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Business Today - August 10, 2008

by: Living Media India
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Business Today - August 10, 2008

 

Cover Story Ambani vs Ambani: Who wins now? Suman Layak Just when you think the advantage is with one of them, a few thrusts and parries later, it swings to the other. As equations change at the Centre, the battle between Anil Ambani and Mukesh Ambani gets shriller—and more desperate. BT's Suman Layak reports. Editor's note From the editor Sanjoy Narayan As the fight between the Ambani brothers shows no signs of abating, our cover story examines how while the protagonists have become more desperate, the impact of India Inc.’s worst battle could queer the pitch, not only for each of their companies but for Indian business, in general, and, well, even politics. BT MORE Million-dollar babe Dhiman Chattopadhyay
Four years after this dusky beauty rocked the Indian modelling industry with her “young and innocent” looks, Vipasha Agarwal continues to be among the country’s highest-paid models. We spent a couple of days in her company to discover what makes her so desirable. Editorial Brothers at war Corporate family battles are rarely amicable. After all, internecine conflicts can get ugly and if the fight happens in the public gaze like the battle between the two Ambani brothers—Mukesh and Anil—it can get even more unsavoury. Policy Watch 3G on the backburner As the rest of the world switches on to next generation telecom networks, India seems to stay well behind the curve, largely due to warring authorities who can’t seem to agree on what should be done and a hysterical defence establishment who guard ‘their’ spectrum zealously. News Maker Wilbur L. Ross Jr. When Wilbur L. Ross Jr decided to invest in distressed Delhi-based low-cost carrier SpiceJet that has been bleeding due to skyrocketing fuel prices, he was once again betting on something that defied the prevailing logic: he sees the sharp spike in oil prices reverting to sub-100 dollar levels in a year from now. Noted Noted Appointed: R.S. Pandey, as the new Petroleum Secretary. He replaces M.S. Srinivasan, who retires on July 31. Pandey, a 1972-batch IAS officer from the Nagaland cadre, is the Steel Secretary at present. Pandey will have a 17-month stint as the Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. The BT 50 Index BT vital signs The BT 50 index Reporter's Diary Tirupur’s nemesis? N. Madhavan As the ghost of “child labour” returns to haunt textile industry hub of Tirupur, BT’s N. Madhavan chooses to verify it independently. Bookend Risk capitalist R. Sridharan The incredible story of a Harvard professor who gave rise to the venture capital industry. Treadmill Climbing a plateau In weight training, there comes a time when you hit a plateau and discover that no matter what you do you’re not gaining strength or muscle mass. This typically happens if you have been following the same regimen for a while, exercising your muscle groups in the same pattern or sequence. Printed Circuit An enterprising trio Kushan Mitra Three new “enterprise” phones are on the market. Are they worth it? People In the driver’s seat Starring Rod Wallace, MD, Porsche India; SpiceJet’s former Executive Chairman Siddhanta Sharma; Contract Advertising’s Ravi Deshpande; Aditya Birla Group’s Sumant Sinha; Sun Microsystems India’s Anil Valluri and Dr Reddy’s Laboratories’ Kallam Anji Reddy. Leadership Spotlight Chinnakannan Sivasankaran: Deal Meister Chinnakannan Sivasankaran (or ‘Siva’ as he is better known) has one consistent thing going for him: he almost unfailingly makes a substantial killing when he exits the businesses that he acquires. Letters Pinch of a lighter wallet Don’t touch my wallet” (BT cover story, July 27) was a timely reminder of the inflationary crisis that is upon us. But what is different this time around is the level of our preparedness and our ability to tackle this hydra-headed monster. Event On the ball Manu Kaushik Out of the eight finalists who made it to the presentation round of the TiE-Canaan Entrepreneurial Challenge, three emerged ultimate winners. Check them out. Jobs Your future is in the cards Saumya Bhattacharya Thanks to Korn/Ferry, companies are now literally tossing the cards to find business leaders. Believe it or not, this idea isn’t as crazy as it sounds. Special India Inc. goes to school Shamni Pande Education is a goldmine not just for entrepreneurs but also for the country. With the education industry set to grow, the next wave of entrepreneurial activity is going to be education centric. Back of the Book Surat’s lost lustre T.V. Mahalingam The diamond industry in Surat is facing a multitude of challenges in an ultra-competitive market. The latest: workers are asking for better wages. Features Where is Citibank headed? Anand Adhikari The world's largest bank is gasping for breath. Will it now cut back operations globally to put its house back in order, or will it expand in India and China to offset its losses elsewhere? Trends Bye, bye reforms Shalini S. Dagar There’s plenty the UPA government can still do, subject to several ifs. Current Wrong medicine Shalini S. Dagar Following the strategic sale by the Singh family to Daiichi Sankyo, Ranbaxy Laboratories falls into a regulatory imbroglio with multiple agencies in the US. Money The futures game Clifford Alvares There’s nothing like buying stocks for the long haul. Small investors are warming up to futures trading regardless of the risk. But is the futures market for you?