Professor CK Prahalad will be remembered among the greatest thought-leaders of the 21st century. His path-breaking work on strategy undoubtedly represents one of the defining points in the evolution of management theory. He lifted management thought to new levels of excitement and activism.

He was an alchemist. He worked with missionary zeal to get Indian businesses to uncover the immense possibilities at the bottom of the pyramid. This not only because of the latent business opportunities, but because of his conviction — that’s how the poor could be uplifted. And that’s how businesses could win the legitimacy and trust that they deserved. His contention, that business interests and the interests of society could be intertwined, has been a powerful message. Doing business and doing good did not have to be two distinct initiatives.

His cutting-edge ideas and wisdom have a timeless relevance.

Today, if one were to carve out the equivalent of a Mount Rushmore for management thinkers, I am sure, Prof Prahalad would have to belong there. He will always remain on top of the lot. We at ZaaBiz are deeply saddened by his sudden demise.

Most students in India think about campus placements when they approach their final year. But here is a bunch of engineering students from Bangalore and Hyderabad who dare to be different.

Forty students from seven engineering colleges are part of a team guided by ISRO to create a ‘Pico satellite’. The satellite resembles a small cube, weighs approx 850 gm. It contains an imaging camera with a 90m resolution and will perform the function of a remote-sensing satellite. The major challenge in developing the mini satellite is to ensure that it functions similarly to an ordinary satellite.

These students have prepared a ground station. Additionally, an antenna has been placed on the terrace to detect the position of the satellite. The satellite will be controlled from the ground station. The most remarkable thing is that right from designing to welding and compiling of structures are done by the students themselves. The satellite will be launched in December through PSLV.

Boeing, the world’s second-largest commercial aircraft maker, is working on some key technologies in India for improving the aircraft’s efficiency and bringing down its operating costs. The technology once fully developed will help Boeing build a fuel-cell powered futuristic aircraft, which will be lighter and more fuel-efficient. Boeing is also looking for ways to improve its 787 Dreamliner.

In India, Boeing has collaborations with several institutions for development of aerospace technology. It has a tie-up with Indian Institute of Science for research in aerospace material, structures and manufacturing technologies. At IISc, they are developing and integrating advanced structural technologies to demonstrate how future aerospace structures can enhance an aircraft’s performance and reduce its weight by 25%. The new technologies will also help in cutting costs by 25%.

Boeing’s Bangalore Technology Centre, the third of its kind outside the US, will function as a centralised R&D organisation for its major business units and as a focal point for collaboration with Indian R&D organisations, including universities and private sector R&D providers. Boeing will add another 100 engineers at its Bangalore technology centre.

Subzero inflation has finally come to India with inflation dropping by 1.6% in first week of June to ten months after inflation peaked at 12.9% in early August. Annual inflation was at 0.13% in the week before. India’s negative inflation patch - negative inflation is expected to be short. The retail inflation as measured by consumer price indices is still hovering around 8%.

The negative inflation scenario is not going to hurt anyone and it is completely different from the deflation, which was witnessed 33 years ago. Then the deflation was driven by an extremely good harvest season and a subsequent drop in food prices to record lows. Unlike then, this time around, the negative inflation will have a positive impact on growth.

The manufactures stand to benefit as the prices of inputs are coming down at a faster pace than fall in prices of finished goods. The domestic consumption demand remains strong even at a time when the demand from overseas and from private in-vestments has fallen and hence this situation will not last for long.

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India is full of cricket. With the end of IPL last month in South Africa, India is gearing up for the next big tournament T20 World cup. It is the fastest form of the game, generally referred to as the batsman’s game. It started gaining popularity after India won the T20 title last year against arch rival Pakistan in a nail biting finish. The last wicket by R.P. Singh was a treat for all Indian supporters.

Truly - The Champions - Team India

This year we can expect to see some more fireworks from Team India. The courage, aggression and the passion for avenging their ousting at the ODI World Cup was reflective in their body language. We saw a new Team India on the field last year. It was a proud moment for us, we hope that Dhoni and his men retain the maiden title that belongs to India. Chak de - India!

Keep following the matches and write in reviews on our Crazy about Cricket group on ZaaBiz and share your thoughts with us. Keep following the regular updates and more only on ZaaBiz.

With the launch of Nano from the house of Tata’s, India is witnessing a competition of small cars. Following the Tata’s were Bajaj in liaison with other manufacturers were targeting to build small cars for the Indian segment. And now despite filing for bankruptcy GM has decided the launch of a small car even lesser than ‘Spark’. It is the Rs. 2L car that they eye to build for India seeing the response from Indian markets. However GM must not forget that Indian markets may be bearing a lot potential but saturation may be there biggest hindrance. India has been gaining a lot of attention, almost all companies are eying a share of this pie. Saturation in this market may hurt many. Manufacturers must aim at establishing a distinctive factor amidst such tough competition.

Microsoft and Google are fighting for the space in each others territories. Microsoft’s launch of “Bing”- A new search engine came as a pleasant surprise as it unveiled all new search features, some of which appeared to be mind boggling. Bing will be officially launched on this Wednesday for use. On the other hand Google has sent across a thundering wave across the developer community by launching a new communication API called “Wave”. Wave is an embedded open source communication tool which was unveiled last week for the developer community. Developers are free to further work on the application to make is a wavering communication tool for the internet users. Wave is expected to be launched by the end of the year.

Microsoft with the launch of Bing and Google with the announcement of wave have attempted to challenge each others core competencies. The fight for the space in the internet world seems to be gripping by these announcements.

This year was again a turn around of the underdogs. Deccan Chargers, played their best, as a team defending their meager score of 143 against Bangalore. Hyderabad had a mixed set of gems that played good cricket last night and earned the title of Champions. Defending a mere 143 runs, Adam Gilchrist’s men provided the much needed spark to swing their side’s fortunes in an exceptional manner. They played their best cricket in all aspects of the game be it bowling or batting.

Now that the series is over we can expect to see some good cricket from Team India in the T20 world Cup.

ZaaBiz would like to congratulate the Champions on their victory.

Indian Automobile manufacturer Maruti has decided to continue selling its lowest end model car, the Maruti 800. It is a 25 year old brand an one of the highest selling cars of the country. However this up gradation of engine standards is to that of Euro IV emission systems. This is in line with President Obama’s view of urging automobile users to reduce fuel consumption and protect the environment. It is good to see growing concern among corporates and world leaders towards the environment.

Some more articles related to this problem could be further searched with our renewable energy group.

Betting on horses, cards and cricket is a common news, betting on the Indian Prime Minister is not a commonly heard of one. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is a hot shot candidate for Prime Ministers post for the next term. With the ongoing elections, bets worth several thousand crore rupees have already been laid so far, and the tempo is likely to go up in the next couple of days. Mumbai has created a record of sorts with a punter — who is in the real estate business — betting as much as Rs 30 crore on different candidates, parties and their combination.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh

Wow, now that is something unheard of. ZaaBiz would like to wish Dr.Manmohan Singh all the very best for the results.