The clock strikes seven and the young lad begins a conversation with his stomach. It is not yet time for dinner but hunger pangs have begun to tug. The mother, finding it odd, wants to find out what&rsquo;s the matter. The boy explains that it&rsquo;s not him but his stomach. Her response is predictable: If she prepares a snack at 7:00 pm, there are very strong chances that he might skip dinner.

Souping up Knorr

Business Standard

Doodling through a lecture or being the best bowler in college might not have led you to a career of a cartoonist or a cricketer. Instead, life&rsquo;s many demands probably saw you slogging at a &ldquo;9 to 5&rdquo; job. But ICICI Prudential tells you that your dream occupation can happen after retirement. Its new campaign calls retirement the world&rsquo;s best job.

ICICI Prudential: Aspire to retire

Nokia wants to find some method in the madness that is India&rsquo;s promising mobile value-added services market with the launch of its Music Store service. It has roped in key stakeholders such as music labels and retailers for the service. This, it hopes, will legitimise digital music purchase and improve the revenue streams for the partners.

Nokia India: Voucher music

The Indian external data storage market is estimated at roughly Rs 900 crore, growing at over 20 per cent since 2007. The mid-tier segment occupies almost one-third of the total market.

KIT: The market for external storage drives

Be Your Own Broker
Author: Paul H Christiansen
Publisher: IUniverse
Price: Rs 743
ISBN: 0595097987
Wealth in the 21st Century
Author: Drew Millett
Publisher: IUniverse
Price: Rs 594
ISBN: 0595147046
Diving to the Top
Author: Leamon Jr Cotton
Publisher: IUniverse
Price: Rs 545
ISBN: 0595148336
Offshore Basics
Author: Levent Gulkok
Publisher: IUniverse
Price: Rs 644
ISBN: 0595091547
The Warren Buffett Way
Author: Robert G Hagstrom
Publisher: John Wiley &amp; Sons
Price: Rs

The top 10 business bestsellers

A three-member panel, formed at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A), which looked into 'pay structure disparities' for faculty members has prepared its report and the same is likely to be submitted to Union HRD Ministry.

IIM-A panel on pay structure to submit report to HRD ministry

Press Trust of India

In a memorandum, to be submitted to the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) on Monday, faculty members of the Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad (IIM-A) have expressed their displeasure at being on the same pay scales as that of the faculty members under the University Grants Commission (UGC).

IIM-Ahmedabad to submit memorandum on pay rise

As the nation celebrates Teacher&rsquo;s Day today as a mark of respect and gratitude to them, nearly 4,000 faculty members of the prestigious IITs have threatened to go on an indefinite strike for improved pay structure.

IITs faculty threatens indefinite strike for pay hike

With research becoming a clear focus area at all Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and with the 20-30 per cent growth in sponsored research, the premier technology institutes are now targeting a 10-30 per cent increase in PhD scholars.

IITs strategise for more PhD scholars

The Institute of Management Technology (IMT) Dubai is one of the few Indian business schools to have got an approval from the UAE&rsquo;s ministry of higher education and scientific research to offer an accredited MBA programme and executive education to companies operating in the UAE. IMT Dubai&rsquo;s director Farhad Rad &ndash; Serecht told Kirtika Suneja how the institute plans to remain different from other B-schools.

'International exposure makes IMT-Dubai different'

Chennai-based education company,Everonn Education, is planning to open around 25 business schools across the country in the next few years with an investment of around Rs 250 crore.

Everonn plans to open 25 B-schools

The University of Birmingham has opened its first overseas office in India that will focus on recruiting students besides building partnerships with Indian institutions and developing research collaborations.

University of Birmingham opens first overseas office in India

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.

Dettol finds wealth in health

A clutch of trade talks and more

Once upon a time the product was the hero; everything was focused on the product and its features. The impetus of innovation and thought leadership lay with product research and development. So the story was built around the &lsquo;radial&rsquo; tyre or &lsquo;clove&rsquo; oil. Soon every other company arrived at the same formulae. Differentiation then did not lie with product development alone but came to be championed by marketing. We moved into what may be called the brand era. The approach was to surround people with brand&rsquo;s promise or positioning. This was followed by the idea era, where ideas came to enhance or boost brand identity.

The people era

Dabur has launched a new brand in the premium end of the skincare market, UVeda, giving the company a play in the entire skincare spectrum. It has Gulabari in the popular segment, Fem in the instant improvement segment and now UVeda at the top end. UVeda is an ayurveda line and comprises a fairness cream, moisturizer and face wash. The products have been developed in-house by the company. The packs have been designed by Zlata Designs of Australia.

Ayurveda's new avatar

Hindustan Unilever&rsquo;s leading soap brands, Lifebuoy and Lux, have lost market share to Reckitt Benckiser&rsquo;s Dettol, Wipro&rsquo;s Santoor and Godrej&rsquo;s No.1 in the recent past. Together, the two brands still lord over close to a third of the Rs 7,500-crore market for soaps. But rivals have turned on the heat &mdash; price warriors have maximised gains from the current economic slowdown.

Harping on health

Indian bikers have never had it so good. Top names in the business want to launch in the leisure segment. The temperature just got a few degrees hotter when Harley-Davidson, the American icon, announced its entry through a wholly-owned subsidiary, Harley-Davidson Motor Company India. The Indian operations will be spearheaded by Anoop Prakash, an American of Indian origin who has come straight from the administration of former President George W Bush.

The Hog is here

The puppy has come to life. Calcium Sandoz, the 40-year-old calcium supplement brand for kids from Novartis, has long been synonymous with its cute &lsquo;puppy&rsquo; packs. The company has now rolled out a television commercial which for the first time features the puppy in action &mdash; it helps a kid do his everyday tasks and activities with ease.

Novartis: Puppy power

The Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode (IIMK), conducted its annual finance summit, Arthanomics on September 5 and 6 at the institute campus. The event centred on the theme &lsquo;Encountering Risk in Prudential Markets&rsquo;.

Arthanomics held at IIMK

Taking a cue from the success of Slumdog Millionaire, television channel UTV Bindass is launching a reality show titled The Big Switch. The show revolves around 12 youngsters picked from affluent backgrounds who will live with 12 slum kids. They will have to perform tasks like selling trinkets and other wares at traffic signals or polishing shoes at the railway station. Of course, they will also have to do the regular household chores of a slum kid as well. Finally, each will help the slum child realise his dream as well.

Page 694 - News