Two World Wars, the Great Depression, India's independence struggle, the Hindu rate of growth, the licence-permit raj, controls on foreign exchange and expansion, and the reforms of the 1990s: a handful of Indian companies have seen it all, and adapted along the way to do well. India has around three dozen century-old companies that are listed and still actively traded. Of these we have selected a dozen that have done especially well at responding to change. "Response to change is the first condition for survival in business," says Dwijendra Tripathi, a former IIM professor who authored The Oxford History of Indian Business. A hundred years is a long period. Dive into the exciting journey of these intrepid survivors.
1788: Breen & Co founded; to become Jessop in 1820
1838: The Times of India launched
1898: Calcutta becomes first city in India to get electricity
1902: Shalimar Paints sets up first paint factory in SE Asia
1902: Tatas open first hotel, Taj Mahal Palace
1910: Advent of electricity helps Britannia biscuits mechanise operations
1911: Shift of India's capital to Delhi announced; ITC gets stalls to advertise at Durbar
1919: Birlas defy Yule and other Scots to get into jute manufacture, WWI fuels boom
1926: Kirloskar makes first diesel engine in India
1929: TVS bags General Motors' dealership
1931: CESC builds tunnel under river Hoogly
1940: For the first time, The Times of India publishes news items
1945: Britannia sales surge, fuelled by contract to supply biscuits to Allied troops
1951: R.D. Birla acquires control of Century Textiles
1953: Bengal Chamber of Commerce completes a 100 years
1958: Godrej & Boyce makes the fi rst Indian refrigerator, in collaboration with GE
1969: Managing Agency system abolished
1975: ITC makes fi rst diversification, into hotels
1988: Jessop celebrates 200 years of existence
1998: Burman family hands over Dabur management to professionals
2007: Tata Steel acquires Corus
No comments:
Post a Comment