Thought of the Day

“One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation.”

Business Quiz

1. Which search engine has a tagline that reads: “Faster, Easier, Bingo”?

1. Yahoo Search
2. MSN
3. Google
4. Guruji                                                                                   

2. Which is worlds’ 2^nd largest forging company?

1. BEML
2. BIAL
3. HAL
4. Bharat Forge                                                                        

3. Style Spa is a chain of furniture stores of which company?

1. S K Poddar
2. GD Birla
3. Aditya Birla
4. AD Birla                                                                              

4. Which company currently owns Body Shop?

1. Loreal
2. Lakme
3. YSL
4. Maybelline                                                                

5. Which bank calls itself world’s local bank?

1. ABN Amro
2. Citi Bank
3. HSBC
4. HDFC                      

Panasonic to provide Olympus with up to 50 billion yen in capital: Kyodo

Olympus, the world's leading maker of diagnostic endoscopes, is struggling to recover from a $1.7 billion accounting fraud uncovered last year by its then-CEO, Michael Woodford.
Local media last week reported that Olympus planned to shed 2,500 workers and sell an equity stake to either Sony Corp or Panasonic Corp to bolster its finances.
Panasonic, a leading electronics maker, has been hobbled by losses in its TV business, but there has been speculation that it is interested in expanding into the healthcare industry, which offers more stable revenues.
Panasonic aims to secure a new source of revenue by forming an alliance with Olympus in its mainline operation, Kyodo reported, quoting unidentified sources. Olympus, it said, would get access to funds for its restructuring as well as to marketing resources.
According to the sources, Olympus will issue shares to Panasonic in a private offering and the two companies are discussing a stake valued at 30 billion to 50 billion yen.

How men can survive the 'Euro Crises'

Before you frantically begin to check your accounts, let me assure you that this is not a crisis of the financial variety. It is a danger which lurks in the arena of human relationships; most specifically with those enjoyed with your better halves-to employ a footballing analogy.

Seven year itches are now passe'; true love these days is tested every time there is an international soccer tournament, with late night telecasts. Needless to say, the European Nations Cup (sometimes colloquially referred to as 'The Euros'), presents a three week long trial of your relationship.

In a festival where lots of kicking is on the cards, your goal should be to ensure that it is not you who gets the boot. And there seems to be no help at hand. Even those who came back, with the commandments and such, did so much before televised sporting events had begun.

Leisurely jogging into June sans a plan? You have as much chance, as a hapless goalkeeper against a Miroslav Klose header. But fear not my fellow men; here are some ideas which might ensure you don't see red.

The insidious conversion
There's lot to be learnt from the subtle strategies employed by religions. Ensuring the right symbols, rituals and stimuli are always in her vicinity will work wonders.

Begin with buying her a red Spain jersey. Then fondly add that it is only because it matches with her hot red dress, shoes, cell phone and other matters of red that are best kept between the both of you. Women are known to go to extraordinary lengths of conversion in 'matching matters'; and it is possible that she turns into a frenzied Spanish supporter during the European Cup... tough luck if you aren't one yourself.

Perhaps you could call in the help of your cell phone as well. Add famous commentary clips or footballing anthems to your ringtone, so that the seeding starts to begin at a subconscious level. Have posters of star players 'carelessly' lying around. Keep a ball in the living room. Always have reruns of classic matches running on the DVD, and pause 'erroneously' on that while flipping channels.

The IPL has shown over the last five years, that if you just make something ubiquitous, it seems all the more alluring. You don't quite have their budgets but you get the gist.

The six appeal ruse
'The six pack' stomach bypasses rational arguments, with almost caustic disdain. You know this well because of the planet sized sphere lurking beneath your chest. But now it's time to exploit that shortcoming.

Tell her that football has millions of women glued, because players exchange shirts after games. Show her a few sample photographs of well chosen specimens like Cristiano Ronaldo, Paolo Maldini or David Beckham. Perhaps even Wayne Rooney, if she has always been the kinky sort.

The fact that other women are also onto this peep show, makes this a rather competitive pursuit. So don't be surprised, if she is the only one watching those late night matches, fervently till the very end.

The mother-in-law maneuver
Sometimes you simply need to bow to the higher powers. Sure, your mother-in-law has never quite liked you taking her princess away. Maybe her chasing you with a knife last summer was all in good spirit, but here's where you need to bury the hatchet.

Suggest that she invite her mother over. Convince her that you want both of them to spend some quality time together, to nurture those umbilical bonds. Promise her that this will be a regular practice from now on (four years later being regular enough). She will coo, 'Three weeks? What will you do honey?' At which point you will look down at your feet, shuffle along and murmur, 'What's that in comparison to the years she has given you?'

Warning: - Please guard against the idiotic smirk which is bound to erupt at this moment. Failure to do so can result in prolonged hospital stay

The 'trauma' aftermath
If you haven't ever used this one before, then you are one lucky dog. Consider it as a 'bramha astra' equivalent, only to be reserved in matters of extreme importance, when all other plans fail.

The ladies are, by the proverbial mile, the more benevolent of the species and a woman, when she senses her man in emotional quandary, is willing to concede even her next hair dressers appointment.

First arrange the trauma event to be completely within your skill set. So if you are planning a 'drowning charade', avoid using the beach. Those lifeguards have their minds elsewhere, especially after watching multiple reruns of Baywatch. Use the controlled environment of your bathroom to drown in the tub.

After she rescues you, move listlessly along for a few days, only unleashing some enthusiasm when she sees you watching the matches. Like a well knit football team, the logical connections will be made in her mind, and you have weeks ahead of uninterrupted bliss.

Thought of the Day

 “The winner’s edge is all in the attitude, not aptitude.”

 “Some people feel the rain.

Others just get wet.”

Navis in talks to sell Nirula’s

PE firm in talks with Mumbai-based hotelier; third attempt at selling the chain bought for nearly Rs. 90 crore

Mumbai: Malaysia-based private equity firm Navis Capital Partners is in talks with a Mumbai-based hotelier to sell Nirula’s Corner House Pvt. Ltd, the fast-food chain it acquired in 2006.This is Navis’ third attempt at selling the chain, which it bought for nearly Rs. 90 crore.It is in talks to sell Nirula’s for Rs. 150 crore, said two people with direct knowledge of the mater.

“The two parties are seriously involved in talks for the sale,” said one of them, who requested anonymity as he is not authorized to talk about the development. According to him, the hotelier, who has in the past bid for other cash-strapped food chains as well, intends to continue with the Nirula’s brand but rework its format. Mint could not ascertain the identity of the hotelier.

The second person said Navis’ initiative to take complete control of Nirula’s after buying out co-owner Samir Kuckreja’s minority stake is another step to facilitate the sale. Last month, Kuckreja sold his stake in Nirula’s to Navis for an undisclosed amount. Mails sent to Nicholas Bloy, one of the three founders of Navis Capital, on the exit, did not elicit any response.

Navis has previously bought restaurants in India, only to sell them shortly afterwards. It sold its holdings in Mumbai-based Mars Restaurants Pvt. Ltd and affiliated airline catering company SkyGourmet Catering Pvt. Ltd to India Hospitality Corp. for $110 million. Nirula’s was in talks with IHC to sell stake, Mint had reported in August 2007. Navis was looking at two options—selling out fully or selling a stake. The deal, however, fell through. In 2009, media reports indicated Navis had appointed merchant bankers to look for potential buyers for Nirula’s. No buyers were found.

Eurozone crisis: India prepares contingency plan

India has prepared a contingency plan for Greece exiting the eurozone and even a collapse of the monetary union, Indian officials said on Tuesday.
The eurozone debt crisis has already put a damper on India's exports to Europe, the biggest destination for Indian goods, as well as capital inflows into equity and debt markets. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government blames Europe's woes for the slowdown in Asia's third-biggest economy; although economists say Indian policy inertia is also to blame.
Finance chiefs of the Group of Seven leading industrialized powers will hold emergency talks on the euro zone crisis on Tuesday in what was seen as a sign of growing global alarm over the threat posed by the strains within the 17-nation union.
"Yes, India does have a contingency plan. There are different crisis management groups within the government to deal with such a possible scenario," Kaushik Basu, the chief economic adviser to Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, told Reuters.
He declined to give details of the plan, but another senior official familiar with the planning said the Finance Ministry and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) were prepared to take monetary and fiscal measures if necessary to try to insulate India from the shockwaves of a euro zone collapse.
He did not spell out the measures, but they could include lowering interest rates, which are among the highest in the world, and lowering the amount of money that banks have to keep on deposit in the central bank.
The latter step would allow banks to lend more money to firms to keep hiring and expanding. At the moment the banks are required to keep 4.75 per cent of their deposits with the Reserve Bank of India.

Thought of the Day

Live your life R.I.G.H.T.

R = Respect for yourself and all

I = Integrity - be sincere 

G = Good intentions 

H = Honesty

T = Trust

Titan initiates creative pitch for upcoming product

he pitch is for a yet-to-be-launched grooming product and is currently underway in Bengaluru.

Tata Group's Titan Industries is on the lookout for a creative agency. The pitch, which is still in its initial stages, is underway in Bengaluru.

Industry sources close to the process have confirmed the news to afaqs!. It is learnt that the search is on for a creative agency for a new product offering from Titan Industries. At this point in time, agencies are very tight-lipped about the product category that this new brand falls under. Sources, however, inform afaqs! that broadly speaking, the product lies within the grooming space, a segment that Titan currently has no presence in.
Titan

The product is slated to be launched in the market within the next five-six months. Titan's media spend for the launch campaign is pegged at Rs 5-8 crore, as per market estimates.

The grooming product will be targeted at young adults (both men and women) in their twenties, who are on the threshold of professional life.

Several prominent creative agencies are a part of this pitch. Some have even started receiving creative briefs from the team at Titan. While the product does have a working title as of now, the winning agency will be required to partner the Titan authorities to come up with a marketable brand name for it. The agency will also be responsible for the launch campaign and brand strategy for the product.