For Spencer&rsquo;s, the 148-year-old retail brand now part of the Rs 12,000-crore RPG Enterprises, big is the new beautiful.

Think big

Business Standard

French marketing communications group Publicis has split its India digital entity Solutions Digitas into two. The firms &mdash; Solutions India and Digitas India &mdash; will operate as separate profit &amp; loss centres under its Vivaki agency network, Publicis said.

Publicis splits digital agency into two

The logistics market in India is difficult to crack &mdash; it is small and fragmented. Making things worse are complex taxation and regulations. But analysts say it&rsquo;s going to be the next big growth driver for the country. At the recent launch of its dedicated freighter service between India and Europe, Michael Drake, regional managing director, TNT Asia Pacific, noted how the global express delivery company was optimistic about India, one of its key markets in Asia Pacific. The launch of the India-Europe service is part of TNT&rsquo;s plan to bolster its presence on the Asia-Europe routes. The new service will run five times a week between New Delhi and TNT&rsquo;s European air hub in Belgium, with a stopover in Dubai on its way back to the country. In this interview to Ruchika Chitravanshi, Drake talks about the company&rsquo;s growth strategy in India and the challenges ahead.

Q&A: Michael Drake, Regional MD, TNT Asia Pacific

Two engineers from the country&rsquo;s premier engineering institution decide to venture out on their own and create social impact. In the process, they create Eko, a service that fosters financial inclusion. The banking service leverages community relationships for increasing the reach of basic financial services. It provides a safe gateway for funds deposits and withdrawals. The service is meant especially for people from low-income backgrounds.

Low-cost banking on mobile

The centre has roped in top professors from IIMs and IITs to conduct an in-depth study on police in order to develop better modules and bring in reforms in the police system in India.

Top IIM, IIT professors to conduct police studies

The Indian version of the Fifth Avenue (New York) or the Bond Street (London) may be a long way off, but luxury brands hold significant promise in this market. So, in the absence of high streets, which are synonymous with ultra-expensive shopping in cities like London, Milan, Paris and New York, luxury brands are heading to international airports as an alternate destination in India. Hybrid retail formats where &lsquo;luxury&rsquo; can co-exist with &lsquo;premium&rsquo; brands is yet another option, point out analysts and consutants. That is, when luxury brands want to step out of the 5-star hotels or the exclusive malls, which are very few in number anyway.

Luxury brands for classy airports and hybrid formats

Finally I didn&rsquo;t end up burning the stage. I forgave the jury. Publicis hasn&rsquo;t opened its account yet. But I can wait a bit more.

The Redford Moment

Consumer durable behemoths are taking the battle for 3D dominance from television to other viewing devices. The first to make a splash in India is LG, as it recently launched a range of 3D PC (personal computer) monitors. The launch is expected to be followed by LG opening PC gaming zones in the country. These zones will be opened in collaboration with two gaming companies, one which has a strong CPU (central processing unit) focus and the other which has a strong graphic-card technology.

LG moves into a new zone: 3D gaming

Thoughtful commentators have correctly pointed out that the proposed Slut Walk (inaccurately translated as Besharmi Morcha) in Delhi trivialises an issue as serious as rape. Certainly, as a well-meaning feminist response to deep-rooted chauvinism, the Slut Walk with its organised parades of scantily clad women is as overblown and probably as counterproductive as public lingerie-burning was in the last century.

Kanika Datta: Dress codes and signals

By raising the cut-offs institutes are adding exclusivity into the Indian education system which is solely based on merit. Exclusivity might turn out as the bane of education system.

Student's corner

Smaller institutes worry their students may further lose out on placement opportunities.

B-schools see red over IIM-A's placement reporting norms

Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), which opened its India office this February, is looking to grow its GMAT volumes in India and get more B-schools to start using the format as part of their admission process. In the first four months, India has seen a 10 per cent jump in the number of students appearing for the GMAT exam over the same period last year. David A Wilson, President and CEO, GMAC, tells Praveen Bose and Pradeesh Chandran why he is bullish on India.

Q&A: David A Wilson, President & CEO, GMAC

Globally, the Sony image may have taken a beating with hackers making merry with the data of Playstation users. But closer home, the company&rsquo;s joint venture with Ericsson &mdash; Sony Ericsson &mdash; is leveraging the appeal of mobile gaming to propel its brand presence among youth.

Sony Ericsson plays it hard

Technology and advertising executives have been talking up the potential of ads on mobile handsets since before Apple Inc introduced the iPhone in 2007. Now, they may finally be ready to use them.

Ad agencies woo tech firms at Cannes

The fifth day at Cannes was a bit light. I will come to that in a minute, but let me first dive into the awards declared on the fourth day. In design, Out of the Box picked up a gold for its client Mother's Pride. My congratulations to the team for their effort.

Hello, future

Vineet Nayyar says the &ldquo;incredible&rdquo; wage push will make India&rsquo;s information technology (IT) and information technology-enabled services (ITES) industry uncompetitive. The Tech Mahindra vice-chairman and MD also says it will soon be cheaper to hire in certain locations abroad because there will be no economic rationale to hire here.

Shyamal Majumdar: IT industry in a wage trap

Gossip mongers are less productive at work, says a new survey by staffing company TeamLease Services. The survey, &lsquo;Personal attributes affecting workplace productivity&rsquo;, was taken across cities in India, enlisting various personal attributes in this regard and how employees feel about these.

'Gossip mongers less productive'

When I opened the Cannes Daily at the breakfast table this morning I saw the headline, Emmanuel Upputuru to go back home without a single shortlist in almost a decade.

In search of ideas

Le Magnus School of Management, sponsored by the Magnus Academy and associate of the Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts of India, today launched a postgraduate diploma in management course for 2011-13 at its Hyderabad campus. The school, spread over 1.21 acre, is approved by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).

Le Magnus launches PG diploma in management

    The King&rsquo;s Speech, the Oscar winning movie, paid tribute to King George VI&rsquo;s triumph. Name the writing instrument brand that has come out with a special edition in his honour.

Answers to last week's quiz (#206)

Sample this. Tata Group&rsquo;s retail flagship Trent was profitable from Day 1. It&rsquo;s a record, anywhere in the world, anyway you look at it. The secret? Fifteen years ago, the Tata Group managed a steal for itself as it shopped its way into big ticket retailing with perhaps the best deal in town.

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