| Arvind Singhal: A silent revolution in the making | 19-NOV-09 |
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| As India goes through an extraordinary demographic shift in an environment which is also seeing an extraordinary economic change, there are many interesting implications for the country and society and, of course, businesses and would-be-entrepreneurs. |
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| Arvind Singhal: Winning through audacity | 05-NOV-09 |
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| A week-long visit to China last week turned out to be one of the most thought-provoking trips I have undertaken in recent years, and one which ended with a big personal “eureka” moment. I have travelled to China a few times in the last 10 years. Yet, this one had unusually diverse interactions, and an unusual exposure to modern and ancient China at the same time. |
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| Arvind Singhal: The zero tolerance imperative | 22-OCT-09 |
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| The strong and sustained growth of the Indian economy over the last 17-18 years has delivered many very creditable outcomes for its people at large. While a lot more needs to be done on a sustained basis for many more decades if the growth has to be truly inclusive for all Indians, this should not take the credit away from what has been achieved in the last two decades. |
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| Arvind Singhal: A big challenge and a huge opportunity | 08-OCT-09 |
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| Education is finally getting its due attention at leadership levels of both the government as well as private businesses. Indeed, India’s education deficit looms large at almost every level and for just about every discipline (other than, perhaps, MBA degrees where India may already have a surplus capacity even at the more premium quality levels). |
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| Arvind Singhal: A new class of entrepreneurs | 24-SEP-09 |
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| Over the last two decades, India’s socio-economic fabric has seen an unprecedented change. Such is the nation’s demographic profile, this change is not yet complete and will continue at the same fast pace for the next two or more decades before some semblance of steadiness is achieved. |
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| Arvind Singhal: The challenge of commoditisation | 10-SEP-09 |
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| There are many manifestations of commoditisation of a product or a service category. These include a shift in consumers’ minds from it being aspirational to becoming just another need, and loss of branding power resulting in reduced pricing power for the marketers of such products or services. |
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| Big Mac's new menu | 10-SEP-09 |
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| McDonald’s cuts prices of extra-value meals to graduate from just a ‘snack joint’ to a lunch & dinner destination. |
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| Dettol finds wealth in health | 07-SEP-09 |
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| When Chander Mohan Sethi announced last Friday that Dettol, the 76-year old iconic brand from Reckitt Benckiser, is well on its way to achieving a turnover of Rs 1,000 crore much before the year-end, no one was surprised. For, the brand has been clocking a double-digit growth even at a time when most others, including market leader Hindustan Unilever, have been losing market share. |
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| Arvind Singhal: India's agriculture challenge | 27-AUG-09 |
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| Agriculture may contribute only 17 per cent or so (and declining in percentage terms) to India’s GDP but the challenges it faces and therefore the challenge it poses for India’s future is as humongous as the challenge of physical and social infrastructure. |
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| Arvind Singhal: Roti, mobile, gaadi aur necklace | 13-AUG-09 |
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| Notwithstanding the current concerns regarding the impact on consumer spending on account of a truant monsoon, India will see a spending of almost Rs 21 lakh crore (about $435 billion) at current prices in 2009 (assuming a GDP growth rate of 6 per cent). |
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| Arvind Singhal: Re-connecting with the consumer | 30-JUL-09 |
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| Financial results for the most recent quarter seem to confirm that the worst is behind for most companies including those that are engaged in consumer interfacing businesses. The recovery in consumer spending is visible across almost all the sectors including automobiles, consumer electronics and durables, information technology and communication, apparel and footwear, and leisure and entertainment. |
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| Arvind Singhal: Aam aadmi and Bharat | 16-JUL-09 |
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| What started a few years ago as a counter-point to the NDA government’s “India Shining” proclamations is now turning into a crescendo. Indeed, the “Aam Aadmi” and “Bharat” terminology has now moved beyond the realm of political posturing, and is now well-entrenched in the lingua franca of the different chambers of commerce and the leadership of corporate India. |
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| Arvind Singhal: The financial potential of healthcare | 02-JUL-09 |
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| The expectations from the UPA government keep rising by the day, and there is near unanimity about the urgent need to reform and increase spending on social infrastructure sectors including education and healthcare. The next few days and months will give some indication of the vision, resolve and ability of the government to give a boost to social infrastructure. |
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| Arvind Singhal: Bootstrapping India's exports | 18-JUN-09 |
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| Indian exports continue to decline at a precipitous rate. While the world economy shows some early sign of stabilising, there is no silver lining yet on the exports front for India. It is, therefore, not so surprising that the clamour for giving more sops to the exporters is rising by the week. It is also very likely that the government will give in to this clamour in the hope that additional sops and export subsidies in different guises will help put Indian exports on a growth trajectory. |
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| 'McNugget has run out of stock within a week' | 08-JUN-09 |
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| With annual sales of 4.8 million packs in over 100 countries, McDonald’s Chicken McNugget is a billion dollar brand. Arvind Singhal, director - marketing (West and South), McDonald’s India, spoke to Sapna Agarwal on the product’s India launch just a fortnight ago. |
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