R Sukumar

Flipkart doesn’t meet definition of ‘Indianness’. Ola may

This cry for help by the protectionist lobby is not very different from a schoolyard bully calling for help from a teacher at the entrance of a more muscular bully

There is such a thing as too much money

Money, especially a lot of it, encourages profligacy. Companies expand rashly into new markets. They spend a lot on advertising and marketing. They hire people they don’t really need.

Should the government have a stake in tobacco companies?

A petition filed in the Bombay High Court is asking a question about the government’s direct and indirect stake in ITC Ltd, India’s largest cigarette company.

Farmers’ debts: Loan waivers are great palliatives, but can’t tackle problems

Some pundits have equated these with some corporate debt restructuring exercises, but the solution to sweetheart debt restructuring deals that banks get into with companies lies in prevention, not in compensation.

Mindless development is threatening our commons

Many of the hotspots in the Central Asian Flyway, a migratory path that birds have been using for thousands of years, are privately owned land or commons. Across India, the commons are under threat and the owners of agricultural land are selling their holdings thanks to the relentless development of our cities

Science is well: Innovation is alive and kicking in India

The TR Under 35 show gives a platform to a bunch of young innovators working on non e-commerce and non dot com innovations and start-ups working on the bleeding edge of technology

Snapchat captures the zeitgeist of the 2010s

For advertisers and content creators , the success of the Snap IPO is further proof of the appeal of bite-sized and very short-lived content

In the age of Ola and Uber | The $40-bn question: Are people ready to pay more?

Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal, Uber and Ola, in contrast, have created markets where none existed. Now, they have the task of ensuring these markets stay intact, or at least do not shrink too much

Infosys ceasefire leaves three questions unanswered

An effective resolution would require more transparency about the variable pay of Sikka. It would require a detailed explanation of why exactly the board signed off on Bansal’s severance (and there is some confusion on who initiated the generous payout)

Post Cyrus Mistry, governance structure in Tata group needs to be redefined

The Tatas wanted the world to see Mistry as an inexperience parvenu who wanted the house of Tata to become the house of Mistry. And the Mistry camp wanted it to see Ratan Tata as an interfering busybody loath to let go. Both depictions are patently false, but the damage has been done

US visa curbs will push Indian IT firms away from ‘global delivery model’

The US’ new H1B policy will also affect the lives of the few hundred thousand Indians in the US on such visas. Many choose to take their families with them, exposing their spouses and children to all the uncertainties that come with a non-immigrant work visa such as the H1B

Greed is good, but gravity is much better

A down-round in celebrated start-ups could mean pain for existing investors and the founders, especially in a country like India , but it could also mean a more sustainable and profitable business in the long run

Tata’s new boss: Meritocracy, right college programmes can take you to the top

Chandrasekaran’s success is that of the Indian IT Everyman’s

N Chandrasekaran and the transformative power of IT

The Tata Sons chairman is the product of an environment that encouraged computer proficiency, colleges that offered the right kind of courses and the meritocratic nature of the IT industry

Founders and CEOs: Finding the right balance

Venture capitalists have never had a problem with moving founders out of executive positions and goings-on over the past year and, more recently, last week, show that they are willing to exercise this right even in India

India’s banking system, warts and all, remains a safe bet

Using the learnings from the demonetisation (and remonetisation) exercise to reform the banking system is a good idea. Blaming bankers, a not so good one.

What to expect from Union Budget 2017

Demonetisation has left people feeling low and tired. It is encouraging the hoarding of cash and forcing people to defer expenditure. Consumer-, business-, and investor-sentiment are all down. The budget which Union finance minister Arun Jaitley will present on February 1 needs to change all that

Do Flipkart and Ola need protection?

Bansal and Aggarwal should not have allowed competitive pressures to get to them, for it can be nothing but the breath of Amazon and Uber on their necks that could have prompted a plea for protection

It’s time to brush up on your science fiction

Artificial Intelligence is now a reality. This an ex machina moment for businesses.

Tata-Mistry spat: How independent are independent directors?

Happenings in several Indian companies over the years have also shown that the behaviour of even some of those that meet the criteria is not always independent. In some cases, entrepreneurs and promoters nominate former bureaucrats who have done them favours in the past as independent directors

Demonetisation: Modi has banked on personal equity to effect behaviour change

It is clear that the implementation of the demonetisation exercise has left a lot to be desired. The government seems to be framing rules as it goes along and that is never a good thing

Did social media drive the US presidential election 2016?

Technology is disrupting the way we consume news. Still, like all disruptions, that does provide an opportunity for anyone who can find the truth that’s out there, and then make sure it reaches as many people as it should

Why Cyrus P Mistry is unlikely to go quickly or quietly

Whoever wins, in the short-term, it is the Tata group that is the loser. Many of the Tata companies face significant challenges, but their leaders are likely to be distracted by the ongoing fight (apart from being confused about who to listen to)

Did Cyrus Mistry misread the heartbeat of the Tatas?

To find someone to replace Ratan Tata as chairman of Tata Sons, the selection committee (and Tata himself) should have followed a process as rigorous and competitive as the one Jack Welch and the selection committee of General Electric Co ran to find his successor

Indian IT firms must break the old mould

Indian software services firms, for all their seriousness of intent when it comes to digital, are still laggards in disruptive businesses

Preparing to ride the third diversification wave

Preparing to ride the third wave of diversification since 1991

It is important to see how Indian businesses felt and reacted to diversification in the 1990s because 2016 is, in some ways, an important year for diversification

The decision is pending with a third umpire

A third umpire to decide the future of Indian cricket

The princes of yesterday have been replaced by plutocrats and politicians from parties across the political spectrum, creating a coalition of the public sector and the private sector in a space that doesn’t need such coalitions

Lessons from interviewing young Indians