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Showing posts from November, 2007

Online ad giants spin their web over India

Call it the digital invasion. Global online advertising giants are making a beeline for the computer savvy sub-continent, planning to take over independent agencies and launch their own brands. Indian agencies that have been ruling the roost till now are feeling the heat as salaries touch the sky and strategies to acquire funds are quickly chalked out. Some are even bullish about their own acquisitions within the country and outside. But will they last the onslaught? Globally the digital advertising market is worth $30 billion, and in India the Rs 500 crore market is growing rapidly at 50% annually. So the blitz is not surprising. Traditional advertising giants such as, Publicis Groupe, WPP, OMD Digital, Aegis Communication Group and Euro RSCG are planning to launch their global brands in India and have aggressive acquisition strategies. But at the same time, top Indian independent agencies such as, id8 Labs, Quasar Media, Pinstorm and Web Chutney are also gearing up to the face the c

There's more to IIM entry than just CAT

Don't pin all your hopes on the CAT exam. That's because your admission to a B-school does not just depend on your CAT score. For instance, if you've scored well in your Class 10 and 12 board exams, it could well be the make or break factor in getting into IIM-Bangalore. That's because the institute gave 80 per cent weightage to previous academic records and work experience in the admission process of 2006 and 2007. Cat scores were given only about 20 per cent weightage. "While it will take some pressure off students who have had good marks in their 10th/12th and graduation levels — for others, who do not have a good record, it will mean extra pressure. I would say, you can't change your past academic record — what you can do is maximise your CAT score and, going forward, prepare well for your group discussion and interview which account for 40 per cent weightage," Gautam Puri, Vice-Chairman of Career Launcher, points out. Of course, each IIM has its own

Google Makes it to the Top Five Companies

When Google was trading at $350 a share people said that it is overpriced. Google’s share price has now crossed $700 and Google is now the fifth most valuable company in America if market capitalization is the basis. The market capitalization of Google (number of all shares multiplied by the market price of a share) is now at an astounding $217 billion. Google is now worth more than Procter & Gamble the famous consumer goods company. Google is only behind Exxon Mobil, General Electric, Microsoft, and AT&T. With Google at number five it is obvious that it will set its sights to take on Microsoft which is still ahead. Google’s products are not critical to the operations of businesses like Microsoft’s are. At work I can’t think of life without Microsoft’s operating system or its office suite. I like Google search but I can also live without it. Moreover it is important to note that a company’s worth is also a measure of its assets. What are Google’s assets? A brand value and peopl