Studying abroad has become both easier and tougher, depending on the country you are looking at. Some of the world&rsquo;s top study destinations for Indian students, like the UK, USA and Australia, have announced a slew of changes to their student visa regime. But these have not adversely impacted the number of students determined to get foreign degrees.

Studying abroad: A mixed bag

Business Standard

IIM should focus on domestic campuses and also they should focus on collaborating with domestic B-schools so that quality of education of these B-schools will improve with guidance and support of IIMs.

Students' corner

When Shantanu Prakash graduated from IIM Ahmedabad in 1988 and floated Educomp Solutions, entrepreneurship was a term largely used only in books. Over two decades later, his venture has not only diversified into various education segments but also inspired other companies to tap the education market. In a chat with Disha Kanwar, he talks about changes in his business strategy and why Educomp is betting big on the rural sector.

We have a long-term vision: Shantanu Prakash

S P Jain Institute of Management &amp; Research (SPJIMR) has received approval for increase of seats of PGDM from from 180 to 240 from the academic year 2012-2014 from All India Council for Technical Education. The additional offers of 60 seats have already been made. &quot;We are very happy to see the speed with which AICTE has sanctioned the increase this year. This will help a large number of aspirants who were waiting for their wait list to move to get confirmed offer letters. We are fully geared up to welcome a batch of 240 from this academic year,&quot; said Parimal Merchant, head of the admission cell.

SPJIMR to increase intake of PGDM to 240 from 2012

IITs have now started filing patents to safeguard their technological innovations, which previously were published as research and development papers. &quot;We can say now that we have become smarter by filing proper patents to safeguard our technical innovations which was previously not done,&quot; said A K Ghosh, chairman of the Open House Committee of IITs. IITs across India have already submitted 260 patents out of which 60 have already been awarded the status. After a technological innovation has been submitted by the Industrial Research and Development and Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer wings of IIT as a patent, it gets grants and funds from various industrial companies or government institutes.

IITs file patents to safeguard innovations

Press Trust of India

Summers have always been the favourite battleground for cola majors Coke and Pepsi. This year is no exception, as the two slug it out for a bigger sip of the Indian beverage market.

The heat is on this summer

Jean-Yves Naouri, chief operating officer for the Publicis Groupe, has been making frequent trips to India in recent years. India remains a crucial market for the Paris-headquartered advertising network, third after WPP and Omnicom in revenue. Naouri was a speaker at the first day of the Goafest and attended Publicis&rsquo; India board meet, at the same venue. He spoke to Viveat Susan Pinto &amp; Sayantani Kar as he rushed from one meet to the next.

We'd like to accelerate the pace of India's contribution: Jean-Yves Naouri

Under fire for producing students only interested in fat pay cheques that come with being part of an Indian Institute of Management (IIM), the country&rsquo;s premier management institutions are looking for innovative ways to encourage students in varied opportunities.

IIM-C to offer financial support to students opting out of placements

Jayant Murty has the last word on Intel&rsquo;s Asia-Pacific marketing strategies. He is the director of strategy, media and integrated marketing of Intel for that region. An ex-advertising honcho, he tells Sayantani Kar and Viveat Pinto the microprocessor company&rsquo;s plans for the mobile market, among other things.

Now, business is a consuming passion of Intel: Jayant Murty

Even before hitting the small screen, Satyamev Jayate, with which Aamir Khan makes his television debut on May 5, is already making waves. To be telecast on Sundays at 11 am, the show will be reminiscent of Sunday morning family TV viewing &mdash; a common thing when serials like Ramayana and Mahabharat were on air.

STAR bets on Aamir's Midas touch in his TV debut

You will soon find Bollywood actor Deepika Padukone happily clicking away with a Sony Cyber-shot camera in a high-decibel campaign set to hit television screens the coming week.

Sony gears for compact click war

What are the factors that could help increase car sales for leading vehicle manufacturers (VMs) in India? What makes customers buy a particular brand or be loyal to the same brand time and again? Some reasons include cost of the car, brand image, fuel efficiency, car makers&rsquo; reputation, car design etc. Can the after-sales service experience help sell more cars or make owners stay loyal to a brand for long? The answer seems to be &lsquo;yes&rsquo; according to Indian customers.

Vehicle servicing: the consumer is king

The US-based global management consulting firm, A T Kearney, in its Global Retail Development Index 2011, has ranked India as the fourth most attractive nation for retail investment, among 30 emerging markets. The rapid expansion of India&rsquo;s retail industry also means there is great demand for real estate. Analysts say international hypermarket chains like Walmart, Tesco and Carrefour &mdash; apart from national chains such as Big Bazaar and More &mdash; will absorb a large chunk of retail real estate in tier II and tier III cities. In this interview to Saumya Prakash, John Strachan, partner &amp; global head of retail, Cushman &amp; Wakefield, address some of the industry&rsquo;s most pressing issues.

India needs to develop and offer more quality retail spaces at commercially viable costs: John Strachan

The gourmet retail space has witnessed rapid expansion in last five years; the space is expected to grow manifolds overthe next few years. The size of the gourmet food market in India is Rs 6,500 crore, growing at a CAGR of 20 per cent.

KIT: Gourmet food market in India

    Tatra, a mountain range which forms a natural border between Slovakia and Poland. The army truck is named after the mountain range and Fanna was filmed in Zakopane in Poland which is at the foothill of Tatra.

Answers to last week's The Strategist Quiz (#249)

You Don&rsquo;T Need A Godfather: Create Your Own Success by Elango R.

The top 10 business bestsellers

Down south, a B-school has put up kiosks at an airport to promote itself. Another B-school is flaunting its international tie-ups to attract students.

Demand for seats in lower rung B-schools to dip further

As the nearly six-year-long battle between the US-based Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Institute and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has ended, the former plans to expand in India.

Deck cleared, CFA Institute to expand in India

The Indian tea industry raised a cup to Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia last week for offering to have tea declared a National Drink on April 17, 2013. This date will coincide with the 212th birth anniversary of the first Assamese tea planter and Sepoy Mutiny leader Maniram Dewan.

Kanika Datta: In the drink

Summer internships are required to provide student a real-time working atmosphere of corporate industry. Enormous debts faced by nearly every sector is leading to non-payment of salaries for months, wage cuts, no hikes and shelving off enough work force. So it is very necessary for the intern/trainee to be flexible enough with a congenial attitude towards work and an acceptance to work even in the grave market situations. So even a bit of an opportunity to get an exposure into corporate world must be opted at hand.

Student's corner

&ldquo;Step aside, lady! The man, too, needs his time before the mirror.&rdquo; That&rsquo;s what, the makers of personal grooming products would like to believe, is a routine exchange across homes in urban India. For, they are betting big on bringing the country&rsquo;s male population in their fold with products designed specifically for men, across categories like hair care, skin care and deodorants &mdash; the last being a category that has seen quite a bit of action lately.

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