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| August 29, 2007 | | Rules for the digital world
Parents, teachers and institutions should focus on creating the rule books for engaging with the digital world.
A man-made disaster
The India Meteorological Department releases its long-range monsoon rainfall forecast only a few days prior to the actual onset of the monsoon, serving little purpose
Reinventing water-waste for Indian cities
Indian cities must look at their waste economy and invest in reuse
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| August 28, 2007 | | Developing talent for global needs
Globalisation and the outsourcing boom have undoubtedly transformed India. From a developing country, we are today an emerging economy and a super power in the making.
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| August 27, 2007 | | When risk becomes uncertainty
That the real economy should suffer because of the greed of a few in the financial services industry is sad.
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| August 21, 2007 | | Who owns the land? Well...
In India, where land acquisition for industrial and real estate development has been widespread, the Land Acquisition Act makes the government the master of all that it surveys
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| August 18, 2007 | | How India is different from China
The Chinese fight to keep their exchange rate low; we fight to keep it high. And from equal status in 1980, China's per capita income is thrice India's today.
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| August 14, 2007 | | Bottled water costs us the earth
The bottled water industry is global in nature. But it is designed to sell the same product to two completely different markets: one water-rich and the other water-scarce.
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| August 13, 2007 | | India and the global meltdown
In sectors in which foreign resources are heavily invested, notably IT and ITES, the competitive edge of Indian firms is not really under any immediate threat
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| August 07, 2007 | | Why we may return to Swadeshi economics
As the export-driven growth model is fraught with extreme risks caused due to a multiplicity of factors, a revisit to Swadeshi economics is inevitable, says .
Of irrational exuberance, bulls & bears
There is a tendency to greet new technologies promising large potential returns with exaggerated optimism. But widespread hysterical behaviour ("irrational exuberance") with price increases detached from all underlying economic is far from norm.
Reform ushers better fiscal management
The states now realise that the bulk of the money that comes from the World Bank does not come as grants. In fact, it costs them as World Bank loans carry an interest rate that is not cheap by any yardstick.
Happiness, growth and capitalism
The social ills adduced to capitalism have less to do with capitalism than individualism.
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| July 31, 2007 | | Climate science and the Indian scientist
Will Indian scientists' measure up to the challenge of climate change?
Barefoot bankers, anyone?
Financial inclusion has become fashionable once again, and the formal sector -- banks and micro-finance institutions -- is straining every nerve to dole out these microscopic loans, and mostly failing because that is not their institutional design.
Hindustan Unilever: A name for corporate moulting
Unilever's shadow on HUL has been lengthening for some time. One indication recently was the change of name from Hindustan Lever, the identity that had been established in the country for half a century.
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| July 28, 2007 | | India shining, govt dozing
The main difference between China and us is that its government works. Ours is happy to doze.
Are Indian govt's numbers right?
The broad sense which prevails today is that India's macro-economic numbers are in good shape. But are they?
Market boom or corporate slump?
The stock market may be at a new high this month, but there isn't much reason to cheer if the "early bird" financial results of companies are anything to go by.
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| July 27, 2007 | | No tax on gifts from close relatives
This amount transferred to your father will be treated as gift and since tax is not applicable on gifts, received from close relatives, there will be no India tax incidence on either you or your father, irrespective of the amount transferred.
US venture capital should take a call
Venture capital funds are one of the most effective ways of bringing out and nurturing the innate ability of our people.
How to improve corporate governance
Unless a comprehensive theory of corporate governance is first agreed upon, efforts to improve it will not amount to much.
Discovering what we don't know
Recognising solutions to problems, both in science and management, often can be traced to a similar phenomenon -- not knowing that we don't know something.
Reassuring politics, reasonable economics
The Indian system has shown capacity for learning by doing and learning from over-doing.
Software's new challenges
The export-oriented software industry has reacted in several ways to the negative impact of rupee appreciation on its financial performance, especially in the last (April-June) quarter.
All about advertising: Old values die hard
Fidelity is as rare an attribute in advertising, as it is in the case of jobs.
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| July 26, 2007 | | Textile exports: Fixing the warp
While considering the options before it, what the government can do is revive the defunct Textile Upgradation Fund Scheme, which lapsed on March 31, 2007.
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| July 24, 2007 | | Govt committees running out of steam?
After the initial flurry of activity, the plethora of committees set up by the government, such as the NAC, have settled down to a quiet existence.
End of the 10-year export party?
In India, the government has given in for now by announcing sops worth Rs 1,400 crore or Rs 14 billion (Rs 600 crore or Rs 6 billion of which are speedy refunds). But the initial relief which greeted the move already seems to be fading.
India should strive for Doha's success
Nobody can rightly argue that the WTO or the external world is primarily responsible for the woes of our farmers.
India on its way to agricultural recovery?
There are several positive indications at the macro level of agriculture which suggest that there could be change on the ground.
Time to revisit the NELP
Before the next round, the government needs to cap the windfall profits coming out of global prices shooting up.
Broadcasting Bill: What purpose?
The problem with the Broadcasting Bill is that having stuck to the Constitutional view of freedom of expression in deciding what is and is not acceptable, the operational details worked out are less than satisfactory.
World money: Sub-prime mess and exchange rates
Clearly the lessons of the LTCM have either not been learnt, or have been forgotten in the last nine years.
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| July 21, 2007 | | Export growth: New economics!
The recent forecast by the EAC implies a sharp acceleration in export growth, despite a large 10 per cent appreciation of the rupee. This is new economics.
The role of planning
The Planning Commission no longer sets targets; it provides a broad picture of the economy, its likely direction and pace, all of which help private entrepreneurs in their decisions.
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| July 17, 2007 | | Why is Vista so slow on uptake?
If you are tempted to buy and install the Vista, my advice is to wait. Particularly, if you are a business user.
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| July 11, 2007 | | Return of emerging markets
We need to deliver strong 8 per cent plus GDP growth and near 20 per cent earnings to justify and fulfil expectations.
India's apathy towards healthcare
Indians face considerable income loss, primarily due to inaccessibility to good quality and subsidised healthcare
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| July 06, 2007 | | Market maniac: Are we there?
US Treasuries, another key indicator of market sentiment, also slipped sharply, with June 13 seeing the largest one-day fall since 2004, with the 10-year bond yield climbing above 5.25 per cent and breaking a long-term technical resistance.
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| July 05, 2007 | | 'Ideal' inflation & exchange rates
describes what we need and how we get there.
Huge 'bottom of the pyramid' market? Bah!
In PPP terms, the market at the bottom of the pyramid is $1.42 trillion, a far cry from the $13 trillion estimated by others.
Cost of political myopia
The economic benefits of a modern, efficient retail system have been internationally well-documented and well-reported in India. Yes, the government continues to takes one slow step forward only to retrace and go back two, writes .
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| July 02, 2007 | | A vicious jobs-skills circle
Regulatory reform will not stimulate improvements in the informal sector as long as the workers remain at current skill levels.
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| June 27, 2007 | | Are safe havens that safe?
The problems in the US credit markets have partly spilled over to other developed markets.
An America sandwich
Welcome to America, and the good news is that India is going/growing in the same direction.
The Road To Everest
This road, incidentally, is part of a larger project to create the longest torch relay in Olympic history
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| June 23, 2007 | | Sensex and the bigger fool theory
While it's nice to talk of how well the Sensex has performed over the last couple of years, the rally is limited to less than a handful of stocks.
Indian economy overheating? Bah!
There is abundant evidence that the Indian economy is not overheating. So stop the presses from broadcasting this now absurd conclusion.
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| June 21, 2007 | | What about the deficit, Mr Sinha?
Since the publication of Yashwant Sinha's memoirs of his days as finance minister, a debate is raging over whether due credit is given to the man who presented five Budgets in a row under two governments led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
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| June 20, 2007 | | Online gamers mirror future
The objective of the study was two-fold, to better understand how successful leaders behave in online games and to learn the aspects of game that environment leaders leverage to be more effective.
Crisis on skilled labour?
People learn inside firms, and their learning is best when the firm is in a brutally competitive and globalised market.
It is illegal for NRIs to hold normal Resident bank accounts
On becoming an NRI, legally you are required to inform all your banks and also all the companies where you have investments about the change in your status within a reasonable time.
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| June 18, 2007 | | Build it later, define it first
One wing of the government's definition of what constitues infrastructure is different from that of another and this needs to be resolved fast.
The new masters of the universe
The way private equity funds are snapping up businesses, they are looking like the old-style conglomerates.
Have we landed softly?
As far as outcomes are concerned, the evidence on a soft landing, while not yet conclusive, shows movement in the right direction.
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| June 16, 2007 | | India's new farm story?
Just when people have begun to look away from the services sector and start to cheer the momentum achieved by Indian manufacturing (like 15 per cent growth in April), the new story in India may be something else altogether -- agriculture.
Reservations? Here's an alternative
Graduated education vouchers could be an answer to the rising discord over reservations.
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| June 09, 2007 | | Met FDI target? Not yet
Before concluding that the current level of FDI flows is a reflection of India coming into its own with regard to manufacturing, it is important to carefully study the numbers and to understand the story that they tell.
Rupee, inflation, and a BMW
The rupee and a BMW both move fast. So will a rise in the rupee make the BMW move even faster?
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| June 08, 2007 | | World class, in our backyard
Hiring a professor's top students and getting the professor for free seems to be the way R&D is done today. And the irony was that we found it in our own backyard.
Proprietary trading: Risks and rewards
The positive side of the huge amount of speculative trading in currencies, bonds and derivatives is that it provides liquidity.
The constraint is not money
Setting apart something like 10 per cent of GDP every year for investment in infrastructure is going to be a new experience for this country -- and long overdue.
The lesson from telecom, cable TV & FM radio
The lesson from telecom, FM radio and cable TV is that lowering licence fees increases usage and raises government revenues.
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| June 02, 2007 | | Triumph as defeat
The government has given up the claim of record economic performance and laid itself open to the charge that rapid economic growth is not benefiting the common man.
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| June 01, 2007 | | What can turn the rupee around?
The inflationary spurt and the continuing fear that prices may once again get out of control, particularly given global price trends, will keep the RBI deterred.
Towards an 'idea' economy
The future will be driven by companies with most ideas.
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| May 26, 2007 | | Stop bashing industry. Govern better
Yes, industry should be socially responsible and it would be nice if the rich did not flaunt their wealth in a poor country, but what is needed most of all is effective governance and reform of the government.
The Mystery Report
The Mystery Report lists 48 (!) "Recommended Actions" (mostly in the next two years) for paving the way for Mumbai's rise as an IFC. It's a wide-ranging and challenging list.
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| May 25, 2007 | | Why India must change its image
India should join the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development to change the perception that it is a poor country.
The destructive Delhi-Mumbai divide
Last year's hike in the ECB ceiling undermined the RBI's monetary agenda and unnecessarily jeopardised monetary management.
4 conflicts and a retail sector
As developments in modern retail begin to live up to the hype, a number of conflicts have started to emerge.
Bird, plane or India?
It is not surprising that India's economic performance of the last five years has got everyone excitedly. But is this the long-waited takeoff or is India flattering to deceive?
Innovation tips from the Beatles
Innovation happen when two worlds, previously unconnected, collide. And innovators are really people who see the connections between these worlds.
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| May 24, 2007 | | A giant leap for Vijay Mallya
As an overnight producer of nearly 10 per cent of the world's Scotch whisky, Vijay Mallya has moved to a global liquor arena.
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| May 22, 2007 | | Kindergarten approach to climate
We need to agree once and for all that the industrialised world is responsible for climate change
The role of an ideal CEO
A CEO's complete involvement in any change process in the organisation is a must.
Mobility needs to go places
Given the obvious benefits of mobile computing and the continued challenges of wireline reach in India, there are many obstacles and hurdles as I see it. The biggest one is cost.
Rupee appreciation: Lessons from China
The lesson for India is not that it should revert to distorting the price of capital but eliminate the distortions in the use of labour.
Are B-schools keeping pace with time?
The problem is that the corporate world is evolving so rapidly that most of the B-schools are not able to keep pace with changes
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| May 19, 2007 | | Delhi's pioneering businessmen
No one would have dreamt then that, in the space of a generation, Delhi would be challenging Mumbai to become the country's business capital.
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| May 14, 2007 | | The other uprising
A mutiny against poor-quality and expensive government education
India Inc can help educate our kids
With the government failing to fulfil its obligation to provide free and compulsory education, any help from the corporate groups in this direction should be welcome.
Maneka Gandhi on India and global warming
In fact, one of the most important indicators has gone unnoticed: the dying out of pollination agents, such as bees and butterflies, on which our entire planet depends
Time to foster competitiveness
Financial subsidies that are not WTO-compatible will have to be phased out and GSP benefits will not be available for long. Things have just got tougher.
What is the real interest rate?
The current rates of inflation hardly make sense unless they represent future levels of inflation. They don't.
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| May 08, 2007 | | Vijay Mallya? Smart Cookie!
'He proved it once again when he reportedly had beer -- and other kinds of liquor -- served on the A380, the big bird from Airbus Industrie on its first flight within India.'
How venture capital funding works
The first quarter of the calendar year 2007 is already over. There is no sign of the VC story slowing down. This is a good sign for all the entrepreneurs out there with an idea!
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| May 07, 2007 | | God's own country?
Kerala, lauded for being a model state in education and many development indicators, has a healthcare system that seems to be chronically ill.
Towards a sensible land policy
When land was allotted to PSUs in the past, care was taken to ensure this was wasteland - it makes sense to do the same for private industry today.
Why valuing real estate biz is fuzzy
The performance of real estate companies is dependent on a lot of intangibles and is prone to errors in assumptions.
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| May 01, 2007 | | Learn from the North Block, Mr Nath
The commerce minister ought to seek validation for his incentives with the finance ministry.
IMD and its weather 'pastcasts'
Here is some unsolicited advice for the science minister: Please consider abandoning immediately the monsoon modelling and forecasting exercise.
RBI's reverse swing
It's a classic example of the proverbial banker offering an umbrella when there is little possibility of rain.
Socially responsible investment
As emerging markets rise rapidly in significance for global investment flows, the share of SRI funds in their stocks will grow significantly.
Do you want water or minerals?
Water or mines? The answer should be obvious, but thanks to the pots of gold that lie hidden in them, mines are robbing the countryside of its natural wealth.
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