No, says Jaideep Ghosh. They only add to the woes of Indian sport.

Do we need a sports ministry?

Business Standard

Lawyers and bookmakers are rubbing their hands in glee as they are the only ones who will gain from cricket&rsquo;s latest embarrassment.

Cry, the beloved game

The Khanty-Mansiysk Olympiad in underway with 143 participating nations. One talking point is the chances of the Armenians &ldquo;threepeating&rdquo;. The defending champions are sixth-seeded but Messrs Aronyan, Akopian, Sargissian, Pashikian and Grigoryan compensate with their team spirit.

CHESS #645

The CWG shows the exact opposite image of what India intended.

Dreams gone sour

Traditional ads still dominate, but quite a few are going off the beaten track.

The power of disruption

The move stumped many who saw actor Malaika Arora Khan&rsquo;s dance number doing much more to Zandu&rsquo;s brand equity than all its other ad campaigns put together.

Dabangg  moment for Zandu Balm

Back in the day, we called it public service advertising.

Cause marketing comes of age

    A dingy boat made its appearance on an advertising hoarding in one of the metros in 2009. It was used when the street got flooded; now the brand has made it a social initiative and has extended it to nine other cities. Name the brand.

Answers to last week&#39s quiz (#167)

    Sales of a personal-care brand have shot up after its name was used in a song of a recent Hindi movie. Name the brand and the movie.

The Strategist Quiz (#168)

ENGAGE
Authors: Brian Solis and Ashton Kutcher
Publisher: Wiley 
Price: Rs 1,205
ISBN: 9780470571095.
GETTING NAKED
Author: Patrick M Lencioni
Publisher: Wiley 
Price: Rs 1,205
ISBN: 9780787976392.
LEADING WITH CARE
Author: Cantando Mary
Publisher: Times Publication Books
Price: Rs 350
ISBN: 9788126525010.
PRACTICING GREATNESS
Author: Mcneal Reggie
Publisher: Times Publication Books
Price: Rs 295
ISBN: 9788126525027.
BEATING LOW COST COMPETITION
Author: Ryans Adrian
Publisher: Times Publication Books
Price: Rs 325
ISBN: 9788126525041.
THE THREE LAWS OF PERFORMANCE
Author: Dave Logan Steve Zaffron
Publisher: Times Publication Books
Price: Rs 395
ISBN: 9788126525072.
YOU CAN&rsquo;T PREDICT A HERO 
Author: Grano Joseph J
Publisher: Times Publication Books
Price: Rs 350
ISBN: 9788126525089.
THE STRATEGIC DRUCKER 
Author: Swaim Robert
Publisher: Times Publication Books
Price: Rs 395
ISBN: 9788126525058.
MARKETING 3.0 
Author: Philip

The top 10 business bestsellers

Mahindra &amp; Mahindra is set to launch its range of motorbikes by this month-end. It had launched scooters last year, leveraging its Kinetic purchase. With incumbents well-entrenched in the market, Mahindra &amp; Mahindra has started on an offensive even before the launch. &ldquo;It had to go aggressive with a bevy of bikes because it has to break the clutter,&rdquo; says PricewaterhouseCoopers Leader (automotive practice) Abdul Majeed.

Mahindra & Mahindra: The Italian job

It&rsquo;s a fact: The recession has given way to a fitful economic recovery. Companies are once again looking to grow, and they know they need the talent to do it. Beyond that, the future is less certain, and nowhere is uncertainty more evident than in talent acquisition.

Turn Agile

Haier of China entered India in 2004. By then, Korean consumer electronics giants LG and Samsung had established themselves firmly in the country. As a result, the going was tough for Haier from day one. In 2009-10, it reported a turnover (net of excise) of Rs 350 crore. With the size of the consumer electronics market pegged at Rs 30,000 crore per annum, this translates into a market share of 1.2 per cent &mdash; just a drop in the ocean. Pranay Dhabhai, who brought Haier to India and is now associated with Akai of Japan, says this was because India was just a distribution business for the Chinese company. &ldquo;All decisions on the initial product offering were taken in China at the head office in Quindow,&rdquo; says he. The added challenge was the perception of Chinese products. Three brands from across the Great Wall had come to India during those years: Haier, Konka and TCL.

Against all odds

Preeti Sethi, a Mumbai-based event manager and image consultant, has been on a shopping spree for a couple of months now. Exclusive high-end designer brands that are usually not available at retail outlets in the country have become part of her wardrobe.

Clothes from cyber space

It may seem like a natural progression, but it has taken more than a decade-and-a-half for telecom operators to look at the mobile phone business in India. This is because, earlier, the market was completely skewed towards global manufacturers like Nokia, Sony Ericsson and Samsung. But the recent entry and growth of national mobile brands like Micromax, Maxx, Lava, Rage and GVL has helped many understand that the Nokias of this world can be beaten in a price-sensitive market like India.

Why telcos are ringing in mobile handsets

Given the popularity of smartphones and portable web-connected devices like netbooks, HP engineers decided that a printer, too, needed to evolve in order to keep up. Erego, HP&rsquo;s ePrint technology for its latest line of printers which, among other things, allows users to print documents by sending an email (from any device, including a smartphone).

HP launches WiFi writer

Toyota will step into the mass market with the Etios by the end of the year.

The Etios brief

When Hindustan Unilever (HUL) chose to give a tongue-in-cheek response to Procter &amp; Gamble&rsquo;s &lsquo;Mystery Shampoo&rsquo; teaser campaign on hoardings across Mumbai, the spotlight fell on the brand it selected for the purpose &ndash; Dove.

Dove flies high; Pantene waits in the wings

US-based Timex Group has virtually withdrawn from the sub-&#39;1,000 watch market, which was once its mainstay. The company thinks the &#39;4,000-plus segment is now big enough as Indian consumers are willing to pay a premium for making a style statement.

Changing times: Timex enters Titan territory

    This American brand is often called &ldquo;The Voice of Authority&rdquo; and all its products are designed by Italian designers. Name it.

Answers to last week's quiz (#166)

The Strategist Quiz (#167)

- Find Specials News, Features, Analysis and more at Business Standard. Full coverage of Goafest 2014

Page 1337 - Supplements