Business Today March 27, 2016

Immediately after the Budget, many friends and acquaintances ask me if I consider it to be good or bad. My answer generally is: it largely depends on who you are. For example, if you were a farmer or rural worker suffering acute distress because of two years of bad rains and a huge debt, some parts of the current Budget would definitely delight you. If you were a small taxpayer looking to build your first small house, you would also find some cheer in the Budget. Ditto if you were a cement or steel manufacturer. Cement and steel companies would also have things to cheer about, given the focus on infrastructure development. Construction firms specialising in roads would also see good business prospects. On the other hand, if you are…

Revamping the Work Environment This refers to your cover story The Best Companies to Work For (March 13, 2016). Gone are the days when employees only looked for fat-salary jobs. In the present scenario, the great workplaces have well-defined organisational goals. Today, even the highest paid employees agree that money does not matter after a certain point. It is job satisfaction and a cordial office atmosphere that ultimately makes a difference. Top companies have a creative and colourful ambience. Offices today are mostly designed to promote innovation and help employees give their best performance. Apart from this, various reward and recognition programmes, too, ensure that innovation, creativity, leadership and team work are rewarded along with individual contributions. Vinod C. Dixit, Ahmedabad How the French Ensure a “Healthy” Work Culture…

STAY CONNECTED WITH US ON www.facebook.com/BusinessToday @BT_India COLUMNS A Budget for Elections 2017, Not the Economy The 2016 Union Budget is most probably aimed at the upcoming state elections in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab next year, says Rajeev Dubey businesstoday.in/ unionbudget-elections Excellent Budget, but Cess on Cars Not Justified Industry creates large employment from sales, but struggling due to low demand, says Maruti Suzuki Chairman R.C. Bhargava businesstoday.in/ unionbudget-marutisuzuki Budget 2016: Pros and Cons Marico Limited Chairman Harsh Mariwala points out the key positives and negatives in the Budget businesstoday.in/ unionbudget-marico PERSPECTIVES Vehicles That Escaped the Tax Knife The government has kept hybrids and electric vehicles out of the infrastructure cess and the new luxury tax businesstoday.in/automotiveindustry-hybrids Telangana vs Andhra: A Fiscal Tangle An overview of the budgetary positions of…

25,000 CRORE The amount of money the government could expect if it decides to sell its 49 per cent stake in Bharat Aluminium and 29.54 per cent in Hindustan Zinc. India has fallen short of its `44,000 crore disinvestment target this fiscal. “Its original value was 500 crore” says Anil Agarwal, Chairman, Vedanta Resources “On August 30, 2030 – my 100th birthday – I plan to announce that GEICO has taken over the top spot. Mark your calendar” Warren Buffett, 85, in his 2015 letter to Berkshire Hathway shareholders, promising he will live past a century to announce No.1 status for the American auto insurance company, up from No.2 now. “This type of misunderstanding happens between human drivers on the road every day. This is a classic example of the…

15-16 MORE POWER TO WOMEN WHAT: Women’s Empowerment Principles Annual Event WHEN: March 15-16, New York WHAT TO LOOK FOR: The United Nations event commemorates International Women’s Day. Global participants will be deliberating on how various companies implement Women’s Empowerment Principles. The event will be a congregation of business leaders, female entrepreneurs, civil society representatives, governments and the United Nations. 10-11-15-19 TIME FOR AMENDMENT WHAT: CII Coffee Table series on Companies Act, 2013, and the Report of the Companies Law Committee WHEN: March 10, 11, 15 and 19 in New Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai and Kolkata WHAT TO LOOK FOR: The new Companies Act is set for an overhaul in less than three years since its implementation. This calls for new strategies towards compliance and adherence to the new law. The…

So, you’re on Facebook and you notice your batchmate from school is marrying his childhood sweetheart. What do you do? You like the post. Colleague partying in the Bahamas? You like the post, albeit grudgingly. Friend’s parent passed away? You can’t possibly like the post, even as an acknowledgement. Fortunately, the boffins at Facebook yielded and released ‘Reactions’ – five additional emotive icons to complement the oft insufficient or inappropriate ‘like’. Say hello to ‘love’, ‘haha’, ‘wow’, ‘sad’ and ‘angry’. You have probably already seen these in action on Facebook, over the past couple of weeks. And, in case you are wondering, the much-needed ‘dislike’ button didn’t make the cut – it was deemed too negative and problematic. There is a bunch of questionably designed emojis that allow us to…