The economic slowdown appears to have taken a toll on satellite education or virtual classrooms for professionals too as corporate sponsorships dry up for sponsored executive education programmes. B-schools say the applications for satellite programmes for 2009 have either remained flat or seen a drop close to 10 per cent.

Satellite education sees flat growth due to slowdown

Business Standard

Aman resort in Delhi chooses the iconic Indian brand &mdash; the Ambassador &mdash; to build its limousine fleet.

Vintage car's luxury avatar

Looks like, the marketing community has had an infestation of Zoozoos. Most ad folks are going, &lsquo;******od, why don&rsquo;t we have clients who let us do this kind of work?&rsquo; Clients are loudly wondering why their agencies can&rsquo;t bring them such breakthrough ideas, maybe they need added motivation in the form of a reduction in fees.

Planning ahead to win

Restrictions on billboards pushes the brand to explore digital media.

Amul gets a Second Life

Giorgio Armani SpA, the Italian fashion company which designs fashion accessories, apparel, cosmetics, fragrances, home interiors, eyewear and watches, among other things, opened its store in India in the middle of a slowdown. The company&rsquo;s deputy managing director John Hooks who has considerable experience in luxury retail in Asia was in India some time ago and spoke to Anoothi Vishal on Armani&rsquo;s India plans.

'Indian customer is the most discerning in the world'

The different constituents of the city-based KIIT University have achieved record placements this year despite the prevailing economic recession which had dampened the job market scenario in the country.

KIIT achieves record placements

Uncertainty has made conserving cash a high priority not only for businesses but also consumers. Globally, and more so in Asia, consumers appear more inclined to bolster their savings accounts than spend spare cash.

Savings up, spends down

How long can one escape the clutches of recession? While the world went into an economic slowdown towards the end of 2008, Indians have just started losing confidence in their economy. In recent times, consumers have experienced an onslaught of bad news in the form of job cuts, company profit plummeting, bankruptcies and foreclosures, which has led to a reduction in consumer confidence and people&rsquo;s spending power.

Downturn takes its toll

Mahindra Xylo targets one bird too many with its sedan-killer strategy.

Out to kill?

In 2008, when commodity prices were going through the roof, Hindustan Unilever (HUL) decided it needed to up prices to protect its margins. After all, margins, more often than not in the past, had been the FMCG major&rsquo;s priority. So it reduced fill levels (the net grammage of packs was reduced) and also upped prices on some products. Not surprisingly, customers stayed away.

Hindustan Unilever: Volume vs value

This summer, Dabur is all set to challenge the might of beverage majors PepsiCo and Coca-Cola. The homegrown FMCG major, which has a bevy of juices under the Real brand, has forayed into the flavoured fruit beverage category with Real Burrst. A bold move, because Dabur&rsquo;s brand promise is a fully natural experience.

Dabur: Real goes flavoured

When 3i Infotech, incorporated by ICICI Bank in 1993, recently bought JP Morgan&rsquo;s national retail lockbox business for $10 million (around Rs 50 crore), it took its acquisition tally to 40. The Rs 1,700 crore spent on these acquisitions has made 3i Infotech a global player with close to 1,000 clients and 13,000 employees.

3i Infotech: Inorganic tonic

The Indian hospitality industry, which includes hotels and restaurant chains, is valued at $23 billion (Rs 113,976 crore).

KIT: The Indian hospitality industry

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PERFORMANCE

The top 10 business bestsellers

    This board game created by an Indian is probably the world&rsquo;s first on intellectual property rights. Name it.

The Strategist Quiz (#098)

    Who said: &ldquo;I expect the personal computer to become the kind of thing that people carry with them.

Answers to last week's quiz (#097)

As the downturn tightens its grip, consumers shy away from spending. Consumer confidence takes a beating in India and the world over.

Cautious and tightfisted

Approximately 300 students from the premier Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and even Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad, who were placed overseas last year, are bearing the brunt of a slowing economy. Having lost their jobs abroad, many students are requesting their institutes to help them with placements again.

Laid off overseas, IIM students request institutes to place them again

Beat large-cap players in terms of volumes growth.

Mid-tier FMCG firms move fast

Keeping in mind the rising costs for an MBA programme, Bangalore-based YGen Management Consulting Services has launched YMAT, a centralised aptitude test for aspirants for management colleges in the country. The test offers a complete end-to-end selection and admission process involving an aptitude test, group discussion and personal interview to be be conducted in a single day.

YGen introduces YMAT for MBA aspirants

The jury is out on whether Hindustan Unilever can match the success of Tata Tea&rsquo;s Jaago Re campaign with &lsquo;Stay Sharp&rsquo;.

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