to steal ; Dollars are pouring in for telecom licences and scarce 2G spectrum, but the government isn't gaining. A bunch of companies are. The Telecom Minister is to blame.
Dec 14, 2008; ... A little over a year ago, few had heard of A. Raja. A Dalitpolitician from Tamil Nadu, he was DMK supremo M. Karunanidhi'snomination to the UPA council of ministers for the environmentportfolio. Then last May, Karunanidhi dethroned the incumbenttelecom minister and his nephew Dayandhi ...
Helping hand for 3G ; Helping Hand for 3G NTT DoCoMo-Tata Tele tie-up promises to bring many innovative services to India.
Dec 14, 2008; ... Three days after Ryuji Yamada, President and CEO, NTT DoCoMoInc., met the media in Mumbai on November 14, he announced thelaunch of 3.9G services in 2010 from Macau in China. It's somethingthat NTT DoCoMo has been testing in Japan since 2006 and is nowready to roll out. Yamada was in ...
Against all odds ; Despite staring at bankruptcy in the US, General Motors is pushing ahead with expansion plans in India.
Dec 14, 2008; ... General motors (GM) is in dire straits in the US, but it hasambitious plans for India. The Indian operations are fine,says a very indignant P.Balendran, Director (Corporate Affairs), General Motors India. We just opened a new factory with a capacity of 140,000 cars lastmonth ....
Laptop largesse ; OLPC wants to replicate its success in the US in India, but faces logistical hurdles along the way.
Dec 14, 2008; ... With 110 million children in the 5-12 age group, India is anobvious target for the ambitious One Laptop Per Child (OLPC)initiative pioneered by tech visionary Nicholas Negroponte. ForSatish Jha, President, OLPC India, this will be a second connectionwith young children; the first ...
New pasture for tech firms ; Indian IT companies are scrambling to get into the media and entertainment space.
Dec 14, 2008; ... A different sort of convergence is taking place in the Indianmedia and entertainment space, including digital advertising.Leading technology and IT companies are getting ready to ride theexpected boom in the sector by either beefing up their presence init or striking alliances and ...
Neighbour's woes ; Woes Pakistan's economy has fallen in and out of crisis quickly in the past. But, with its friends refusing to help, how will it pull itself out of the latest mess?
Dec 14, 2008; ... Pakistan is smack in the middle of a serious economic meltdown.Its list of woes are tortuously long and varied: purchasing power isbeing strangulated by a 25 per cent inflation rate. The Governmenthas borrowed a whopping Rs 1.4 trillion from the Central Bank tofund its spending. The ...
Fighting the bad times ; Vijay Mallya's aviation business has landed in a sea of red. Mallya has a survival plan, but he may need to look at drastic options to stay afloat. K. R. Balasubramanyam and Kushan Mitra go into the details.
Dec 14, 2008; ... We have done our homework. I have done 10 months of meticulousplanning for this venture. Today it has become fashionable to launchan airline. But we have a huge brand pull because of the Kingfisherbrand. Half of my marketing problems are taken care ofVijay Mallya,in Business Today dated ...
"We can wipe out our losses in three years" ; Can the 'King of Good Times' survive the turbulence in the current aviation downturn? In an exclusive interview that started well past midnight and continued for over two hours at his residence on Delhi's tony Sardar Patel Marg, Mallya shed light on what has been dragging Kingfisher down and how he will get the airline flying high again.
Dec 14, 2008 ... Can the 'King of Good Times' survive the turbulence in thecurrent aviation downturn? In an exclusive interview that startedwell past midnight and continued for over two hours at his residenceon Delhi's tony Sardar Patel Marg, Mallya shed light on what hasbeen dragging Kingfisher down and ...
Biyani battles the blues ; The pioneer of organised retail is counting onconscious consumptionrather thanconspicuous consumptionto see his group through the slowdown.
Dec 14, 2008; ... Try this quick quiz: Which is the only stock amongst the 30 thatmakes up the Dow Jones Industrial Average that's actually gained inthe current year, even as the index slipped by 36.5 per cent, tillmid-November? Answer: Wal-Mart. Buoyed by third-quarter profits that beatanalysts' ...
Brands of future ; Biyani unveils his newest gambit in the consumption space.
Dec 14, 2008 ... Rewrite rules, retain valuethat's Kishore Biyani's way of summingup his thrust in the branded space. He's done that once withretailing 7-8 years ago. Now this serial entrepreneur of sorts isaiming to build a $2-billion (Rs 10,000-crore) business of brands by2012. The strategy revolves ...
Stocking up or selling out? ; Subhiksha plans Act II to capture consumer attention. But credit squeeze is hampering its expansion plans.
Dec 14, 2008; ... Losing out on a first-mover advantage is not exactly something tocrow about. But it's a subject that R. Subramanian, ManagingDirector, Subhiksha, tackles with aplomb even as he fights an uphillbattle to get the consumers to queue up at his stores. Yes, we had problems with our ...
Opportunity in adversity ; The crash of the stock markets, coupled with the liquidity crisis, may have put paid to the plans of many entrepreneurs. But venture capitalists believe that the present times of adversity will lead to opportunities as also a brutal Darwinian selection of the most robust new businesses.
Dec 14, 2008; ... The image of a knife through a butchered pig's head isn't apretty one, but this was the image on the third slide of SequoiaCapital's presentation to over 100 Chief Executives of investeecompanies made on October 10 in Silicon Valley. Sequoia is as blue-chip as blue-chip venture capital ...
Head wind? Who cares! ; Reliance Infrastructure, the oldest among the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group companies, with the legacy of Bombay Suburban Electric Supply (BSES), is trying to build itself a new future in difficult times. Suman Layak goes into the details.
Dec 14, 2008; ... The old electricity House at Santa Cruz (East) has beendemolished, and the concrete foundation for a new building put inplace. Another buildingon the same plot will be demolished once thenew six-storey building is ready. On a few tamarind trees within thecompound, hundreds of white ...
Sunset or sunrise? ; The economic slowdown has already impaired both performance and sentiments. But would things take a turn for the worse before they become better? We sift through key domestic economic indicators to analyse what's in store.
Dec 14, 2008; ... From bankruptcies, collapse and bailouts, the words definingeconomic crisis have changed a bit. Layoffs, cost-cutting, rightsizing, cash conservation are the new defining terms. Yet, as theclouds hanging over the economy get darker and darker, the questionuppermost on everybody's mind ...
Sasken's survival struggle ; It was among Indian IT's most promising companies, but turmoil in its key markets and some costly misses have plunged the Bangalore- based firm into a battle for survival.
Dec 14, 2008; ... Rajiv Mody, the beleaguered Founder-Chairman and CEO of Bangalore-based Sasken Communication Technologies, got yet another shockrecently. Hari Iyer, Sasken's HR Head, who had been with him sincethe day he had set up Sasken 20 years ago, had put in his papers.Over the past few months, ...
Poverty's new saviour ; Microfinance in Indiahas grown fast. But has it also grown right?
Dec 14, 2008; ... Poverty has become big business in India. So much so that a slewof storied venture capital outfits and wealthy techies such asSequoia Capital, eBay Founder Pierre Omidyar and Michael Dell whoare more at home analysing enterprise software or semiconductormakers' business models, have now ...
Messiah or merchant? ; Vikram Akula has revolutionised Indian microfinance by building SKS one of the biggest brands in rural India. His critics feel that he has ignored the very people he should be helping.
Dec 14, 2008; ... Consider a company growing at a sizzling 200 per cent and backedby blue chip venture capital investors from Silicon Valley such asSequoia Capital and uber VC Vinod Khosla. A firm that has recentlyraised $75 million (Rs 366 crore) in its fourth round of financingin one of the worst ...
"India needs game changers In microfinance"
Dec 14, 2008; ... Nancy Barry is the ex-head of the world Bank's Global IndustryDevelopment Group and former President of Women's World Banking.Over the last two years, Barry has built Enterprise Solutions toPoverty (ESP), which engages industry leaders and entrepreneurs inbuilding inclusive growth ...
The route to dharmacracy ; Management practitioners are turning to the introspective wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita and other Indian texts as an alternative to rapacious capitalism.
Dec 14, 2008; ... Come January and Vijay Govindarajan, Professor of StrategicInnovation and Management at Tuck School, Dartmouth, US, will be inIndia with a group of 50 USbased executives. His mission? I have arranged for Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev to spend a day withthe executives. The Sadhguru teaches ...
Coping with an uncertain market ; The market meltdown has cleaned up nearly 60 per cent of investor wealth. How are investors trying to cope with their losses? We take a look.
Dec 14, 2008; ... These are trying times for even the most seasoned investors withexposure to the stock market. Or are they, really? Business Todayreached out to four retail investors in four cities to gauge theirmood in the wake of the market crash and find out how they arecoping. The findings are ...
The art of living frugally ; After a prolonged period of good times, it is time to tighten your purse strings. BT tells how.
Dec 14, 2008; ... He who does not economise will have to agonise Confucius The need to live within our means and save for thefuture is something that is imbibed into us from early stages of ourlives. It is just that a prolonged period of good times has made usa little lackadaisical when it comes to ...
From talent crunch to cash crunch ; As corporate India goes through this fundamental shift, how is it impacting the job market? One hint: downsizing isn't the key objective, at least not as yet.
Dec 14, 2008; ... Ahyderabad-based retail chain was frantically looking for itshead of HR two months ago. Two weeks ago, the same company suspendedthe position. Faced with an economic downturn, the company istightening its belt. The suspension of the position is a function of caution,says thehead ...
The ground reality ; BT reporters go incognito across five cities to find out what's the best deal your money can buy against a developer's listed price.
Dec 14, 2008; ... Noida November 15, 2008 Tejeesh N.S. Behl House hunting in thencr is akin to a picnictake the day off and visit several propertiesand property dealers, haggle till your tongue drops off and thenhaggle some more. My first stop: Eldeco Utopia in Noida's Sector 93,just off the Expressway ....
Heady delights ; If chocolates can have rum filling, why not the sandesh? Nakur's, magician of the sandesh, rides the globalisation wave.
Dec 14, 2008; ... What economic downturn? It is 6 p.m., and a customer wants totake 400 pieces of Jol-bhora (a type of sandesh filled with datepalm juice) by air for a friend in Ahmedabad. Will it get crushed? How much will it weigh? Can I take it ashand baggage?the worried customer pesters Prasanta ...
Paint your car blue! ; The Fiat Linea will have an integrated Bluetooth system to hook up your mobile. But your car, your mobile and your computer might soon become one entity.
Dec 14, 2008; ... The Fiat Linea, which will be launched in India shortly, will bethe first midmarket car with an integrated Bluetooth system. Thoughthe Tata Indigo XL had such a system, it was an aftermarketBlaupunkt system on that car. Blaupunkt and Sony Audio both makeBluetooth-capable systems which ...
Build killer biceps ; Here's a two-part quiz. One: Are you happy with the size of your biceps? And two: Why not?
Dec 14, 2008; ... If you've answered 'yes' to the first question, you're either afemale yoga instructor, a skinny male model headed to the fashionramps of Milan, or a Shiamak Davar dancer! Most men want big biceps.Trouble is, most guys have been doing the same two or three armmovements since they first ...
The southern excellence ; Participants electrify the South Zone BT Acumen finals in Bangalore with their cerebral energy.
Dec 14, 2008; ... The quality of a debate is usually made up by the quality ofdebaters. But when you have topics like Pursuit of Happiness Makes Managers Blind to Human Sufferingand US Financial Crisis Signals the Death Knell of Capitalismtoattack and defend, the participants are bound to get ...
Walking the talk with Obama ; Named one of the most powerful women in the world, Nancy M. Barry, 59, the Founder and President of Enterprise Solutions to Poverty and former President of the New York-based Women's World Banking, is no stranger to the limelight.
Dec 14, 2008; ... Named one of the most powerful women in the world, Nancy M.Barry, 59, the Founder and President of Enterprise Solutions toPoverty and former President of the New York-based Women's WorldBanking, is no stranger to the limelight. Known to be a closeconfidant and friend of the Obama family, ...
Execution excellence
Dec 14, 2008; ... Over a year after he quit as chief executive of Infosys, NandanMohan Nilekani, 53, is putting in place the final touches to hisnext career move that could see him morph into one of the country'smost respected think tanks on everything from IT to infrastructure.That doesn't mean that ...
Instant tip ; The fortnight's burning question. Do you think the cut in petroleum prices is a wise decision and can be sustained?
Dec 28, 2008; ... The fortnight's burning question. Do you think the cut inpetroleum prices is a wise decision and can be sustained? Yes. Sarthak Behuria, Chairman, Indian Oil Corporation One wasexpecting a drop in domestic petroleum prices for quite some time.As far as oil marketing companies ...
India Inc. reworks pay norms ; The downturn is making firms change their salary structures, says a Mercer study.
Dec 28, 2008; ... After right-sizing, India Inc. is now right-pricing itsworkforce. Faced with a cash crunch, companies are tweaking theirsalary structures and adopting a differential package based onperformance, according to a Mercer study on compensation. What'smore, with compensations getting ...
'A 6 per cent growth is quite good' ; James H. Quigley, CEO, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, was in the capital to attend the three-day India Economic Forum. In a conversation with BT's Manu Kaushik, he spoke on the economic crisis and its impact on India. Excerpts:
Dec 28, 2008; ... James H. Quigley, CEO, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, was in thecapital to attend the three-day India Economic Forum. In aconversation with BT's Manu Kaushik, he spoke on the economic crisisand its impact on India. Excerpts: Do you see a global recession following the current ...
Where's Rs 2 lakh crore gone? ; The government has injected lots of funds into the banking system, here's where it's gone.
Dec 28, 2008; ... Where has the RS 2 lakh-crore liquidity infused into the cash-strapped banking system by Mint Street since September this year,vanished? This was the question puzzling mandarins at the NorthBlock even as they were readying to announce a first-of-its kindeconomy booster package last ...
Numbers of note ; $513 million: Amount of money deposited by NRIs in Indian banks in September 2008 the highest since December 2006
Dec 28, 2008 ... $513 million: Amount of money deposited by NRIs in Indian banksin September 2008 the highest since December 2006 Rs 400: The amount by which Air India has reduced fuel surchargeon all domestic flights, making it the first airline to slash faresafter a substantial cut in jet fuel ...
E-commerce goes high on life ; From diamonds and MP4 players to lingerie and stamps Indians are buying and selling everything on the web.
Dec 28, 2008; ... Shopping in India has gone online big time. More than a billionhits were registered on the top online buying and selling site eBayin 2007 with shoppers bidding on everything from phones and diamondsto stamps and lingerie. Top 5 E-commerce ...
#Mumbai@Twitter ; What is it? #Mumbai was what users who posted updates on the site Twitter had to put as the tag line when updating information about the Mumbai attacks.
Dec 28, 2008; ... What is it? #Mumbai was what users who posted updates on the siteTwitter had to put as the tag line when updating information aboutthe Mumbai attacks. Was there any new information online? Actually, between Twitterand most blogs, the amount of new information was low. Why? ...
Chidambaram's farewell gift ; With the terror attacks making travellers even more reluctant to fly, this is the time to rationalise the high state taxes on jet fuel to bring them back.
Dec 28, 2008; ... Before leaving office, former finance minister (now the homeminister) P. Chidambaram had announced that North Block was willingto introduce a bill in Parliament to make jet fuel a declared good,if the government could muster enough political support to see itthrough the legislature. On ...
Noted ; Demerged: By Ahmedabad-based textiles conglomerate Arvind, its branded apparel and retail businesses into two separate companies as part of its plan to raise funds later. Both the demerged companies will become subsidiaries of the company. Arvind's branded apparel business will be merged with Arvind Lifestyle Brands and its discount store chain Mega Mart with Arvind Retail. The demeger will come into effect from April 2009.
Dec 28, 2008 ... Demerged: By Ahmedabad-based textiles conglomerate Arvind, itsbranded apparel and retail businesses into two separate companies aspart of its plan to raise funds later. Both the demerged companieswill become subsidiaries of the company. Arvind's branded apparelbusiness will be merged ...
Just wondering... ; What happened to the Investment Commission set up by the government with much fanfare in December 2004 with the objective of, among other things, improving FDI flow into India?
Dec 28, 2008; ... What happened to the Investment Commission set up by thegovernment with much fanfare in December 2004 with the objective of,among other things, improving FDI flow into India?The commission,comprising Ratan Tata, Deepak Parekh and Ashok Ganguly, did submit a100-page report in March 2006 ...
To be precise ; "The world is not going to miss participating in an economy growing between 7 and 8 per cent" A.M. Naik, Chairman, Larsen & Toubro (L&T), talking about the impact of the recent terror attacks in Mumbai, in BusinessWeek online
Dec 28, 2008 ... "The world is not going to miss participating in an economygrowing between 7 and 8 per cent" A.M. Naik, Chairman, Larsen&Toubro(L & T), talking about the impact of the recent terror attacks inMumbai, in BusinessWeek online "This can happen in London or New York; you need to take ...
Slow net gains ; As more Indians get connected and access a host of news and social networking sites, India's Internet traffic is showing a marked increase. According to Akamai Technology's Quarterly State of the Internet Report for the third quarter of 2008, India had 2.6 million Internet protocol (IP) addresses up 23 per cent over the second quarter this year. Most Indians continued to use the internet for e- mail and social networking.
Dec 28, 2008; ... As more Indians get connected and access a host of news andsocial networking sites, India's Internet traffic is showing amarked increase. According to Akamai Technology's Quarterly State ofthe Internet Report for the third quarter of 2008, India had 2.6million Internet protocol (IP) ...
The FM Ltd ; P. Chidambaram's record as Finance Minister resembled that of the economy he presided high on potential, low on performance.
Dec 28, 2008; ... Word from Raisina Hill is that babus are shuffling into the HomeMinistry three hours sooner than they were till December 1. The newHome Minister, P. Chidambaram, is a workaholic. For the haplessbureaucrats, many in Chidambaram's former team in the financeministry recommend stocking ...
Annus Horribilis? ; 2008 was supposed to be Tata Motors' date with destiny, but how things have changed! So, is it their fault or are they just a victim of circumstances?
Dec 28, 2008; ... The celebration will really come when we have seeded the marketwith a really acceptable product and we have revolutionised themanner in which people can travel. Ratan Tata, January 9, 2008 in an interview to Business Today You cannot run a plant with police protection, you ...
Starting up all over again ; The promoters of Zandu Pharma and Fem Care Pharma recently sold their stakes at attractive valuations. All the deals were struck above the prevailing stock prices of the two companies, an enviable feat considering the depressed economic and market conditions.
Dec 28, 2008; ... The promoters of Zandu Pharma and Fem Care Pharma recently soldtheir stakes at attractive valuations. All the deals were struckabove the prevailing stock prices of the two companies, an enviablefeat considering the depressed economic and market conditions.Business Today's Virendra Verma ...
The cost of terror ; The Mumbai terror attacks punctured business sentiment already deflated by a spreading slowdown. The economic stimulus now needed is not just of liquidity but of foolproof security and targeted expenditure.
Dec 28, 2008; ... Akamai is a Nasdaq 100 old hand in web services, whose originscan be traced back to the emergence of the World Wide Web itself.After breaking through with one of the four top performing initialpublic offerings in history, in 1999, Akamai went on to survive thetech wreck at the turn of ...
The E to Z of Ayurveda ; Will Emami's acquisition of Zandu Pharma change the landscape of the consumer products sector?
Dec 28, 2008; ... Lipsticks can wait, asserts Harsha Vardhan Agarwal, Director,Emami, and son of its Co-Founder R.S. Agarwal. Agarwal Jr,mastermind of the Rs 700-crore acquisition of the venerable ZanduPharmaceutical Works, is choosing to focus on existing products.Never mind the recession threatening to ...
Good, but not good enough ; Price reduction on Friday, rate reduction on Saturday and tax cuts on Sunday. The first weekend of December saw the government announcing a slew of both fiscal and monetary measures. But a flagging economy needs more.
Dec 28, 2008 ... Rate cuts: Three years of tightening, three months of looseningThe RBI cut the repo rate (the rate at which banks borrow from RBI)and the reverse repo rate (the rate the RBI pays to banks for theirdeposits) by 1 percentage point each to 6.5 per cent and 5 per centrespectively. Before ...
Moment of reckoning ; The attacks came at a time when the economy wasn't in shipshape due to the global credit crisis. Now, the government needs to act decisively to minimise the impact of the terror attacks on the economy. Rishi Joshi and Rachna Monga go into the details.
Dec 28, 2008; ... Following Mumbai's terror attacks, the chief concern plaguinginvestors, managers and business owners was this: Can the attacksderail India's impressive growth story? Fact is, the attacks come ata time when the economy isn't in shipshape due to the global creditcrisis. The ...
How other economies fought terror ; Devastating Al Qaida attacks rattled the economies of the US, UK and Spain but swift government policies prevented their economies from tanking. Can India learn from them? Puja Mehra finds out.
Dec 28, 2008; ... As soon as ten heavily armed men began their carnage in Mumbai,journalists and citizens alike instantly dubbed the unfoldingtragedy, 'India's 9/11.' Many also bemoaned the fact that a fragileeconomy, already strangulated by a global slowdown, was now simplygoing into a further tailspin ....
The big business in keeping safe ; While most Indian companies are facing bleak times, security firms are having their day in the sun.
Dec 28, 2008; ... The devastating terror attacks on several Mumbai landmarks havetaken the wind out of the economy and forced many foreign businessesto temporarily shun India. But one sector has never had it so good:the security industry. The security systems market is seeing anavalanche of requests from ...
Funding terror ; Even as India plans to beef up its security and surveillance systems, it is equally important to choke the funding lines to the terror organisations.
Dec 28, 2008; ... Terrorists at least cannot be blamed for not getting the maximumbang for their buck. With relatively small funds, they plot eventsthat have global repercussions. The Mumbai attacks gave theterrorists freeairtimeon television channels across the world. Yet,how do they manage to fund their ...
Staying the course ; They are foreigners in Mumbai as CEOs and entrepreneurs. Not one has hit the exit button.
Dec 28, 2008; ... Many foreign business people scheduled to visit Mumbai in thecoming days might have cancelled or put off their trips, but theexpatriates who have made this country, and more so Mumbai, theirhome are not packing their bags yet just because of the terrorattacks. Yes, the expats have been ...