One of the most difficult facts of life for managers is having to make decisions under conditions of uncertainty.

Continuity under uncertainty

Business Standard

What comes to your mind when we say Dymatize Elite? Or Sci-MX and Muscle Freak? No, they are not a line-up of punk rock bands slated to perform in India next. These are a bunch of bodybuilding supplements and muscle fitness products that line the reception area shelves at your friendly neighbourhood gym or have started popping up on the shelves of your local pharmacy. As Indians become conscious about their health and how they look and feel, the market for dietary supplements, sports nutrition products, and weight loss products that are broadly clubbed under nutraceuticals is beginning to pick up speed.

On a growth curve

    The introduction of the pressure cooker in the late 1930s and an 11 herbs and spice formula invented by its founder has made this brand what it is today. Name it.

The Strategist Quiz (#245)

Executives from a Mumbai-based rural marketing agency representing multinational Cadbury-Kraft have been making quiet trips to households in rural Gujarat and Punjab. They carry a bag and a nine-inch TV in hand much to the surprise of onlookers. Once they arrive at a given neighbourhood, they knock at every door, requesting for some time to show Cadbury Bournvita commercials.

Cracking the rural code

Amid a challenging economic environment, 517 students of Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow were awarded diplomas at the 26th annual convocation ceremony.

517 IIM-L students awarded diplomas

The Indian School of Business is set to commence the first academic session at its Mohali campus from April 14. The intake in the campus, on the city outskirts, for this year would be 210 students.

ISB-Mohali  set to start session 

It will soon no longer be necessary to be a Nobel laureate or a pioneer in a discipline to get a gold medal at an Indian Institute of Management (IIM) to be named after oneself.

Pay hefty, become part of an IIM brand

Tata has moved up the ladder in a list of the world&rsquo;s most valued brands despite the group&rsquo;s name cropping up in the 2G-related tapes and group Chairman Ratan Tata&rsquo;s dream project, Nano, having to contend with technical problems.

Tata moves up in Apple-led global brand pecking order

The Indian Institute of Management-Bangalore (IIMB), on Monday said students of the post-graduate programme (PGP) from the Class of 2012 had received an overwhelming response from recruiters for the final placement programme. According to the institute, amidst the fears and gloom of the global slowdown, around 363 students from the institute had bagged job offers which is the largest group in the history of the business school. Eight students, including two students who received pre-placement offers, opted out of the placement process to turn entrepreneurs. The IIMB adopted a new format of placement this season wherein it would take place only during the weekend. The placement drive that took place on the third and fourth weekend of February, concluded with a total of around 423 job offers, including 41 international offers.

Amidst fear of crisis IIM-B completes placement

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India&rsquo;s (TRAI) proposal last week to halve ad duration on pay television channels has stirred up a hornet&rsquo;s nest in the media industry.

Ad brake for pay TV channels

Korean major Samsung, the second largest AC player in the country, has decided to stop production of window air conditioners. Mahesh Krishnan, vice president, home appliances of the company, says it does not make any sense to continue with window ACs as the price gap with split ACs has narrowed considerably. Samsung has seen split ACs accounting for 85 per cent of its total AC sales in the current financial year. That number will become 100 per cent next year.

Window ACs feel the heat

With the ever increasing awareness about GMAT among the Indian students, more number of institutes are beginning to accept GMAT scores. Moreover GMAT's popularity among Indian students is growing thanks to the flexibility of choosing to take GMAT around the year and its scores being accepted around the world.

Student's corner

Less than two months after India&rsquo;s Soumitra Dutta took over as the dean at US&rsquo;s Cornell University&rsquo;s Johnson Business School, Srilata A Zaheer became the first Indian woman to head the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. In an emailed interview to M Saraswathy, she shares her goals and India plans.

Decline in high-quality applicants from India into US business PhD courses: Srilata A Zaheer 

To tide over their bad loans and structure their loan products in a better way, banks will now rate B-schools and other educational institutions. In a recent meeting between banks and over 150 education institutes, it was decided that Indian Banks Association will come up with a rating model for institutes. This would be done under the aegis of Pritam Singh, director, International Management Institute, New Delhi.

Education loans: Banks to rate institutes

The announcement of monetary grants for agricultural universities across the country has come as much-needed respite . With the help of these monetary grants, research work at agri campuses are set to expedite, say institutes.

Budget gives research at agri varsities a shot in arm

They may be the new kids on the block, but Punit Agarwal and Ashish Garg, the current owners of discount chain Promart, say they have learnt lessons from the failures of such deep discounters in the past.

The makeover of Promart 

Low-cost airline IndiGo has taken a dig at competition in a new advertisement that hints that other domestic airlines fudge their on-time performance records.

Indigo flaunts on-time performance muscle

Germany-based D&uuml;rr AG, a globally active supplier of products, systems and services mainly for the automobile industry, is planning to strengthen its services in the country. This includes important stages of vehicle production, while bringing in a more clean technology.

IBM, BCG, McKinsey top recruiters at IIM-A placements

The Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A), has hiked tuition fee for its flagship post graduate programme (PGP) batch 2012-14 by seven per cent. The premier B-school is planning to raise funds for the first time through direct contribution by corporates, said Samir Barua, director, IIM-A, on the sidelines of its 47th annual convocation.

IIM-A raises tution fees by 7%

Answers to last week's quiz (#245)

When his bat hits the ball these days, the latter usually disappears into the crowds. At 23, Virat Kohli is raring to go, and brands have been quick to exploit this quality, rooting for him regardless of the fact that he endorses 11 products already.

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