BUSINESS
Founder’s curse: The fatal flaw that has undone many an entrepreneurial journey
The stronger and charismatic the founder, the weaker the organisation in its second generation, says a new research paper. Indian business is replete with examples of strongman founders destroying the organisations they’ve built
BUSINESS
Ilker Ayci’s Air India refusal | Tatas have a problem with expat CEOs
The Tata Group has a thing for foreign CEOs. However, Marc Llistosella and Ilker Ayci’s decision reversals show that such hirings haven’t always been smooth for the salt-to-software conglomerate.
BUSINESS
Is HUL slowing on breakthrough products?
With growing fragmentation and emerging retail chains, HUL needs to stir a magical brew for heady growth
BUSINESS
Latest revelations cast a shadow over NSE’s listing plans
A more thorough enquiry by an investigative agency like the CBI is called for
BUSINESS
N Chandrasekaran's reappointment should be a big relief for Tata
As chairman, N Chandrasekaran hasn't sought to rebuild the group based on some grand masterplan. Instead he took the much more difficult path of mining its several companies for their various strengths across businesses while exploring the synergies between them
BUSINESS
Let’s not pretend to be shocked by the disclosures at BharatPe
For all the dissing Bharat Pe has received over the last few weeks, we have yet to hear a murmur of disapproval from its major investors which include heavyweights like Sequoia Capital, Ribbit Capital and Tiger Global
BUSINESS
Netflix discovers the importance of the second P of marketing in India
While price alone isn’t the determinant of sales, it plays a critical role in a buying decision by an Indian customer
BUSINESS
The war for IT talent is hurting non-IT companies even more
Four fifths of graduates churned out by India’s engineering colleges don’t have the skill sets that equip them for jobs in emerging technologies like AI and machine learning
BUSINESS
Game on for Microsoft as it acquires Activision Blizzard in mega deal
Activision fits into the recurring revenue model comprising software and platform subscriptions that Microsoft has been increasingly moving to
BUSINESS
Indian IT firms are in a global sweet spot again
Mckinsey estimates that the Indian IT industry could grow 10 percent a year over the next five years, to reach $300-350 billion in revenues. That’s substantially up from the average 7.5 percent growth registered over the last five years
BUSINESS
Don’t expect LIC to turn world class after going public
LIC’s creeping disinvestment may serve little purpose in the long run, besides meeting the government’s disinvestment target
BUSINESS
Conviction of Elizabeth Holmes is an indictment of a startup culture that rewards deceit
The debasement of Elizabeth Holmes may seem distant and irrelevant to us in India. Instead it should prod us into examining the cultural moorings of our booming startup ecosystem
BUSINESS
The year crypto became mainstream in India
Nearly 1.5 crore Indians are believed to have traded in crypto in the past 18 months, almost as many as the number of taxpayers in the country
BUSINESS
Anil Agarwal’s small bet on nickel is loaded with big possibilities
Vedanta’s appetite for buying distressed assets gives it an entry point into a sunrise sector
BUSINESS
Can the courts clarify what the Companies Act left ambiguous?
Several high profile cases entail substantial questions of the law related to business. The decisions in each of these cases will set precedents for corporate actions in the future.
BUSINESS
India’s EV industry may be hitting inflection point
Competitively priced electric two-wheelers are rapidly tilting the balance in favour of electric vehicles
BUSINESS
The Jack Dorsey dilemma for India’s new founder CEOs
The founder’s spirit is essential to conceive a product or service and then drive it to the market. Then comes the task of scaling the operations, setting up teams and putting in place the requisite technology and network. This is the stage when most startups have growth pangs and it is where experience and expertise come into play
BUSINESS
Corporate America’s pipeline of Indian techies may be drying up
Till the early 1990s, the number of non-white-male CEOs heading Fortune 500 corporations could be counted on the fingers of one hand. That changed at the turn of the century. Not just Indians, but Asian Americans in general as well as other minority groups
TRENDS
Softened by private capital, startups are struggling with public market norms
Public markets operate under a different set of rules than private markets, some of them unwritten. Founders need to change their traditional approach to communication
BUSINESS
GE is splitting, but conglomerates are not disappearing
It isn't just GE that is breaking itself up, Toshiba and Johnson & Johnson have also announced plans to split themselves
BUSINESS
Ola’s credentials as a disruptor will be tested by its ability to deliver
Ola's failure to deliver a test ride or a dealer where a prospective customer can check out the product is rapidly becoming a trust deficit
BUSINESS
War for talent replaces capital as India Inc’s biggest concern
Gen Z, those between the ages of 18 and 25, that has been most impacted by the changes in work practices following the pandemic. According to the Microsoft survey quoted above, 60 percent of this cohort say they are merely surviving or flat-out struggling right now
TECHNOLOGY
Maruti's reluctance in electric vehicles: Does it hint at fear of losing market share?
Is Maruti’s reluctance to commit itself substantially to EVs a sign that it reads the future differently from others? Or does it represent the company’s reluctance to risk losing its dominance in cars based on internal combustion engines ?
BUSINESS
Supply constraints an opportunity for fundamental change at companies
Companies must utilise the global supply crunch to come up with innovative solutions, just as they did during the worst phase of the pandemic
