BUSINESS
With its lenders back in the court, Jet’s future looks cloudy
In retrospect, it is clear that the consortium that bid for and bagged the rights to revive the airline underestimated the financial requirements of the task they had undertaken
COMPANIES
Vikram Kirloskar | How Toyota’s legacy of manufacturing excellence inspired this Renaissance Man
Kirloskar recognised the transformative possibilities of Toyota’s efficient manufacturing practices. In tying up with the Japanese company, he showed maturity and foresight. Their partnership has stood the test of time, even as many others in the automobile space fell by the wayside
TRENDS
Have Asian teams finally turned the corner at the World Cup?
In week 1 of the football World Cup, Saudi Arabia beat Lionel Messi-led, two-time champions Argentina, then Japan defeated four-time winner of the trophy Germany, South Korea drew two-time champion Uruguay, and even Iran found its form to topple Wales.
TRENDS
'How Soccer Explains the World', and 9 more football books for the committed fan
A curated list of books on football that lovers of the game can always turn to.
BUSINESS
Ramesh Chauhan: The entrepreneur who knows when to get in and get out of a business
Chauhan isn’t like most entrepreneurs who get married to their businesses and stay on till death parts them – in many cases, it’s the death of the business itself.
BUSINESS
Indian CEOs get a much longer rope than Disney gave Bob Chapek
Why are boards in India reluctant to sack a misfiring CEO? Partly, it is to do with the comfortable relationship that most members enjoy with the CEO of the company stemming from past relationships which are often the reason they are drafted in
BUSINESS
Areez Pirojshaw Khambatta: the flavorist who gave India love in a packet of Rasna
The lasting legacy of the man who drove Rasna’s initial success will be that of a little girl offering a glass of the beverage to her toy elephant and then gulping it down herself.
TRENDS
FIFA World Cup 2022: Can Qatar do justice to its status as the host team
Qatar, which joined FIFA only in 1963, has so far achieved very little on the field to merit much attention as a footballing nation.
BUSINESS
Indian IT’s inability to move up the value chain is a drag in tough times
That only five Indian firms - Infosys, TCS, Wipro, HCL and Tech M - figured in Forbes’ annual list of America’s Best Management Consulting Firms, tells its own tale. None of these five got a 5-star rating, the highest possible in any category, with only Infosys bagging a 4 star rating in some
TRENDS
The bliss of retired life
Nearly 10 crore Indians are packed off into retirement every year because they have turned 58 or if they are luckier 60.
BUSINESS
Moonlighting and layoffs are both indicative of a broken employer-employee relationship
In a hire and fire culture, employees are constantly under threat of the pink slip
TRENDS
Even as the T20 World Cup hurtles on another World Cup beckons
The stress will be particularly high for those whose loyalty is to England and Australia, the only two teams to have qualified for both the events.
BUSINESS
Sprite’s billion-dollar success comes with mountains of unwanted sugar
The uptake of sugar-laden beverages marketed by MNCs in India is a health risk for young consumers hooked to them
BUSINESS
JJ Irani, the Tata group faithful who led the march of Indian steel
Initially a minor player in a fierce boardroom battle, Jamshed J Irani emerged from the shadows to steer clear of Russi Mody’s pervasive influence over Tata Steel and lead the company up the more difficult path to financial redemption
INDIA
130 years ago Dadabhai Naoroji began the journey that Rishi Sunak has completed
In 1892, the primarily working-class constituency of Central Finsbury elected Dadabhai Naoroji. From there Naoroji proceeded to deliver on his agenda, to hold a mirror to Britain's shameful rule in India.
BUSINESS
Elon Musk may be Twitter’s best bet for survival
Unlike the tight ship that Elon Musk runs, Twitter is in shambolic shape
TRENDS
Before moonlighting, there was freelance journalism but without the debate
Freelancing gives you an illusion of choice. But the aspiring 'free agent' needs to develop intellectual resources to deliver the desired content and also emotional sinew to cope with the silent treatment.
BUSINESS
The tricky business of sporting sponsorships
The tussle between environmentally conscious or politically aware players and sponsoring companies is likely to become more intense
TRENDS
Book review: How artificial intelligence is taking control of our minds
Despite the critique, author John Ward isn’t willing to dump artificial intelligence (AI). Instead, he explores options to rein it, particularly in terms of profiteering from it, and harnessing it to combat rather than reinforce evils like inequality.
BUSINESS
Falling PC sales should be a warning to smartphone makers
PC sales have gone back into a decline as the COVID-related spike in usage has ended. But their loss may not necessarily be smartphones' gain this time around
TRENDS
Indonesia soccer stampede: Football violence is the game’s worst enemy
BUSINESS
Unilever and HUL's contrasting fortunes show growing clout of Indian consumers
Unilever CEO's departure signals a period of uncertainty ahead for the FMCG behemoth but its Indian subsidiary has played to its strengths, winning over consumers and investors
TRENDS
Wipro's DNA doesn’t allow for moonlighting
Very early in his tenure, Azim Premji put down what he called the three Wipro Beliefs. Top of the list was integrity, along with respect for people and customer-centricity.
BUSINESS
Churn in India’s food and beverages market will intensify
A combination of able and hungry buyers and willing sellers is seeing a raft of deals being cooked up in the food and beverages market, as brands both old and young are being bought for different reasons
