Intuition. Perception. Perfection.

     The world over, corporate takeover battles have always been the stuff that legends are made of. Rival companies often put billions of dollars at stake as they spar with each other to gain control of a vulnerable target company. These adrenaline-and-testosterone fuelled battles have always made headlines, with CEOs putting their companies’ money and their egos on the line, as they try to outbid each other, all in the race to be the king of the hill. Over the years, the corporate world has witnessed some classic battles such those for the control of RJR Nabisco, NatWest Bank and Corus Steel. Both America and Europe have seen their fair share of takeover battles but there might be one such war brewing a lot closer to home.      East India Hotels (EIH) Limited is the flagship company of Prithvi Raj Singh Oberoi (PRS Oberoi, also known as Biki Oberoi) and it is the third largest player in India’s hospitality sector. EIH and its subsidiary, Tri...

     If there’s one company in India that can truly be considered the bellwether of the pharmaceutical industry, then that company, without a shadow of a doubt, would be Ranbaxy. With a global presence in over 30 countries and exports totalling hundreds of millions of dollars to several more, Ranbaxy has come to epitomize everything that the ideal Indian MNC would stand for. It was and for that matter, continues to be the dominant player in the India ’s highly fragmented pharma sector, cornering a commendable market share of just under 6%. Ranbaxy is also one of the few pharma companies that straddle the entire length of the pharmaceutical value chain; from active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs or the ingredients for drug - making), all the way up to specialised drugs. For over a decade, the company reported revenue and earnings that hit and beat Street estimates. Ranbaxy also spent close to a billion dollars to acquire over half a dozen companies in Europe, Afr...

     May 9th, 2005. A pair of Rolls Royce engines screamed at full power as a brand new Airbus A320 in red-and-white livery lifted off effortlessly from the runway at Bangalore International Airport . It was the day when a Kingfisher grew wings and soared into the Indian skies. Vijay Mallya’s newest baby intended to revolutionize air travel in India , become a force to reckon with, take on the likes of Singapore Airlines and Virgin Atlantic and establish itself as one of the leading airlines in the global skies. It was a venture that looked absolutely picture-perfect on the drawing board. The reality, however, would soon turn out to be far different.      Little did VJM realize that his Kingfisher would soon turn into a giant albatross around his neck. Little did he know that his Kingfisher would soon transform into a menacing vulture that would almost threaten the very existence of his UB Group. This is a tale of greed, excess, egotistical ...

     Alternative energy. It’s a subject that seems to be in vogue these days, from being the centrepiece of the G20 summits to the main theme of the Michael Douglas-starrer, Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps. Indeed, non-conventional sources of energy are being touted as the Next Big Thing, in a world that is fast running out of black gold. The general perception then would be that any company that could capitalize on this vast, virtually untapped market would certainly be on its way to making a fortune. Unfortunately, the general perception is, more often than not, wrong. This would particularly apply in the case of a company that the world now knows as Suzlon.      Suzlon is India ’s largest wind turbine manufacturer and it holds the distinction of being the fifth largest in the global pecking order. In its heyday, Suzlon was seen as the poster boy of the nascent but fast-growing wind turbine industry in India and its promoter was even hail...