Advertisement

Help
You are here: Rediff Home » India » Business » Interviews
Search:  Rediff.com The Web
  Email this Page
August 27, 2008
'We are targeting 40% credit growth'
"Our target is to disburse at least Rs 2,000 crore this year. Retail business constitutes 94 per cent of our business. Our total disbursal last year was Rs 7,100 crore and we plan to grow by 40 per cent this year," says LIC Housing Finance's new CEO and director, R R Nair.
August 26, 2008
'We will do it the telecom way'
Big TV DTH's chief executive Arun Kapoor is aiming for a 40 per cent share of the market in a year, by which time the total number of DTH subscribers may treble to 18 million.
August 21, 2008
'Cost of doing business is increasing in India'
Other governments offer more tax incentives which may compel IT firms to move a significant part of their business to other low-cost and friendly countries.
'There is no indication of an investment slowdown yet'
Given the monetary steps taken, I am hopeful we will be back to normal inflation, that is 5-6 per cent, within 12 months.
August 20, 2008
'IPO is one step closer to divestment'
We don't want BSNL to become another VSNL.
'This inflation is like 70s' oil shock'
in some sense, it is much worse as the current rise was preceded by an increase in commodity prices
August 18, 2008
'Institutions will have to pay 100% for IPOs soon'
Sebi wants to reduce the time gap between the closure of an issue and its listing. This process is aimed at removing refund-related concerns and the grey market in IPOs.
August 16, 2008
An interview with Rama Prasad Goenka
"My life has been full of interesting people", Rama Prasad Goenka tells Business Standard when asked about memories of an era when the open Indian economy was converted into a closed one based on the licence raj by the person whom he openly idolises, former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
August 13, 2008
Quality of growth, not rate, more vital to us: Philip Clarke
After negotiations with many Indian corporates including and Bombay Dying, UK's Tesco has decided to go alone and partnered with Tata's retail arm, Trent, for a technical tie-up. Philip Clarke, director, Europe and Asia, talks to Clarke about Tesco's India plans.
August 12, 2008
'Pension Bill: More players within 6 months'
After years of waiting, finally there seems to be hope for the passage of the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority Bill, thanks to the Left's withdrawal of support from the government. The passing of the Bill will provide statutory backing to the regulatory agency, enabling it to issue guidelines and allow non-government employees to save for the long-term. PFRDA Chairman D Swarup spoke to Business Standard about the issues involved.
August 11, 2008
British Gas, Mahanagar Gas JV has big plans
An equal joint venture between British Gas (BG) and GAIL, Mahanagar Gas (MGL) provides piped natural gas (PNG) in and around Mumbai. The company says it is now planning to extend its reach by entering more cities in Maharashtra.
August 05, 2008
Bank of Baroda upbeat on growth: MD
Corporate lending has not slowed down. There is no slowdown in manufacturing and services, says M D Mallya.
August 04, 2008
'Biz building happens during a market slowdown'
The turbulence witnessed by the stock market this year has adversely affected brokers but Motilal Oswal, Chairman and Managing Director, Motilal Oswal Financial Services says he is unruffled. "Revenues have been hit if you compare them on a quarterly basis. The earnings were exceptionally high during the last two quarters of 2007, as the benchmark indices rose more than 30 per cent during the period. Given the swift rise in share prices, this slowdown was expected."
'We spend Rs 750 cr a year on training our workforce'
Training a person for 16 weeks (4 months) in the US costs something like $50,000 (around Rs 21.25 lakh). However, the education system is much better in the US. So we provide short-term training courses of about 15 days for new recruits there
August 02, 2008
Datacom Solutions has big plans
Consumer durables major Videocon Industries' subsidiary Datacom Solutions, which has received telecom licences to begin pan-India operations, is planning to commence network rollout starting August 15 and services by year-end, becoming one of the first newcomers to launch operations.
July 30, 2008
IBM plans to ready students for the 21st century
We are looking at both soft skills and technology skills; skills that will allow them to adapt, and become change agents. They also have to keep abreast of the latest technology developments
July 29, 2008
'We are headed for a distressed real estate market'
Unaffordable real estate prices, hardening interest rates, fall in home loan disbursements and reluctance of developers to cut down prices do not augur well for the real estate market in India, feels V Hari Krishna, CIO of Kotak Realty Funds Group.
July 28, 2008
How ICICI Bank plans to meet challenges
ICICI Bank has reported a decline in its quarterly net profit for the first time since its merger with ICICI.
July 21, 2008
'There cannot be a case for a windfall tax'
Naresh Nayyar, MD & CEO, Essar Oil, tells <I>Business Standard</I> that a windfall profit tax on private oil companies will only worsen the situation.
July 17, 2008
'We may have to weigh possible price hike'
Masaru Tamagawa, Managing Director, Sony India, believes that higher duty structures on imports and the depreciating rupee are coming in way of making Sony products in India more affordable.
Malvinder Singh on Ranbaxy's setback
All medicines that have USFDA approvals continue to be produced in the Poanta Sahib facility. The USFDA has not given any approval for new drugs as they have some concerns. We are addressing them, Malvinder Singh said.
July 16, 2008
'Hotel occupancy rate may dip in next quarter'
With the current slowdown in the travel market, the occupancy may take a hit in the next quarter. But business travellers will have to travel, no matter what. The leisure travel might slow down. But business travellers will help us shore our business, says Chander Baljee, MD, Royal Orchid.
'I am not a businessman trying to build a hospital'
When Fortis Healthcare wanted heart surgeon Naresh Trehan out of its new acquisition, the Escorts Heart Institute in New Delhi, last year, Trehan's ambitions to set up his own healthcare facility -- Medicity -- was cited as the cause. However, Trehan's plans were not new. Medicity, to be set up in Gurgaon, was first announced in 2005, the year Fortis acquired Escorts Heart Institute. Trehan continued as the Escorts' executive director for two more years.
July 15, 2008
'India will need flexibilities in very few instances'
On July 21, trade ministers from nearly 50 countries will converge at Geneva to finalise proposals on agriculture and non-agricultural market access (Nama) which are part of the Doha Round of world trade talks. World Trade Organisation Director General Pascal Lamy tells <I>Business Standard</I> why the ministerial is crucial.
July 12, 2008
We're optimistic despite negative sentiments: Infy chief
Infosys Technologies generates over 60 per cent of its revenue from the US, which is witnessing a slowdown. A falling rupee did help the company tide over the quarter, and S Gopalakrishnan (popularly addressed as Kris) says that new opportunities, geographies and centres of excellence will have to be balanced against billing cycle delays and other pitfalls of the market.
July 10, 2008
'It's good that credit growth is higher than RBI's target'
Banks will be able to get over the problem of growing inflation and rising interest rates by increasing the deposit rates, hiking prime lending rates and mobilising low cost deposits, according to K Ramakrishnan, chairman and managing director, Andhra Bank. Ramakrishnan, who started his banking career with Bank of India as a probationary officer in 1970, is retiring by the end of this month.
'It's expensive to do BPO business in India'
In India, there are so much of added costs in the form of providing food and transportation to employees, says S Nagarajan, Co-founder, 24/7 Customer.
July 05, 2008
Why DLF has opted for a buyback
In both good and bad times, we will do things that are good for the company and its shareholders. We are not a company that decides strategy on the basis of newspaper articles or analyst comments.
July 04, 2008
'India is becoming younger and richer'
One of the key aspects of any business plan is an estimation of consumer demand for goods and service.
July 02, 2008
Cairn expects a 6-fold growth in revenues
Cairn India, a unit of UK-based Carin Energy, will have the potential to account for 20 per cent of India's oil production in the next decade once oil starts flowing from its three fields in Rajasthan.
June 30, 2008
'To curb inflation, focus only on food prices'
As common people grope for means to counter the ever-increasing prices of essential commodities, the economists and financial analysts fear that the recent hike in fuel prices would soon push inflation past 9 per cent. In an interview to rediff.com's special correspondent A Ganesh Nadar, Economic advisor to the Tata group Siddhartha Roy, shared his thoughts on the vexing issue of India's inflation.
'Inflation, rates to rise further'
The Indian market has corrected a lot already. Valuations are clearly more attractive than they were earlier this year.
June 27, 2008
'Once Nano is here, we'll all have a lot to learn'
K K Swamy is between jobs. After spending a little over a decade running Toyota Kirloskar Motors as its deputy managing director, he made a quiet exit a month ago to move to Volkswagen India as its first managing director. He is moving lock, stock and barrel from Bangalore to Pune, where he is set to take charge on July 21.
June 21, 2008
'Employers are not being transparent in good times'
When the International Labour Organisation appointed Assane Diop as executive director to kick off its social protection initiative in 2000, it couldn't have found a man with better credentials for the job.
June 20, 2008
'Bill Gates' strength is his curiosity'
He is truly fascinated with advances in science related to computing. And he has a good eye for seeing how those advances can be integrated together in powerful ways in a combination of software and hardware, says Steve Hamm.
June 14, 2008
Malaysia beckons Indian tourists
Visa on arrival applies for all Indians, except for people coming in from Chennai. Anyway, if you get a visa in India itself, it works out cheaper, and what's more, you get a visa for multiple entries.
June 12, 2008
What Malvinder Singh plans to do
Singh said they will focus on Fortis Healthcare and Religare Financial Services after the acquisition.
June 11, 2008
Challenges in mentoring the new IITs
While each IIT would be mentored by the existing IITs, IIT Bombay will mentor two new IITs - Gujarat and Indore
June 10, 2008
'India is the world's value creation centre'
The entrepreneur is endlessly curious. He will not give you copybook answers. He is in constant search of all the things he can do better than others, says Bill McDermott.
June 06, 2008
ESPN MD on the Tata Sky spat
With its three sports channels - ESPN, Star Sports and Star Cricket – getting dropped from the basic bouquet of direct-to-home (DTH) operator Tata Sky, ESPN India is exploring legal options against the DTH operator.

'We're cheaper and better than DTH or cable'
Consumer mindset and lack of awareness and also the fact that the existing players -cable and DTH -will make life very difficult for us. They are very aggressive and create confusion on IPTV, through newspaper articles.
June 05, 2008
'Luxury spirits have a huge potential in India'
Credited with introducing eight new brands from the stable of the world's largest liquor maker Diageo Plc, Asif Adil, the managing director of its India subsidiary, Diageo India Pvt Ltd, has set himself a target of achieving a sales turnover of over Rs 4,000 crore (Rs 40 billion) in India in three years.
June 04, 2008
No slowdown, growth is robust: HSBC
Naina Lal Kidwai, group general manager and country head for HSBC India, does not seem to be too perturbed about the slowdown or the rising delinquency levels.
May 30, 2008
'SMEs, retail clients can't borrow at current rates'
It's a difficult time for banks both at home and abroad. But Sanjay Nayar, Chief Executive Officer, Citi India, shrugs off Citigroup's problems in the US saying they haven't really impacted the Indian operations. Nayar admits there have been a few problems with the consumer finance business but tells Business Standard that Citi's India operations are well-positioned to see double digit growth over the next few years.
May 27, 2008
'Indian retailers must stop imitating the West'
Paco Underhill says traditional advertising no longer works as effectively as it did in the 1990s, and retailers need to focus a lot more on point-of-sale shopping experience.

'Indian consumers want organised & unorganised retail'
Even if our findings are not to the liking of our sponsor groups, we always stand by them, Icrier Director and Chief Executive Rajiv Kumar tells <I>Business Standard</I>. The study took a long time to come and the perception is that the data have been 'fixed' to arrive at tailor-made conclusions that suit the government (the sponsor of the study).
May 26, 2008
Computerisation of I-T dept a major gain
Computerisation of the Income-Tax Department has played a key role in raising tax compliance and higher tax collections over the past few years.

Mittal on why the MTN deal was called off
We will continue to look for opportunities around the globe, says Sunil Mittal.

'India has the highest number of hungry people on earth'
'Food grain availability for India's poorest is now approaching levels that haven't been seen since the British left. This has everything, sadly, to do with the rapacity of India's elites,' says Raj Patel, author, Stuffed and Starved.

'Indian ad professionals are thought leaders'
Prasoon Joshi, executive chairman, McCann-Erickson India, who will chair the outdoor and ambient media jury at the 55th International Cannes Lions 2008 in France to be held next month, talks to Business Standard about the performance of the Indian advertising industry at Cannes and his vision for McCann India.
May 23, 2008
'Audi won't be made in VW's Pune facility'
Despite a general slowdown, Audi India has posted a dizzying growth figure of 123 per cent, selling 321 units in January-April 2008. All set to launch the new A4 sedan in July, Benoit Tiers, managing director, Audi India, tells Business Standard about the company's objectives.
May 22, 2008
NGC Network plans 4 new channels
After a decade-long presence in the country, National Geographic Channel (NGC) India, part of the NGC Network, is set to add four new channels including Nat GeoWild, Nat Geo Adventure, Nat Geo Music and Nat Geo HD (high definition).
May 20, 2008
CK Prahalad's tips on CSR
CK Prahalad, professor of corporate strategy at the University of Michigan and author of books on innovative business models that can help end world poverty, talks about corporate social responsibility in an interview with Business Standard.
May 15, 2008
'Diesel car option for India under study'
Honda Siel Cars India President and CEO Masahiro Takedagawa, in an interview with Business Standard, shares the company's India strategy, including the launch of hybrid technology (a first on Indian roads), small cars and
May 14, 2008
Will he succeed Kamath at ICICI Bank?
Corporate India is not bothered about the subprime crisis. I have not seen any large business house walk away from a deal on account of lack of funding.
May 13, 2008
Why firms must treat employees better
Companies are going to realise that employees do not have just financial needs. They have spiritual, health and financial needs. They have long-term needs. People always want to be valued and respected for what they like to do.
May 08, 2008
'The neediest in India will be relatively protected from food crisis'
'We should not believe that our ability to expand production is infinite. 16 per cent of cultivated land is already almost exhausted.' Olivier De Schutter, UN Special Rapporteur on food, in an exclusive interview.
May 08, 2008
'The neediest in India will be relatively protected from food crisis'
'We should not believe that our ability to expand production is infinite. 16 per cent of cultivated land is already almost exhausted.' Olivier De Schutter, UN Special Rapporteur on food, in an exclusive interview.
May 07, 2008
'Good opportunity for value investment'
In fact, the current market scenario provides more value investment opportunities. So, it is positive for mutual funds.
May 06, 2008
'We can't play politics with hunger'
'The world's largest under-nourished nation will become further under-nourished.' Dr M S Swaminathan on the food crisis.
April 30, 2008
Managing inflation is top priority: Reddy
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Y V Reddy, who presented his last Annual Policy Statement on Tuesday, spoke to Sidhartha on the challenges the central bank faces in balancing growth and inflation.
April 23, 2008
'Ranbaxy will gain from Orchid's R&D'
Ranbaxy Laboratories on Tuesday announced a business alliance with Orchid Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals across multiple geographies and therapies, for finished dosage formulations and bulk drugs. The new alliance will explore new products and markets without disturbing the existing alliances. The deal is independent of any commitment related to management control and is a pure arm's length, independent strategic biz alliance. Ranbaxy will benefit from Orchid's future products
April 19, 2008
'The 35 per cent growth pattern is history now'
On Friday (April 18), Premji in a clear signal of giving more powers to the management, elevated Girish Paranjape and Suresh Vaswani as joint CEOs of Wipro Technologies, which reported a topline of $4.3 billion. Read excerpts of an interview with Girish Paranjape and Suresh Vaswani, joint CEOs of Wipro.
April 15, 2008
'Hard-nosed PEs are very active'
ICICI Securities (I-Sec) has topped the Prime Database league table for money raised
April 11, 2008
AMD's strategy: Customer-centric innovation
Though the PC market is growing, still there is potential for expansion, probably closer to the levels of the mobile market.
April 09, 2008
'We'll wait and watch on interest rates'
Three years after IDBI became a bank, Yogesh Agarwal, bank's third chairman and managing director in as many years, is trying to put the pieces in place. After all, as he pointed out in an interview with Business Standard, the erstwhile development financial institution is grappling with a unique situation, where IDBI and the two commercial banks it acquired since 2005 offer loans at different interest rates.
April 02, 2008
How Raghu Menon plans to put Air India on track
"I recently flew on one of our aircraft and I was pleasantly surprised. Our aeroplanes are brand new and a pleasure to travel on. They can give any airline a run for their money," says Raghu Menon.
Archives
January-March 2008 | September-December 2007 | May-August 2007 | March-April 2007 | January-February 2007 | November-December 2006 | July-October 2006 | March-June 2006 | January-February 2006 | October-December 2005 | August-September 2005 | June-July 2005 | April-May 2005 | January-March 2005 | October-December 2004 | May-September 2004 | January-April 2004 | October-December 2003 | July-September 2003 | March-June 2003 | February 2003-November, 2002
Get news updates: What's this?
Advertisement
© 2009 Rediff.com India Limited. All Rights Reserved. Disclaimer | Feedback