Articles by Madhusheel Arora
Business service ideas
An oft-quoted fact over the past decade or so has been that we have steadily moved on from an agriculture-led economy to a services-based arrangement. So palpable and strong is this sense that the assertion is taken at face value without any discussion on the quality of the service on offer. Writes Madhusheel Arora.

Updated on Mar 30, 2014 08:32 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Madhusheel Arora, Chandigarh
Parking as business idea
Is parking a business opportunity? If you have been following the scene in Delhi’s National Capital Region (NCR), you would know that there is a project on, which when complete, will allow users to book a parking spot in premium markets online, using software that displays real-time information.

Updated on Mar 16, 2014 10:09 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Madhusheel Arora, Chandigarh
‘Foldable phones could be the future’
Japanese electronic consumer goods maker Sony Corporation has lined up several changes.It will soon get out of laptop business, for instance. India is one of its biggest and growing markets and ranks 4th for the company worldwide in terms of sales, pegged at around ` 8,000 crore.

Updated on Mar 06, 2014 12:21 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Madhusheel Arora
Dressing up the shoe
What do you look for when you buy a pair of footwear? Comfort, style, mobility, attitude or plain covering of your feet. There is little doubt that the evergreen (approximately Rs 20,000-crore) Indian footwear industry has undergone a massive change in terms of branding over the past few years.

Updated on Mar 02, 2014 09:44 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Madhusheel Arora
MONEY in monetary policy
A day or two in a quarter, most general-interest publications invariably carry an item on the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI's) monetary policy review. Sometimes also referred to as the credit policy review writes Madhusheel Arora

Updated on Feb 25, 2014 03:52 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Madhusheel Arora, Chandigarh
Will you opt for farming as a profession?
Having seen my uncle hard at work in a farm and his decision to quit school to till land, I have often felt that popular imagination tends to see farming as an esoteric profession and food production as something that will somehow magically take care of itself. Madhusheel Arora writes

Updated on Feb 16, 2014 09:46 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Madhusheel Arora
Furnishing trends
Where are you reading this piece? On a chair, bed, recliner or sofa? Is the fixture wooden, plastic, foam, wrought iron, leather, or a bean bag? The practical art of making spaces come alive and utilise potential is the essence of furniture business. The tricity offers a lot of opportunities here, across all market segments. Madhusheel Arora writes

Updated on Feb 02, 2014 09:52 AM IST
None | Madhusheel Arora
The future of lighting
Lighting. An important part of life that most of us take for granted, except when streetlights go off or power fails. Take note of the fixtures and fittings in your house, offices, malls, etc., and realise that so much has changed in the way we use light in the 21st century. Natural light is missing from our routine and surroundings. Incandescent bulbs, compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) and the like will be passé by the next decade. Madhusheel Arora writes

Updated on Jan 19, 2014 12:24 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Madhusheel Arora, Chandigarh
Package for New Year
After a dozen write-ups over five months, it becomes imperative to set the agenda for the reader for this calendar year.Writing has been a lot of learning and has cleared a lot of misconceptions. As you attempt to make sense of the enterprise around the tricity, it is remarkable to see how fascinating the world of business and money-making is. . Madhusheel Arora writes

Updated on Jan 05, 2014 12:43 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Madhusheel Arora
Business or BusYness
“If you really want to get anything done, ask a busy man,” US comedian Lucille Ball. Shorn of technicalities, all business is getting the job done as efficiently as possible with the most profitability. However, it is a bitter unstated fact that most people looking for jobs do not like to work and most young educated youth today occupy themselves not necessarily as a mission. Madhusheel Arora writes

Updated on Dec 22, 2013 10:36 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Madhusheel Arora
'Being power surplus is just one part of business plan'
Lighting and a comfortable ambience are the basic building blocks of most business operations, except perhaps a factory. Bajaj Electricals, part of the Rs 33,000-crore Bajaj Group, has been in the business of making and selling fans, luminaries, bulbs etc. for 75 years.

Updated on Dec 16, 2013 07:08 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Madhusheel Arora, Chandigarh
Industriousness could pay
A spectacle is about to unfold. Finally, the Investors Summit as part of the Progressive Punjab branding attempt of the state government gets underway on Monday. Posters are everywhere, inviting you to attend the summit, now to be an annual affair, as announced by deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal on Friday. Madhusheel Arora writes

Updated on Dec 07, 2013 11:55 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Madhusheel Arora, Chandigarh
Innovation in business
Where is the next business idea for Chandigarh coming from? IT Destination North, a flagship event of CII into its ninth year, meant to promote upper north region as an information technology hub, was expected to glean out answers to the vexed question, this week. Madhusheel Arora writes.

Updated on Nov 24, 2013 10:07 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Madhusheel Arora, Chandigarh
Building a business, bit by bit
As IT entrepreneurs go, he is perhaps a senior citizen at 32, but then Kunal Nandwani is perhaps an example to follow for those who undergo adversity and then bounce back, and build a new business.

Updated on Nov 21, 2013 10:40 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Madhusheel Arora, Chandigarh
Looking good today!
Looking good and standing out, these are our fundamental desires. There is no business that perhaps taps more on this instinct than the beauty and cosmetic segment. A small-ticket business for a retailer, it is a hands-off trade, but is worth Rs 45,000-crore nationally. Madhusheel Arora writes.

Updated on Nov 10, 2013 09:51 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Madhusheel Arora
Behind the toy story
The UK’s iconic toy brand Hamleys has set up shop at the tricity’s plushest mall, Elante. In collaboration with Reliance Retail, the showroom offers a deluge of toys, starting from Rs 199 to at least the early thousands. Madhusheel Arora writes

Updated on Oct 13, 2013 12:35 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Madhusheel Arora
Put money on the table
Punjab deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal starts his ‘Marketing Punjab’ tour this week, targeting an investment of ` 10 lakh crore over two years. The state has identified health and biosciences as the two key areas in which investment will be sought from industrialists in Bengaluru, Mumbai, New Delhi, even Taiwan and possibly South Korea. Madhusheel Arora writes.

Updated on Sep 29, 2013 10:07 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Madhusheel Arora
Medication for pharma
Pharmaceutical business lends itself to either revulsion or eulogy with equal ease. The subject is clouded with jargon, obfuscation and emotion, owing to the high stakes. Madhusheel Arora writes

Updated on Sep 15, 2013 12:45 AM IST
None | Madhusheel Arora, Chandigarh
Dollar, rupee and gold
Gold prices will take time to come down and volatility will be its hallmark, for some time. In a short-sighted response, the finance minister has advised us to refrain from buying the asset and increased the import duty to 10%. Madhusheel Arora writes.

Updated on Sep 01, 2013 12:30 PM IST
None | Madhusheel Arora
Making gold work
Why is our FM advising us not to buy gold? Why have prices zoomed so dramatically? Is buying jewellery the only way to invest in the asset? Here's the first of two articles that unravel the mystery. Madhusheel Arora writes

Updated on Aug 18, 2013 03:11 PM IST
None | Madhusheel Arora
Slice of food business
Which business sells you novelty, convenience, luxury, fun, family time, satisfaction, happiness, service, entertainment, valuefor-money, and trust? All enterprises do, in varying degrees, but the food services industry is perceived to offer us all these. Madhusheel Arora writes

Updated on Aug 04, 2013 10:59 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Madhusheel Arora
Is this luxury affordable?
Affordable luxury -- the words roll off beautifully, but it is one of the most difficult business concepts to execute. A mall developer perhaps makes the most practical and realistic attempt with its design made to entice the rich, yet trying to cater to as wide a spending range as possible.

Updated on Jul 21, 2013 03:30 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Madhusheel Arora
Challenge of parenting
There are no guide books available for this life-changing experience, and even if there are, these would not work as each child is unique. "The best way to make children good is to make them happy," said Oscar Wilde. Madhusheel Arora writes

Updated on Aug 10, 2012 10:29 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Madhusheel Arora