From promoters losing their firms to consumers realising there are no free lunches, 2019 was a year of getting real,says Shailesh Dobhal.
Urjit Patel, Binny Bansal, Nirav Modi and Rahul Gandhi personify the big trends that defined 2018. Well, almost...
Mukesh Ambani is stringing in new partnerships within the Reliance ecosystem with the best in global business -- from Facebook, Google and Microsoft to umpteen sovereign wealth funds and a soon-to-be-declared strategic partner in a big global retailer, notes Shailesh Dobhal.
Apply the 'insurgent' tests on what Ambani, Ramdev and Agarwal have done of late, and you will start seeing the similarities rather than obvious differences of industry, upbringing or social station, says Shailesh Dobhal.
Why Danone, Philips, and to an extent Nestl and P&G remain under stress in India is a subject perhaps worthy of a business school case study, says Shailesh Dobhal.
From crisis leaders to future Goliaths, India Inc saw them all in 2017, says Shailesh Dobhal.
It is largely due to his vision and efforts that we have almost quadrupled our per capita milk availability in the last 40 years, points out Shailesh Dobhal.
Ramdev made nature-to-goodness products popular, and reaped benefits. Then he seemed to lose focus and the last thing it needs is more distraction, like the passionate founder shooting his mouth off yet again
Reliance's big-bang entry across the solar ecosystem will cut dependence on Chinese imports drastically. And Ambani's repeated emphasis that RIL's new energy foray will be 'a truly global business' points that his group is playing not just for a share of the Indian pie but to be the OEM in the larger 5,000 GW global market by 2030, points out Shailesh Dobhal.
Make no mistake, Reliance's entry into Indian e-commerce cannot be taken lightly. It is akin to a combine of AT&T and Wal-Mart challenging Amazon on its home turf, says Shailesh Dobhal.
There was all-round scepticism about the workability of the scheme.
India Inc is facing threat from non-traditional sources.
In peace and at war, firms remain tethered to promoter families in a uniquely Indian way.
Experts question Nestle's silence over Maggi controversy.
India Inc is either shutting loss making businesses or is hiving off allied verticals to enhance revenues.
What does one make of Ramdev's recent allegations that MNCs are conspiring against Patanjali?
Beyond the macro data, there has been little enquiry into the profile of the indebted farmer households, says Shailesh Dobhal.
It may be the season for corporate matchmaking but India Inc's record of managing partnerships is far from impressive, says Shailesh Dobhal.
Wayward employee behaviour at Uber and Infosys highlights the risk to corporate reputations.
India Inc is ready to diversify into unchartered areas.
Almost half of that market is in India's villages.
'All businesses have to be run for business, for profits on a sustainable basis. It may sound old school, but then I have been in business for 32 years and you can't change an old tiger's stripes.'
