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Are businesses able to optimise tech innovations they have at their disposal?
An August 2021 WNS-Corinium Intelligence Global Survey report, 'Business Transformation After the Digital Tipping Point', surveyed more than 100 companies across eight industries. It revealed that 97% of respondents have started delivering on their digital transformation strategies. Investments in technologies such as robotic process automation (RPA), intelligent automation, machine learning (ML), artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain have gained priority.
Desist from an expansionary budget; go for modest, thoughtful spending hikes
Should the upcoming Budget be fiscally expansionary, as some economists are calling for, or lean towards bringing the deficit under control?
Budget 2022 needs to give research incentives to biotech firms: Kiran Shaw
On the back of a strong quarter, Biocon boss Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw spoke exclusively to Business Today Televison's Aabha Bakaya on the company's growth drivers among biosimilars and what the Union Budget needs to focus on as far as the healthcare sector is concerned.
Budget 2022 needs to give research incentives to biotech firms: Mazumdar-Shaw
On the back of a strong quarter, Biocon boss Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw spoke exclusively to Business Today Televison's Abha Bakaya on the company's growth drivers among biosimilars and what the Union Budget needs to focus on as far as the healthcare sector is concerned.
Dont blame covid, aviation sector needs support
Direct financial support as compensation for lost revenues seems unlikely, given the fiscal constraints and competing demands on the Budget for relief from large sections of the economy, including the poor and vulnerable. The next best form of aid from the Budget is tax concessions
Digital payments growth: Indias stunning stride
Indians are adopting digital payments at a scorching pace. This digital stride has left China and a few developed country markets trailing digital transaction numbers
Best of BS Opinion: Investment deficit, violence in the name of law & more
Here are the top BS Opinion articles of the day
Investing in new economic shakti for a new India
This PE-VC industry certainly deserves better than a tax disadvantage
View: PDAs are rapidly permeating our lives and making it simpler
Underlying this remarkably successful 'One Nation, One Jab' plan that has delivered 1.56 billion vaccines so far is another equally compelling narrative. It is about the indigenous technology backbone, which has made it possible for any eligible individual to take each or either of the two vaccines anywhere in the country. This is yet another exposition of India leapfrogging by enabling digital transformation at population scale.
People who are free to pick their leadership for fixed terms and hold it accountable are also expected to exercise their critical faculties freely in ways that can sharpen minds and create conditions for the emergence of ideas that spell human progress
Says Law works: Supply does create its own demand
Economics is a contextual study and Says proposition that supply creates its own demand must be examined as an underlying principle in a nuanced way and not as an absolute result.
Amazons legal entanglement in India offers a cautionary tale
Other foreign investors may wonder about contract enforcement
Indias long game with China and challenges posed by a soft state
Can we transform the state and leverage strengths to attain a high-growth path and a more level playing field with China?
Seven predictions for the world of technology in 2022
Crystal ball gazing for the future of technology is perilous but we can expect artificial intelligence embedded in common objects and the first $100 million sale of a non-fungible token in 2022
Celebrate indigenous vaccine success, but strive to do better
While India should celebrate the development of multiple Covid vaccines in India, we must also introspect the failure to carry out proper studies of the vaccines impact. All vaccines that specifically focus on the spike protein should be less efficacious than the inactivated whole virus vaccine from Bharat Biotech
Why real-time payments will revolutionise global commerce in 2022
We may be witnessing the end of our 1000-year dependence on paper money. There is now a real alternative - a global infrastructure that provides a digital, real time equivalent of physical cash and it's no surprise then that this has created a great deal of excitement.
Why some vaccinated people resist Omicron and others dont
About 20% of people just wont have a good immune response, even with a booster
Do you think doing business in India is not a hassle anymore?
With tensions rising in key oil-producing regions, supplies could suffer, which is why some experts project oil at $100 per barrel soon
In fragmented retail (independent small grocers, restaurants, and bars), technology and ecommerce have fundamentally reshaped B2C business models and customer engagement - for example, through online ordering and delivery.
WTF, Traditionalists Go Dalsro Yourselves
It's Facebook to blame, which constantly censors any post the folks of this village with 11 households that mentions their home town.
View: Fill this critical gap in India's healthcare system
India has one nurse for every 670 persons, falling 4.3 million short of the World Health Organisation (WHO)-prescribed number of three nurses for every 1,000 persons.
A staggering crisis of education confronts the country
Over 200 million children have lost at least two years and we risk having a learning-lost generation
Safe assets are now clearly the biggest risk that investors face
A warped price of safety means all assets are riskier than they look
Tea-leaf signals of strongmen-led submerging markets
Turkey, Russia and Sri Lanka show notably common patterns as badly managed economies
Envisioning Governance 4.0 for a world that must not fail its kids
Lets discard outdated models to tackle todays challenges if tomorrows generations are to thank us
A gathering storm over multilateral institutions
Modis Davos call for these to be reformed found an echo in what Chinas leader said. Global governance must adapt to a new world of the 21st century. We need a path out of a morass
The Devas case is not as black and white as the government claims
If a company can be wound up on fraud charges that are established on most specious grounds, as we saw the Tribunal do, without these being tried and established in a criminal court, and the highest court of the land upholds such a proposition and treats international arbitral awards as inconsequential, the damage that is done to Indias reputation as a safe place in which to do business would take a serious knock
There's a need for extra deduction on education expenses. Agree?
Bayern enters Indo-Pacific league
Slow to pick up since the signing of the Indo-German defence cooperation agreement in 2006, the bilateral security relationship has gained momentum in recent months. It has also survived a change of government in Berlin with Chancellor Olaf Scholz walking a path set by his predecessor Angela Merkel.
View: An authoritarian zero-Covid strategy could disrupt the global economy, and China
It is not just that the authorities would have to admit that the strategy they have been following, and for which they have imposed tremendous pain on the Chinese people, shutting down cities with virtually no notice, was wrong; they would have to admit that China's Covid vaccines are not all that effective.
Let us raise a toast to family entrepreneurship in India
It differs vastly from the startup ecosystem in the spotlight but is valuable in a broader range of ways
Moscow should recognize how costly imperial designs can be
Nostalgia for its Soviet empire seems to be leading Russia astray
Muska for Musk should go with the same for our entrepreneurs
There is plenty Indian states can do to smoothen investments by local risk-takers who have their sights on a global market
Assure basic scientific research its due supply of oxygen
State funding must nourish it on a sustained basis without asking myopic questions about its purpose
Farm reforms need not be a lost cause in India
An embrace of market mechanisms could align supply with demand and help rescue Indian agriculture. Resist electoral gimmicks like loan waivers that push attitudes the wrong way
EXCLUSIVE: Deloitte CEO Punit Renjen on how govt can bring healthcare to homes
We believe a plug and play model of supervised home-based care can easily be adopted by communities to assist those who are medically able to recover at home, said Renjen.
Haryana's local job reservation move is short-sighted and unhelpful
Mandatory quotas for jobs and powers for officials to slap penalties on companies for violations are sure to fob off competitive firms who will be wary of new inspector raj and the impact on productivity.
Lofty valuations; markets will see higher volatility in 2022: Nikhil Kamath
In an interaction with BT, Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath cautions investors about volatility in Indian equity markets this year, and how they should tone down their expectations.
Arvind Panagariya on why you should ignore the naysayers on economy
Advance estimate places India's GDP growth at 9.2% with the level of GDP exceeding its pre-Covid-19 peak. Critics will argue that this high growth rate has come on the back of a low base. This is true. But then critics may be reminded that in its October 2021 forecast, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) placed India's projected growth of 9.5% (not far from the advance estimate) at the top.
Though the rich havent gotten richer at the cost of others, and many could thank easy-money policies run globally by central banks, policy attention must turn to those whose lives have worsened in the past two years
The real hard work on M&As starts after the transaction is closed
Research and observed reality indicate most transactions do not yield the expected results
How to seamlessly marry technology and customer functions in B2C companies
Organisations are fast recognising the fact that more complex integration is the need of the hour where go-to-market and technology functions must seamlessly partner with each other to ensure a frictionless and more efficient end-to-end customer journey.
Seven stages of our collective response to a pandemic
Social media humour and memes suggest that were long past the fear stage and close to acceptance
Its uncertain if Djokovic really posed a health risk in Australia
Canberra may have hurt its own pitch for a covid-strategy revision
Setting the tone: Differences of sentiment in budget speeches
Varied ministerial styles and preferences are reflected in their speeches but the impact of tonality on audiences awaits research
Think give-and-take to expand trade relations
As RCEP softens other Asian trade barriers, India must move with urgency on bilateral deals to avert isolation. Lets resolve sticky issues with the UK for a broad rather than limited pact
Educational institutions should be reopened for a healthier India
Evidence has mounted that closure costs increasingly exceed covid-safety gains as the virus weakens
The turmoil in Hong Kong is an opportunity for India
Can India emerge as a centre for global financial transactions, at least for Indian companies? Yes, indeed, if only India would first develop a vibrant market for debt, both government and corporate, within India
Let Indian Railways fix freight rates for cement on a commercial basis
The best way forward is for the Indian Railways to be given the freedom to fix freight rates for moving cement, given the bulk nature of the commodity and its critical role in infrastructure development
What Indias current account deficit says about savings in the country
The anomaly in the CAD in the September quarter is that investment was not increasing as there were still conditions of uncertainty for the industry that was operating with surplus capacity
Its going to be a tough battle for all parties in UP
Those who believe that the ruling party is relying on religion only are wrong
View: Innovation is what gets valued in startups, while its governance in case of large companies
It is time to stress upon startups to consider governance as much of a contiguous priority as innovation. Encouraging self-regulation, holding aStartup India Governance Week, instituting best governed startups awards, and conducting governance sensitisation workshops for startup founders and mentors can be good first steps. Regulatory oversight can follow as the next logical step.
Friendly settlement is a better solution where powerful countries are concerned
There were policy differences from the beginning. The EU was more protectionist than Britain. And, since London made enormous business from international capital investment and movement, Britain was in favour of free financial policies. But they managed to sleep together for 35 years.
Spying on Big Tech may work better than splitting firms up
A bill in the US aims at forcing platforms to part with user data
India should be ready for an evolving two-speed world
Our strategy must consider countervailing effects from the monetary policies of both the US and China
Account aggregators are ready to widen Indian access to credit
The sharing of personal financial data while ensuring data privacy will enable easy loans for individuals and small firms
Why are printouts checked outside airport terminals?
Indians are habituated to a farce that absolves some authority from doing whats not a farce
The co-evolution of genes and culture is revolutionizing policy
Insights from evolutionary biology can explain how we got here and what we must do to be better
Indias green cover has advanced far too slowly
The 2021 update of our forest survey has reported modest gains over two years. We must aim for faster progress. Let carbon capture play a supportive role in attaining net zero emissions
Will new policies cut J&Ks investment chill?
A flurry of corporate promises, in the last three months, have raised hopes but challenges remain
The green forays of Reliance and Adani should be celebrated
Asias richest tycoon Mukesh Ambani and his closest competitor in the billionaire sweepstake Gautam Adani are in a race to build the greenest of large businesses
Paytms IPO debacle: Dont blame Rio please
India has seen popular consumer tech companies finding their way to the stock market only to disappoint. Zomato and PB Fintech also witnessed rocky stock market debuts, and their share prices have not moved spectacularly subsequently. Both remain loss-making, just like One97 Communications
Why Mehul Choksi's version of the 14,000 cr PNB scam cannot be taken seriously
Choksis lurid exploits abroad serve as distractions. His fervent declaration of innocence and keen desire to clear up the mess, if only PNB would unfreeze his accounts, and his health would permit, should be seen as part of the drama
Making a case for Wednesday, the 31st
For Fridays that are the 13th, three is the highest count possible in a given year.
While capital was freed to move around in an increasingly borderless world, people still faced immigration barriers. No wonder wages vary so starkly across the world, and convergence is a distant dream.
Unshackling the Indian economy will be a tall order
Unshackling India by Ajay Chibber and Salman Anees Soz is comprehensive in its coverage of reforms and negotiates finely the path between the usual binaries in our development discourse
McKays Dont Look Up offers a lesson on climate messaging
The film means well but falls into too many communication traps
Shifting demand patterns must guide state excise policy design
Our alcoholic-beverage market illustrates the need for policymakers to go by consumption trends in achieving public goals
Inflation heresy mustnt always be rejected out of hand
Convention dictates that fiscal and monetary tightening works best against inflation, but we must not dismiss unorthodox ideas like rate cuts to lower the cost of capital or price clamps
Covid over-testing does exist and it should stop
Negative test results demanded as entry passes go against this weeks ICMR advisory on covid testing that effectively called off contact-tracing. Lets rationalize test protocols at every level
Why the headwinds against the Jet Airways relaunch are too daunting
Jet Airways seems a case fit for obituaries, rather than flight schedules. Probably the worst bit of bad news for the airline is that there are just about 11 months left for its low-cost subsidiary JetLites operating license from the DGCA to expire. Jets operating license is also valid only till February 2023
Boosting vaccination rates: Lessons from behavioural economics
One domain in which behavioural economics has the potential to revolutionise policy is the global Covid-19 vaccination drive.
Hanging on to failed UTI's blue-chip holdings in bull market makes little sense
Sales and auctions of these shares in tranches, or through OFS, provide a relatively easy opportunity to raise a neat sum and narrow the governments revenue-expenditure gap. A quick back-of-the-envelope calculation shows that ITC shares owned by SUUTI alone could fetch over 20,000 crore
Tata Consultancy Services reported better-than-expected revenues for the three months ended 31 December
Broadcast industry must stick together to survive
Last three years bickering between TV channel owners and distribution platform owners, triggered by the New Tariff Order introduced by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, has hurt the industry the most.
Re-skilling and upskilling with digital interventions
We must equip people with what they need for adapting to a tech-shifted world before it gets too late
Look beyond mRNA vaccines to maximize global coverage
Protein jabs may work better and India could churn out volumes
Beethovens 10th Symphony and the jarring notes of AI
No doubt Beethoven X: The AI Project is a significant milestone in the development of AI, a major field today.
The brouhaha over a blockade of Modis motorcade in Punjab
A security lapse was blown out of proportion but it did reveal a peculiarity of Indias politics today
Our growth imperative bears a covid inflection
The World Bank forecasts a pronounced slowdown for a global economy faced with a never-before mix of risks. Indias game-plan for growth may need to turn more adaptive
Its time for correcting the reverse repo rate distortions
With no clarity on the economic outlook, RBI was understandably keen to avert a situation where lending by banks would freeze amid so much uncertainty
Indias telecom reforms are state extortion by another name
The conversion of the net present value of the interest payable on the four-year deferment of spectrum payment dues and the so-called AGR dues of the troubled telecom company Vodafone Idea would make the government the largest shareholder in the company
Despite being such a well-recognized brand, it may have found it needed to reinforce its appeal among young audiences, including a relatively risk-happy crowd inclined towards the dazzle of new offerings over the stability of enduring values like trust
The pros and cons of big data used as economic signals
High frequency has its merits but such data is prone to being misinterpreted in ways that may mislead policy
Blockchain platforms can help avert forex highway accidents
Global payment obligations could be secured against Herstatt risk
Far too many small businesses in India stumble on loan eligibility
An analysis of micro-loan applications shows that entrepreneurs would fare better if they are trained on how to avail credit
Vaccine resistance could be traced to the backfire effect
Anti-vaxxers often harden their stance if theyre offered data that goes against their argument
What a dead economist and live soccer tell us about covid curbs
Spot clamps merely re-allot crowds and policymakers like goalkeepers cant be seen doing nothing
Allow Vodafone Idea to operate independently
The conversion of its dues into equity will give the Centre a say in it, but itll take a hands-off policy on the telecom firms operations for it to act as a rescue that raises its enterprise value