http://www.theindicast.com Ritika and Abhishek take you through the facinating world of Indian business from one of the fastest growing economies - India. Bizination covers the week's top business stories from India and how it impacts on Indian and world economy. en-us Indicast Podcasts ℗ & © 2009 Indicast Ritika and Abhishek take you through the facinating world of Indian business from one of the fastest growing economies - India. Bizination covers the week's top business stories from India and how it impacts on Indian and world economy Indicast acmhatre@gmail.com No http://feeds2.feedburner.com/IndicastBizcast http://www.theindicast.com Starbucks has been around since 1970 and last month it made its debut in India by opening three stores in Mumbai. In response, Cafe Coffee Day, the domestic player put out an advertisement on TV for the first time in 16 years. Online reputation is now a big business in the West and down south, a startup village takes shape in Kochi. Fri, 28 Dec 2012 12:30:35 +0000 09:20 Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com The French government has made the classic mistake. Of interfering in business. Lakshmi Mittal is miffed as he has been asked not to shut down two of his loss making blast furnaces in Florange unless he wants to see all his French outfits getting nationalised. Greece gets another bail out package and in Australia, cigarette packaging will no longer carry any glamorous images or colours. Just plain packaging. Fri, 07 Dec 2012 12:30:35 +0000 12:35 Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com BCCI has been quite the negotiator. It got Pepsi to pay twice as what DLF had paid in the previous edition of the IPL. This comes at a time when the popularity of IPL is possibly at its lowest according to many surveys. Amidst all the talks of recession, in October, Porsche sold a record number of vehicles in India. Also, according to a recent World Bank report, India receives more money through repatriation than any other. And typewriters are called off the shelves in UK. Sun, 02 Dec 2012 12:30:35 +0000 18:33 Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com The Euro Zone goes under all over again. The latest numbers suggest that all seventeen countries of the Euro have posted two consecutive quarters of negative growth. And when that happens, the economy is said to be under recession. The US, which is known to come up with fancy phrases to describe their economic plights, have done it again. This time the popular phrase is the fiscal cliff. Back home in India, Raymond, the apparel maker will soon launch its own brand of beer shampoo. Thu, 22 Nov 2012 12:30:35 +0000 12:42 Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com For the last two years we have been reading a lot about the Euro crisis. Some might complain that we have had a bit of an overdose of it. So we at Indicast thought that we should send one of our guys to tour Europe and find out how exactly is the day in the life of an average European in countries like Germany, France, Austria, etc. Akhilesh, our co-host at BiziNation volunteered to do the trip and sponsored it himself if we might add. In this podcast, he brings us his on ground experience of his recently concluded Euro trip as we take a look at the Euro crisis from the common mans point of view. Sun, 02 Sep 2012 12:30:35 +0000 18:00 Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com Ten years ago, on this day, two planes scorched the twin towers. More than 3000 people were killed and the world economy was impaired. In this podcast, we talk about where we stand today in the wake of bigger crises that the bankers have brought upon us. Continuing on the subject, Indian business and tourism has suffered gravely due to the series of bomb blasts. In other news, Yahoo CEO, Carol Bartz has been sacked rather unceremoniously. Closer home, Archies, a company known for selling gifts and greeting cards has tied up with UNICEF and plans to expand to Rs. 400 crores in the next few years. And in the last few minutes, Ritika gives us a snapshot of her sojourn in Bali. Sat, 10 Sep 2011 12:30:35 +0000 27:00 Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com Forbes has dubbed Groupon as the fastest growing company in the world. In this podcast, we talk about the Groupon anxiety and how has Ritika learned to deal with it in Australia where she takes us through her experience of using different Groupon like services. In other news, Maruti employees went on strike which lasted until the time we recorded this podcast. And a Gujarathi businessman in UK buys himself a flying car. Sat, 02 Jul 2011 12:30:35 +0000 18:14 Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com Lately, Africa has seen a spate of investments from Indian private companies and Dr. Manmohan Singhs visit to the continent a few weeks back only adds to the growing importance of being present in an economy which is growing at 6 per cent per annum. In this podcast, we talk about all the Indian companies which have set up businesses in Africa in the past year. Back home, Hero launches its first dirt bike after splitting with Honda motors and Naomi Campbell is not too happy with Cadbury. Mon, 06 Jun 2011 12:30:35 +0000 16:15 Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com OECD ranked Australia as the happiest industrialised nation in the world. The Indian middle class, on the contrary is facing troubled times as the government considers increasing prices of diesel, kerosene and LPG a couple of weeks after pushing petrol prices. In the midst of this, Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor visits India. In the world of IPOs, LinkedIn has a blockbuster start but we also talk about how the investment banks made more money in the deal than investors and Samsonite, the luggage maker gets listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Thu, 02 Jun 2011 12:30:35 +0000 19:46 Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com Dominique Strauss Kahn preferred to gamble with his position by allegedly sexually assaulting a chambermaid from a Manhattan hotel. He lost his hand, rather literally and with it out went his chances to France's president in the next term. In this podcast, we talk about what this means for IMF and the European nations who are trying to flap their hands and legs in the middle of the oceanic debt that stares at them. At Citibank, Vikram Pandit gets a retention bonus totaling to more than 10 million USD. Closer home, Ratan Tata passes some remarks on Mukesh Ambani and the Brits. Tue, 24 May 2011 12:30:35 +0000 21:11 Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com When Microsoft makes its biggest purchase in its history, everyone loves to talk about it. Skype got acquired for more than 8 billion USD. In this podcast, we talk about this and other related tech stories such as the LinkedIn Initial Public Offering (IPO) scheduled on May 19th. Reid Hoffman, the 43 year old should be happy considering that his company will be the first social network from America to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange. In other news, Facebook was caught planting negative stories in the press against Google. Thu, 19 May 2011 12:30:35 +0000 19:21 Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com Normal is boring. That is the tenet that India seems to be working on in the wake of the biggest petrol price hike of all time. A record 32 per cent year on year and 8 per cent overnight increase has caused some discontent among the middle class. Akhilesh joins us in this episode and we talk about the hike and more. A Rs. 3000 crore subsidy package is being made ready for BSNL and MTNL with the hope of pulling them back into profits. Royal Enfield, the bike company which has a cult following in India has new plans for India. With a waiting period of more than a year, what do you expect. Sun, 15 May 2011 12:30:35 +0000 21:23 Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com K V Kamath has been appointed as the Chairman of Infosys Inc while Mohandas Pai, the HR director of Infy quits. In this podcast, we also cover a bit about the business impact of the royal wedding. In other news, Air India has multiplied its self inflicted problems with more than 1000 pilots going on strike. This episode is unexpectedly all over the place. Hope you like it nevertheless. Ritika is back in this one. Wed, 04 May 2011 12:30:35 +0000 21:00 Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com India may soon have cardless banking if Nandan Nilekani and his team working on the Unique Identification Number can complete the project in time. After the initial testing among a sample size of 58,000 people, the project looks like it's in the right direction. In this podcast, we talk about this new way of exchanging cash from the technology as well as the consumer perspective. With an influx of 3G ads on television, we cover a few ads which have been successful in breaking the clutter, if only marginally. In other news, Kishore Biyani plans to recreate a Big Bazaar like model in the finance world. Tue, 03 May 2011 12:30:35 +0000 20:00 Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com Even by Japans standards, the crisis is of enormous proportions. In this podcast, we try to cover the economic impact of the earthquake and the tsunami that followed. The radiation leaks in the nuclear reactor only added to the problems. Quite a few Indian IT companies have their operations in Japan and in turn Japan happens to be Indias third largest investor. While it may not affect India gravely, it is definitely not decoupled from this crisis. In other news, Rajat Gupta resigns from ISB and Grameen Banks Yunus is having his problems hanging on to the company that he created. Fri, 25 Mar 2011 12:30:35 +0000 20:00 Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com Scarcity makes things invaluable and thats what makes the World Cup cricket a mouth watering proposition for advertisers. All India Radio is slated to earn around Rs. 7 crore from the 45 day long event. Others like Pepsi, Castrol, Hyundai, Amul have bet their best buck hoping to capture minds and eye balls. In other news, Indigo plans to hire 1,500 employees this year with aviation sector grappling the effects of rise in the Aviation Turbine Fuel price. Fri, 18 Mar 2011 12:30:35 +0000 20:00 Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com The Indian IT industry has a new concept to deal with and TCS has pounced onto it. It is called Cloud Computing. With a revenue projection of 1 billion USD, TCS will focus on Small and Medium Enterprises which total to a whopping 38 million. Many are calling this move as the Nano of the IT world where TATA hopes to replicate its success by tapping not the Fortune 500 companies but the smaller ones who can avail of this interesting concept. Rolls Royce, the British car maker announced record sales in India. We briefly cover the Union Budget highlights in this episode. Wed, 16 Mar 2011 12:30:35 +0000 20:00 Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com Thanks all you guys for sticking with us all throughout the 50 episodes. This one is dedicated to each one of you. We start this one by talking about the unforeseen increase in the onion prices and how it is affecting the common man. Akhilesh brings in Baba Ramdev in a business podcast because Akhi reckons that the Baba could give the MNCs a run for their money for competing with Ramdevs line of products. Fri, 31 Dec 2010 12:30:35 +0000 15:10 Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com This episode is dedicated to the car industry which is on a high. Toyota launched its first car in the small car category and has roped in A R Rahman as its brand ambassador. The words, 'General Motors' and 'quarterly profits' could never be used in the better part of this decade. But GM India has other plans. It has invested 200 million in India. Tata Nano, however, is dealing with a massive recall as the cars would catch fire if they exceed a particular speed limit. Sun, 05 Dec 2010 12:30:35 +0000 16:10 Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com Coal India, the world's largest coal mining company offered itself to be devoured on the stock market making it Indias biggest Initial Public Offering (IPO) till date. In this episode, we try to cover the modalities of the offer, the effect it will have on the dollar and rupee relationship and a lot more. In other news, Vodafone has set itself up for the 3G roll out. In celebrity business news, Mukesh Ambani moves into his billion dollar apartment. Fri, 31 Dec 2010 12:30:35 +0000 21:10 Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com Research in Motion, the Canadian company which manufactures the world famous business device Blackberry is in a fix. It is running against a tight deadline set by the Indian government. Like other countries where Blackberry operates, India demands that Blackberry mails and SMSs be allowed to be scanned for security reasons. In other news, Nokia entered the dual SIM market in India. Google's Youtube has opened up a pay per view for 5USD where you can rent movies online. Fri, 03 Sep 2010 12:30:35 +0000 09:00 Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com Greece continues to fight the budget deficit demons and we tell you the Greek folk lore which is hogging headlines these days. Bajaj decides to change its branding srategy for its bikes. Rajeev Bajaj and Rahul Bajaj don't always agree. FDI in retail may get a breather. All about UPA's FDI policy. Air travel set to get cheaper as Indian government limits service tax on airfare. Fri, 03 Sep 2010 12:30:35 +0000 24:20 Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com The Indian government is contemplating on giving out direct subsidies to the poor by distributing food coupons which can be exchanged for food items at market prices. Do not hold your breath. The government is only in a contemplation mode, but in this podcast we talk about what are the highlights, advantages and consequences of such a step. The prototype of executing this step is already ready with Sri Lanka which had done this way back in 1979. In the auto industry, Daimler joins Nissan and Renault in an alliance to share technology and reduce cost. In other news, the management thinker, C K Prahlad passed away. Thu, 22 Apr 2010 12:30:35 +0000 24:20 Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com The cricketing world sees it as a money making machine. But what are the different sources of revenue for the IPL. In this podcast, we try and give you the business side of the IPL by talking about the deals that have been signed in the run up to the third season of the IPL. All teams without exceptions have recovered their money which only proves the success of the business model which is evolving at best. In other news, Carlos Slim was declared as the world's richest man. Sun, 21 Mar 2010 12:30:35 +0000 26:20 Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com We all have grown up to looking up to Toyota and Honda as Gods of quality and production standards, but when you find out that a few 100,000 cars are recalled due to unintended acceleration and a few thousands for a faulty door mat which would jam the breaks, you wonder if these Gods have a sense of humour. In this episode we discuss the major recalls of the car industry and how they are dealing with them. In other news, the Wall Street goes easy on this years CEO pay packages. Tue, 02 Mar 2010 12:30:35 +0000 25:40 Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com Although Cadburys is a brand from UK, it elicits a lot of fond memories from Indians here in India. Blame it on their beautiful advertising (credit goes to O and M). So when Kraft decided to make an offer that Cadbury's is mulling over, we thought why not talk about the deal from Indias perspective. Inflation in India is howering at 16 per cent and the prices of essential commodities have gone through the roof. On the other hand in Australia where Ritika is currently residing, the story is the other way around. Wed, 03 Feb 2010 12:30:35 +0000 25:40 Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com In the first Bizination episode for 2010, we bring you a list of top 10 Business news of 2009 that made waves in India. Tell us if you agree with our list! Sat, 23 Jan 2010 12:30:35 +0000 30:40 Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com If anyone can come close to playing God today, then its unargubaly Google. In its latest move it is contemplating on charging its users (virtually all of us) for accessing news online. We cant blame Google for this since this demand has come from folks like Murdoch and the likes who claim to be losing tons of money by inviting readers to browse stories free of cost. In India, Bajaj has taken a bold (but predictable and emotional) decision to discontinue its scooters. Wed, 23 Dec 2009 12:30:35 +0000 26:20 Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com For the last decade or so, Dubai invoked awe and admiration for the pace at which it could lead a creative growth which was not limited to building sky scrapers, but other garnishing like man made islands, artificial arctic like winter, etc. All these developments were funded by the Government through its investing arm, Dubai World which announced that it could not pay off the $59 billion loan to the banks. The stock markets came crashing down. While that happened, we also talk about the companies from India which are raising money to carry out their expansion activities. The recovery has begun. Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:30:35 +0000 25:20 Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com AMD and Intel are the fiercest of competitors. And we ve been taught that almost all is fair in love, war and the corporate world. Intel took it a bit too far and had to cough up 1.5 billion USD to AMD for uh cheating. This is what they call out of court settlement. In News from India, the government is on a gold buying spree from the IMF. Toyota, the Japanese auto major has put its papers in F1. We sign off this episode by talking a bit about Inflation waking up after a rather prolonged period of hibernation. Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:30:35 +0000 30:20 Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com Scams are back. Three guys from the 1983 batch of Wharton Business School have been accused of orchestrating one of the biggest hedge fund scams in a long time. This is a text book case of Insider trading. But not all news is sad news on the Wall Street. Most companies have posted Quarterly profits. In India, Lakshmi Mittal, the CEO of Arcelor Mittal threatened to quit all his projects from Orissa and Jharkhand. Ritika has strong views on the whole issue of land allocation for such projects which causes a lot of friction between the locals and the state government. In some sad news, Ranjan Das, SAP India head died of a massive heart attack. Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:30:35 +0000 28:20 Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com This episode of BiziNation is dedicated to the Internet. Lately, social networking sites are showing signs of finally making some money USocial, an Australian site is selling friends to companies who can send targeted messages to its audience. On the Operating Systems front, Microsoft launched its new OS with an a very questionable but an effective ad campaign. Yahoo! is spilling $100 million on advertising in the traditional media, a sign of growing desperation. Google on the other hand has launched an ad exchange program on the web much like the stock market in the physical world. Also, back home, an IIT entrepreneur launched Phokat Copy, a service which subsidizes photocopies for students in India. Sun, 18 Oct 2009 12:30:35 +0000 30:20 Indian Business News, India, Business, Bollywood Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com This episode is about how businesses are adapting themselves to the changes in their environment. Levis has launched an EMI scheme to make your favourite pair of Levis jeans affordable to you. Launch of worlds first digi novel is a testiment to how the publishing industry and authors are using novel ways to face the challenges thrown by the new media of internet. We talk about google being at its innovative best. Indias biggest and favourite insurer LIC is no longer shying away from the equity market. PG comes to the rescue of the Olympics committee as sporting events feel the heat of recession. Sun, 06 Sep 2009 12:30:35 +0000 30:20 Indian Business News, India, Business, Bollywood Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com There are no free lunches and so removing money from an ATM other than your bank will now cost you but the first five in a month are free. Listen about how banks in Australia charge ATM interchange fees to customers. Sad news for all Reader digest fans as the company declares bankruptcy in US. Biking fans in India welcome the entry of Harley Davidson. Maverick CEO Michael Leary of Ryan Air teaches a few things about running a profitable airlines in time of slump. Spicejet does better than its full service rival. Sun, 06 Sep 2009 12:30:35 +0000 25:20 Indian Business News, India, Business, Bollywood Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com The IT sector first quarter results are out and the Sensex finally has something to cheer about. TCS is leading from the front reports better than expected profits. Anil Ambani's Reliance Big Entertainment is taking the Hollywood path by signing a deal with Steven Spielberg's Dreamworks. The Ambani brothers are at it again!! Straight out of a scene from Bollywood hit, Deewar,they are fighting for the gas in krishna Goadavri basin. The 2 brothers fight it out in the legal battlefield. Thu, 30 Jul 2009 12:30:35 +0000 23:00 Indian Business News, India, Business, Bollywood Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com The Union Budget 2009-10, like any other was branded as an Aam Aadmi budget which promised inclusive growth. But the sceptics brushed it aside. Contratry to what the experts think, we reckon that this budget has something in it for both the rich as well as poor. In this podcast, we dwell not only on the Yojanas and schemes that the goverment has announced for the poor but also spend some time talking about the plans laid out for the urban poor, infrastructure, defense personnel and children. And we also introduce a section where in you can leave your comments and we'll add those in our next podcast. Listen to know how to go about it. Wed, 15 Jul 2009 12:30:35 +0000 30:00 Indian Business News, India, Business, Bollywood Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com The thought of the Indian aviation industry making quarterly profits is far fetched, but to find out that one company bears almost half of the entire industry's burden would send some stomachs churning especially if you are working with Air India, Indias national carrier. Story aint that different in other parts of the world. British Airways has declared its biggest loss of the century. Back home, the Bandra Worli Sea link has been unveiled and promises to take some load off the roads. This episode is a light weight one where we celebrate, in Ritika's words, our Pearl Anniversary. Wed, 08 Jul 2009 12:30:35 +0000 23:00 Indian Business News, India, Business, Bollywood Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com Ritika gives us a run down of some ground realitiy in Australia on the attacks on Indians. This podcast is a mix of national and international news. Australia has just been handed out a stimulus package a good percentage of which went to the dead! Back home in India, Bharati has renewed talks with MTN for what would be the biggest Indian acquisition. The Bharti tie up with Walmart spwaned a 50000 sq feet cash and carry store in Amritsar. And in another news, Grameen America, the microfinance bank led by Mohd Yunus has an envious track record despite the recession. Thu, 11 Jun 2009 12:30:35 +0000 23:00 Indian Business News, India, Business, Bollywood Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com The initial euphoria of the UPA win in the recently held Indian elections refuses to die down and in this podcast we bring to you what's in store for the Indian business class following the UPA win. What can our new Finance Minister Mr Pranab Mukherjee do to accelerate the Indian GDP growth in times like these We discuss policy issues ranging from FDI to disinvestment to deregulation of oil. The IPL has come and gone and its time to start raking the moolah. We discuss the actual winners of the IPL. Tata has done it once again!! From people's car to low cost housing, Tatas seem to be taking CK Prahlad's Botton of the Pyramid model very seriously. Listen to our 28th epsiode to know more. Wed, 27 May 2009 12:30:35 +0000 19:20 Indian Business News, India, Business, Bollywood Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com Satyam made headlines not too long ago. Now Tech Mahindra has brought it back in the news. Satyam will soon be bought out by Tech Mahindra. Most of this rather short podcast focuses on the deal and what is there in it for Tech Mahindra which had to pay more than a 1000 crore for this deal. Quarter 4 results are out and surprisingly a few of Indias IT companies have posted profits. Mon, 27 Apr 2009 12:30:35 +0000 20:39 Indian Business News, India, Business, Bollywood Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com Cut back to your school days when on the sports day, the entire class would split into two halves to play the tug of war. It was a fun PT period for us at school. But not so much for the RBI which is trying hard to pull with all its might against both inflation and deflation. Recently, RBI cut the repo rates and the reverse repo rates to boost the economy. Ritika gives us a run down of what these jargons mean. The Federal Reserve has shown its benevolence to AIG again with its third bail out package. Citibank announcing a quarterly profit was some good news at BiziNation after a long time. Mon, 27 Apr 2009 12:30:35 +0000 20:39 Indian Business News, India, Business, Bollywood Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com The interim budget was as bland as Russian food. But Pranab Mukharjee spiced it up just in time for the elections. With the benevolent excise duty, service tax and a few other rate cuts, the consumer will have to spend less on mobile phone bills, buying an LCD TV, etc. In the corporate sector, after the Satyam debacle, SEBI has asked for full disclosure from the promoters of companies who pledge their shares to raise more money. In cricket, the multi million IPL season will kick off very soon. On other side of the world, in England, Sir Allen Stanford, the man who sponsored the million dollar T20 tournament in West Indies has been booked for fraud. Thu, 05 Mar 2009 12:30:35 +0000 20:39 Indian Business News, India, Business, Bollywood Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com And we are back after a pretty long time, but nothing much has changed since we spoke about bad news that surrounded the world economy. In fact, things have only gone downhill. Layoffs have begun even in India. The US economy is reeling and is hoping under Barack Obama's slogan of Hope, not fear. The US congress has approved the $700 billion odd stimulas package. In other news from India, Subhiksha, the ailing retail chain is fighting hard to survive bankruptcy. Sat, 21 Feb 2009 12:30:35 +0000 20:19 Indian Business News, India, Business, Bollywood Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com "They can have it in any colour they want as long as it is black," Henry Ford's arrogance back in the 19th Century was justified when he was selling his cars and telling consumers what they NEEDED because he didn't believe that the customers knew what they wanted. Given a choice, Ford's customers would have demanded a faster horse, but he built the Model T anyway. CUT TO 2008. The swaggar which the auto makers had gotten used to is now reduced to a limp. With people shoving their hard earned money under the mattress, today, a sleek sports car is no more than a gas guzzling peace of metal meant for the foo ish few who are skating on thin ice. With the auto industry consistently posting losses, it hope to get a 25 bn USD loan from the treasury to fix a few things. We talk about the mess and some dope from the aviation industry in India as well. Mon, 24 Nov 2008 12:30:35 +0000 Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com Two years after TATA announced the one lakh car, argubly a revolution of the magnitude of Henry Ford's Model T, the car industry's most binouculared project is yet to lay its foundation stone. After elaborate protests, some violence and lots of confusion, TATA took the painful call of relocating to another state. A week later, all the newspapers carried a picture of Narendra Modi, the chief minister of Gujarat shaking hands with Ratan Tata. This podcast is more about our thoughts on how politics can ruin capitalism. We want to know your take on this one. In another news, HCL is set to acquire Axon, an SAP consulting firm and TCS has bought over the back office arm of Citigroup. Mon, 20 Oct 2008 12:30:35 +0000 Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com When they asked Tom about his occupation, he balked. He wanted to keep that as a secret. But they persisted wanting to know about what Tom does for a living. He finally relented, "I work as a piano man in a brothel." He had lied. He was too ashamed to admit that he was an investment banker. This podcast is dedicated to all the innocent Toms from the unsinkable 'Titanic' like industry in the US called Investment banking where the lifeboats are afloat with people who's jobs and families are on the line. We would love to know your take on this unceremonius downfall of goliaths likeLehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, etc. How bad is it out there? Tue, 30 Sep 2008 12:30:35 +0000 Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com We are back after getting stuck in a rather unhealthy habit of not being on time. The last month was plump with a number of mergers and acquisitions on a national and an international scale. Spice married Idea in the telecom sector. On the global front, Anil bhais ADAG and MTN, the South African telecom giant are contemplating a merger of sorts, but Mukesh Ambani comes in his younger bro's way yet again. Ranbaxy, the Indian pharmaceutical major has been acquired by its Japanese Counterpart, Daiichi Sankyo in a landmark deal. This season, in India, as the rains pour, so do the mergers. Tue, 15 Jul 2008 12:30:35 +0000 Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com The epidemic is back. It is called inflation. USA, India, China, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Haiti, Egypt are searching for the medicine to cure themselves. The medicine itself is not only bitter, but sometimes fatal! Among the developing economies, India leads the pack. In this podcast, we talk about how relavent is this whole issue to the common man or the housewife who buys vegetables on the street in a city in India. We recorded this episode when the inflation was around 7 per cent. Two weeks later, now, as I type, it has notched up to 9 per cent. We would love to know your take on this issue that has perplexed economists from around the world. Sun, 08 Jun 2008 12:30:35 +0000 Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com Richard Branson does a James Bond like stunt again. To announce his tie up with Tata Teleservices, he jumped from some high rise building to get to the front pages of all leading publications here in India. He made a bigger splash when he experimented flying one of his planes on Alternative fuel. VISA has announced its intensions for the world's biggest IPO and in another news, the Indian Banking industry boasted of the biggest deal ever. Tue, 18 Mar 2008 12:30:35 +0000 Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com Every year, on the last day of February, all the guns are out aiming at two men, the Railway Minister and the Finance Minister of India. This year was no different. We attempt to give you a run down of the Railway Budget presented by the flamboyant Lalu Prasad Yadav and the Union Budget announced by the calm and composed Chidambaram, the CFO of India. Everything from the huge Rs. 60,000 crore agricultural debt waiver to increasing the income tax slabs unabashedly knocked the voter's doors to draw their attention. We have our share of light moments where Ritika does a Lalu impersonation. No kidding! Mon, 03 Mar 2008 12:30:35 +0000 Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com The stock markets around the world tumble as America faces prospects of recession. It does not help when banks like Societe General face losses due to rogue trading. Starbucks sees the back of its CEO as competition with McDonalds heats up. Meg Whitman passes on the baton to Danahoe. In another news, HPCL answers natures call rather literally and we wonder whether the Indian Premier league has got bigger than the game? Thu, 31 Jan 2008 12:30:35 +0000 Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com This episode was recorded a couple of days before the Auto Expo at Delhi which unveiled the one lakh car from TATA after a long long wait of two years. The Indian car industry is going great guns with some nitro boosting mergers and joint ventures. TATA Motors has bagged the Land Rover and Jaguar deal from Ford Motors and we discuss a string of tie ups that the Indian companies have been involved with. And there is some good News for Non Resident Indians who feel home sick and God sick. A unique concept now allows all you folks to outsource your pujas. Celebrity endorsements continue to rule the roost in our ad world. Fri, 11 Jan 2008 12:30:35 +0000 Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com If the Indian stock market is galloping, the Indian Art Market is on LSD. It is swaying to a mood swing that is helping it grow by 50 per cent year on year. And buying expensive paintings is seen as a very intelligent investment option. As the marriage season hits India, people are insuring their marriages! In HCL, you can rate your bosses and what more, the results will be displayed on the Intranet. Vikram Pandit has been named as the CEO of Citigroup and this time India can pat its back since Pandit completed his schooling in Nagpur. As Burger King competes fiercely with McDonalds, we choose to talk about the Indian McDonalds - Jumbo King Vada Pav from Mumbai. Thu, 22 Nov 2007 12:30:35 +0000 Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com Chuck Prince of Citigroup and Stan O'Neal quit admist the sup prime crisis, but, their exit packages are getting more eye balls! We feel that they deserve the millions that they beget even after goofing up big time! Another CEO, Rick Wagoner stands strong among the ruins at General Motors as it wrote off $38 billion. Petrochina rocks the corporate world by being the most valuable company beating Exxon Mobil. Two Indian wine companies, Sula Wines and Champagne Indage are on an expansion spree. And Bollywood is finding different ways to earn revenues. It's not only about tickets anymore Thu, 22 Nov 2007 12:30:35 +0000 Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com Mukesh Ambani is not the richest man after all. Ever heard of peer to peer microfinance? Ask eBay about it! Also, a Microsoft former employee starts a networking site for the unorganised sector; so, you can find yourself a driver or a household maid on the web! Yuvraj Singh has pulled off a coup! He is slated to earn a 100 cr contract, but, there is more to it than just the money. The mobile telephony has too many cooks which might just spoil the broth and Bharati's Mittal is livid! GAP and sweatshops are made for each other. Fri, 16 Nov 2007 12:30:35 +0000 Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com The SENSEX has crossed the 20000 mark and Mukesh Ambani is the richest man! Well, not quite. Like everyone we got this news wrong! We discuss how Participatory Notes is acting as the LSD to the big spike in the market cap of companies on the BSE. Ritika brings in a political angle to the mercurial nature of the stock market! On another flight, Singapore Airlines has flown the worlds largest aircraft. Vijay Mallay's Kingfisher will fly the super Jumbo soon. While BBC plans laying off a huge chunk of its workforce, Shiv Nader of HCL has resigned as the CEO is the chief mentor and Microsoft's Chief Software Architect has just bought his company a stake in Facebook. Fri, 5 Oct 2007 12:30:35 +0000 Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com SRK, Salman, Govinda, Suniel Shetty, Abhishek Bachchan, Bobby Deol, Priyanka Chopra... the list is endless. All these celebs have successfully endorsed apparels and we feel that such endorsements work well in the Apparel industry than in any other. In entertainment, I and B Ministry has some good news for all of us with the Entertainment tax being pared down Also, you can watch a movie on a petrol pump. Ask BPCL about it. In another common NEWS, Vodafone has taken over Hutch and has painted the entire Mumbai City red Mon, 8 Oct 2007 12:30:35 +0000 Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com The US financial market is like an avalanche. When things go wrong out there, they bring the world economy down to an extent. Ritika gives a user friendly description of what is the big deal with the sub prime markets crisis! This week, while Anita Roddick of Body Shop passed away, her legacy of eco-friendly practice still lives on. In another news, Starbucks opened shop in Russia, it is contemplating for the nth time to enter India. And SRK's 'Om Shanti Om' is the biggest financial hit of Indian cinema (inflation adjusted) and his biography is selling at a neat 3000 Rupees Thu, 20 Sep 2007 12:30:35 +0000 Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com Indias largest bank, SBI which already has a good chunk of the Islamic Banking market feels that India is a largely untapped market. While the aviation industry in India breathes a sigh of relief with steadily increasing fares, in the British Aviation industry, BA faces litigation for fixing the fuel surcharge in collusion with Virgin. Multi million deals are being signed in India with Mallya scooping up Spyker Ferrari and in entertainment, Pritish Nandy signed a 100 crore deal to remake Sholay. Wed, 5 Sep 2007 12:30:35 +0000 Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com There are bad ads, good ads and then there is the third kind... The controvertial ads! Amul Macho was successful in raising a few eyeballs and more (no pun!) among a few in the Information and Broadcasting Industry of India. Also, RBI has fingered the corporate sector again to check the appreciating rupee. Closer home, the Indian farmer plays David to the Goliath, Reliance. It's right out of a hindi movie! Tue, 28 Aug 2007 12:30:35 +0000 Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com This week, a familiar news item flashed across all news papers, 'Doha round fails.' Since its inception in 2001, Doha has been a playground of woes where the larger players like EU and USA do not relent to the requests of former kachaa limbus and currently, emerging economies of Brazil and India. Rupert Murdoch, the 76 year old young man has acquired Dow Jones for a neat $5 billion! Kishore Biyani's Future Group is s orming urban India with its focus on youth and women! Thu, 09 Aug 2007 12:30:35 +0000 Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com In this episode we talk about how the Harry hoopla continues to rock the world and how adults and kids alike are hooked onto the book like it were a life saving drug! We wonder why one of the worlds biggest potential publishing markets is comatose. Can only a Harry Potter revive it or will the real Indian authours please stand up! We also discuss why Microfinance is a model that must find place in every economics syllabus. And finally Ritika teaches me a lesson or two in how to make your employees happy! Fri, 03 Aug 2007 12:30:35 +0000 Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com Russia will host the Winter Olympics in 2012. The NEWS is more about business than about sports! Also, listen to know how Vladamir Putin managed this coup! Closer home, Delhi will soon be hosting the Common wealth games in 2010 and that's supposed to help the Indian economy surge further. Delhi is already in 5th gear and the cosmetic surgery of the city is in progress. While voting for the '7 wonders of the world' has made news for many wrong reasons, we feel that it was a huge marketing case study! In the car industry, Bajaj debuts the passenger car market and competes with TATA's, Renaut and Honda! Read more to understand the possible strategy behind the decision. Indian Advertising now shifts focus towards women to sell two wheelers! Ritika feels that the ad agencies in India are more contemperory and creative in depicting the new age women than our TV/movies. We'd love to know your take on it. Wed, 18 Jul 2007 12:30:35 +0000 Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com If there were God in the Indian film industry today, it is unargubly, the Superstar, Rajnikant. His new movie Sivaji , the boss has raked in more moolah than some of the Yash Chopra Films... combined! No one knows who the better half of Reliance is, but, in the entertainment sector, Mukes bhai and Anil bhai , formarly from the same family (oops!) may cross paths. Reliance Industries and Yash Raj will enter into a deal to build Multiplexes and Anil Dhirubai Ambani Group is moving like a live wire in the Film distribution business (among other things). And this episode also marks a discussion on why the rupee is appreciating against the dollar and what is there in it (or not there) for our exporters who are whining! Bio Fuels is the future for India says Branson and co. Listen to know more! Sat, 30 Jun 2007 12:30:35 +0000 Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com This was an amazingly lighthearted episode where Ritika and I had a lot of fun covering diverse topics like how Mallya's Kingfisher swooped in to take a controlling stake in Capt Gopinath's Air Deccan and how corporate America and its CEOs are being sacked for non business easons! Also, how Infosys, the Indian IT powerhouse is deftly tackling attrition with its not so sporting Non Compete agreement which all its employees have to sign! Rupert Murdoch is getting younger and acquiring companies left, right, centre! Mon, 18 Jun 2007 12:30:35 +0000 Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre) http://www.theindicast.com Welcome to the informal yet facinating world of business podcast from Indicast. This episode was recorded the day India joined the elite list of 12 nations which boast of a trillian dollar economy! Ritika, my friend turned co-host makes her debut on the show. We had a blast while recording the episode! We hope you love it as well! Barclays, CSR, TATA, Carbon credits, Airbus, Tech pacific, Kingfisher, Schwarzenegar, Iinflation, and much much more in flat 15 minutes! This is the pilot episode of Indicast's Business Podcast and we want you guys to tell us what you felt about it. Comment! Comment! Comment! Wed, 09 May 2007 12:30:35 +0000 Adtiya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre)