Nestl&eacute;&rsquo;s Maggi has been synonymous with instant noodles in India for a long time now. So despite the entry of Hindustan Unilever (Knorr Soupy Noodles), IndoNissin (Top Ramen), GlaxoSmithKline (Horlicks Foodles)and ITC (Sunfeast Yippie), the Swiss major has remained the undisputed king with around 80 per cent share in the Rs 2,000 crore branded noodles market that is growing at 25-30 per cent annually.

Instant success in noodles?

Business Standard

Curiosity got the better of Arun Patade when he recently spotted a &lsquo;Jaago Sarkar Jaago&rsquo; (Wake up call for the government) poster inside a local train. He gave a missed call on the number provided on the poster. Instantly he received an SMS acknowledging his missed call with a &lsquo;Thank You&rsquo;, and telling him that he was now part of &lsquo;India Against Corruption&rsquo; campaign launched by social activist Anna Hazare.

Now, scratch cards as a marketing tool

It&rsquo;s not all about a fat pay cheque, but a company&rsquo;s corporate identity and brand management that is increasingly becoming important to woo and retain talent. According to a study by First Naukri.com, IBM and Infosys Technologies tops the list of preferred employers by both engineering graduates and baccalaureates from other streams. Infosys, despite reporting poor quarterly results, retains the most preferred employer tag.

Employer brand turns talent magnet

Executive education programes designed by premier buisness schools was once a must-go destination for India Inc's blue-eyed boys. They still are &mdash; but with a difference.

Executive education gets facelift as India Inc demands better RoI

In the Catholic convent that I attended, believers were sent to Catechism classes twice a week. Us non-Catholics &ndash; the majority, actually &ndash; were herded into secular Moral Science classes run by a succession of alarmingly humourless nuns.

Kanika Datta: Moral science for India Inc?

Ideally, it shouldn't take long to realise the real talent to crack the arduous IIT-JEE. Giving a third chance, especially for those from rural background, is a tepid response in a bid to improve the quality of education. This step will not only demean the spirits of aspirants but also&nbsp;dilute the standards of institutes.

Student's Corner

Captain Chesley &ldquo;Sully&rdquo; Sullenberger is probably the world&rsquo;s most famous living pilot. The hero of what is known as the &ldquo;Miracle on the Hudson&rdquo; is now a much sought after speaker in business schools, particularly at a time when the world is going through a turbulent economic phase.

Shyamal Majumdar: Defusing the fear factor

In 2007, Taiwan-based Acer made a strategic acquisition when it purchased US-based Gateway for $761.5 million. By virtue of this buyout, it also acquired eMachines. The following year, it acquired Packard Bell.

Acer's hard drive pays off

After a hugely popular four-season run in Pakistan, Coca-Cola brought its music television series Coke Studio to India earlier this year. At the time, many had raised eyebrows on the feasibility of airing fusion music series in a country where Bollywood music has a field day.

Coke adds fizz to fusion music

Technology has provided a foundation to connect people and communities, enable innovation and productivity increases, and improve standards of living across the country. Recent initiatives such as the Unique Identification project present an enormous opportunity to improve governance and public-service delivery. They also offer new market opportunities for various sectors, including financial services, consumer goods and healthcare.

Multi-technology future

A gro Tech Foods has stepped into the ready-to-eat meal segment with Sundrop Yummeals. Sundrop is accompanying its meals with uncooked rice, making it a complete meal offering. The packaged meals, priced between Rs 35 and Rs 45, will be manufactured through an outsourced partner in Gujarat, under the company&rsquo;s supervision.

Sundrop Yummeals: Ready, steady, grow

W ant to bask in the comforts of your home while on the move? Pilote, a French motorhome manufacturer, can make this possible when it rolls out motorhomes or recreational vehicles in the country.

Pilote: On the move

The top 10 business bestsellers

International School Engineering, a private non-profit training institute, opened its first centre in Hyderabad recently. From this month, it would offer certificate courses for professional engineers in areas such as data analytics and product engineering, and also a two-year executive M Tech in association with Gitam University Hyderabad.

Q&A: Jamie Carbonell, Chief mentor, International School of Engineering

    Perfumes, board games, cigarettes, an asteroid, slot machines and a Mediterranean pollution monitoring project are all named after this ancient personality, who by some is considered the world&rsquo;s first celebrity. Name the person.

The Strategist Quiz (#215)

Now standing on one foot, Hero MotoCorp has to decide if it wants to play offence or defence.

Can hero live up to its name?

    This form of drink was invented in India in 1638 by mixing arrack, sugar, spices, lime juice and water. Its English name is supposed to have been derived from a Sanskrit word. Name it.

Answers to last week&#39s quiz (#214)

Education and skill training major Aptech has a new look these days. The company now has a fresh symbol - that of a tiger paw -with a human imprint inside, along with a new tagline - &lsquo;Unleash your potential&rsquo;.

Aptech hopes facelift will click with GenNext

Every summer, when Roger Federer plays at Wimbledon, he takes a bit of Welspun with him back home for his family and friends. Second only to the most popular McDonald&rsquo;s burger &mdash; the biggest grosser at the All England Club &mdash; are the soft, 100 per cent cotton towels made by Christy of the UK exclusively for the championships.

Spinning a new yarn

MindTree tried its hand at making wireless handsets but failed. Now co-founder Ashok Soota has moved on to start a competing business.

Back to basics

Asian School of Business Management (ASBM) will launch Bachelors and Master degree courses in Social Works at a campus adjacent to its existing premises on the outskirt of the city. The course quality will be benchmarking with the Tata Institute of Social Science, a premier social science institute in the country, said Bisawjit Pattanayak, group director, ASBM.

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