ratan.doc

“LEADERSHIP QUALITIES OF RATAN TATA”

“A BUSINESS LEGEND – RATAN TATA”

A Dissertation Submitted in Partial fulfillment

of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of

Management Studies in Commerce and Management

By

PRAVIN UMEDLAL NISHAR

ROLL NO.:- 27

Name of the Study Center

Niranjana Majithiya Degree College of Commerce

Name of the Guide

Prof. ALPA SHAH

Submitted To

University of Mumbai

Mumbai-400001

2009-2010

“LEADERSHIP QUALITIES OF RATAN TATA”

“A BUSINESS LEGEND – RATAN TATA”

A Dissertation Submitted in Partial fulfillment

of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of

Management Studies in Commerce and Management

By

PRAVIN UMEDLAL NISHAR

ROLL NO.:- 27

Name of the Study Center

Niranjana Majithiya Degree College of Commerce

Name of the Guide

Prof. ALPA SHAH

Submitted To

University of Mumbai

Mumbai-400001

2009-2010

JAMSETJI NUSSERWANJI TATA:THE

FOUNDER OF THE HOUSE OF TATA

Born in Navasari, India, in 1839, Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata is considered the Founder of the House of Tata. The son of a prosperous and widely traveled merchant, Jamsetji entered his father's business in 1859, and soon after, was made responsible for the setting up of an overseas office of his father's firm, first in Hong Kong, and a few years later in Shanghai.  In 1869, he acquired the land and assets of an oil-mill in Chinchpokli and refurbished it to enable the production in India of cotton-cloth. This experiment led to the foundation of the successful Empress Mills in 1877. With this, the House of Tata formally set out to play a vital role in the industrialization of India.

In the mid 1880's, Mr. Jamsetji Tata selected two lieutenants from his own family: his cousin, Ratanji Dadabhai (R.D.) Tata, as well as

his 25-year old elder son, Dorabji Jamsetji Tata. As a young lad Dorabji had been his father's constant companion, traveling with him to distant lands and had therefore profited by the wide reading and the intellectual conversation that came his way. A few years later, Mr. Jamsetji Tata's younger son, Ratanji Jamsetji (R.J.) Tata, was also brought into the family business. Together with R.D. Tata and his own two sons, Mr. Jamsetji Tata set into motion a series of projects that changed the face of India. Noteworthy projects included the Swadeshi and Advance Mills, the Indian Institute of Science, the legendary Taj Mahal Hotel, Tata Iron and Steel Company and the Tata Hydro-electric Project. Mr. Jamsetji Tata passed away in Bad Neuheim, Germany, on May 19, 1904.

WHEN JAMSETJI Tata started a trading firm in 1868, few could have guessed that he was also opening an important chapter in the making of mordern India. Today, he is fondly referred to as the Father of Indian Industry.

Jamsetji believed the three keys to India’s industrial development were steel, hydroelectric power and technical education and research. Tata Steel (formerly Tisco), Tata Institute of Fundamental Research and Tata Power did not become a reality during his lifetime, but are today organizations to reckon with. The foundations lay by him and the hard work put in by his successors ensured that each of the ideas eventually bore fruit.

Borm in Navsari, Gujarat- Where parsi population was concentrated at that time-jamsetji moved to Bombey when he was 14. He graduated from Elphinstone College in 1858 and joined his father’s trading firm and workd there till he was 29. Later he stepped out to start his own trading firm. Acquiring sick mills, turning them around and selling them for a hefty profit was his modus operandi.

Jansetji was, however, known for much more than just starting or taking over companies. Apart from thinking of novel ways to manufacture textiles with the Empress

Mills, he also put in place pioneering labour practices, long before any labour laws came into existence.

Though his three ideas did not bear fruit while he was alive, The Taj Mahal Hotel was completed during his time. Jamsetji also had great visions for the city that is now Jamshedpur. At the turn of the 20th century, the Tata’s wanted to build a steel plant in India. Three years of painstaking search lead them to a village called Sakchi. During the construction he did not just restrict himself to making a few buildings for the workers. He insisted upon building all the comforts and conveniences a city could provide. The result is a well-planned modern day city.

Jamsetji was honoured in 1919, when lord Chelmsford named the city after him. Jamshedpur is the only Indian city without a municipality. Its maintenance is entirely funded by Tata Steel.

TATA GROUPS FAMILY

JEHANGIR R. D. TATA: THE AVIATOR

The son of Mr. R.D. Tata and his French wife, Jehangir R.D. Tata was born in France in 1904 and educated at Janson Besailly, Paris. In 1925 he joined Tata and Sons, of which his father was a founding Director, together with Dorabji and Ratanji (R.J.) Tata. On his father's death in 1926, Mr. J. R. D. Tata became a director of Tata Sons. In 1932, at his initiative, the Airlines Division of Tata Sons was started. Tata Airlines marked the birth of regular air transportation in the Indian subcontinent. The airline finally evolved into Air India, of which, after nationalization, Mr. J. R. D. Tata remained Chairman till 1978. In 1938, the Directors of Tata Sons, all senior to him, elected him as the Chairman of the Tata Group - at that time, the largest industrial group of companies in India.

Jehangir R.D. Tata, affectionately known as "JRD," played a critical role in increasing India's scientific, medical and artistic quotient. The Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, The Tata Memorial Hospital, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, the National Institute of Advanced Studies, and the National Centre for the Performing Arts, each an exemplar of excellence in its field, were projects that could not have come to fruition without the steadfast support of JRD. He was married to Thelma in 1930. When JRD died in Geneva on November 29, 1993, everyone agreed that a noble son of India had passed on.

NAVAL HORMUSJI TATA: THE PEOPLE'S PERSON

Born in August 1904, Naval H. Tata joined the Tata Group in 1930, and by 1933 he was the secretary of the Group's Aviation division. In 1939 he was made the Managing Director of the Group's textile companies and in 1941 was made the Director of Tata Sons. Mr. Naval Tata was actively engaged with the Tata Charities and served as the Chairman of the Sir Ratan Tata Trust from 1965 to the time of his passing. He was the founder President of the Indian Cancer Society and held the position from 1951 through 1989.

His most valuable contribution outside of business was in the domain of labor relations. He believed in responsible negotiations between employers, workers and governments in the search for equitable solutions to labor issues. For over four decades he provided a voice of reason, consideration and conciliation to

national and international organizations working to minimize employer-employee friction. He was an employer who always regarded himself as a trustee of the rights and interests of workers. Mr. Naval Tata became part of Geneva-based International Labor Organisation governing body in 1951 and continued in the post till 1989. He was also a member of the International Organisation of Employers for 38 years and was the president of the Employers' Federation of India from 1959 to 1985. Naval Tata symbolized all that is best of the Tata spirit of giving back to society and the communities in which its enterprises grow.

He was also an avid sports lover and Indian field hockey was another beneficiary of his capabilities. He was the administrative head of the game in India when the country won gold in three successive Olympics. Mr. Naval Tata's caring and endearing nature, his abiding concern for the poor, his love of a good laugh and his instinct to trust even those not worthy of it, made him one of a kind. He married Simone in 1955. Mr. Naval Tata passed away in 1989.

RATAN NAVAL TATA: 21ST CENTURY AND BEYOND

When Ratan Tata became group chairman in 1991, he ushered in an era of change.

“A Company or business that remains static is a business that will die. A company that constantly changes and accepts that there are better way to do things than the ways to do things than the way they are done today, is a company that will survive in the global market that we face.”

A BUSINESS LEGEND

Ratan Tata is the chairman of the Tata Group, India’s largest corporation. He is the latest in a long line of Tatas to head the family owned company. Born into an old Parsi family of Bombay on 28th December, 1937. He received a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from America’s Cornell University in

1962. He returned to India and joined the Tata Group. Tata is single and leads a modest lifestyle in his bachelor apartment. The US educated bachelor lives alone with his two German shepherds in an

apartment in Mumbai. He is known to be a supporter of the traditional Parsi way of life. He has a passion for home cooked food and is known to indulge reply in art

collection. A trained pilot who still takes to the skies on his own aircraft has picked a number of

awards. He is known to slip into the front seat alongside his driver

to and from work.

At the helm of Tata Group since the retirement of JRD Tata in 1991, Mr. Ratan Naval Tata, the son of Naval H. Tata, has made the Tata Group a global player. The January 10, 2005 issue of Forbes Asia, named Ratan Tata as Asia's Businessman of the Year. Under Mr. Ratan Tata's guidance, the Tata Group has grown rapidly and made forays into new industries and areas of business. Mr. Ratan N. Tata is the Chairman of Tata Sons Limited, the holding company of the Tata Group, and the Chairman of major Tata operating

companies. In addition, Mr. Tata serves on the central board of the Reserve Bank of India and is on the Prime Minister's Council on Trade and Industry. He also heads the Investment Commission, which he recently set up with the Government of India.

A leader in the worldwide business community, Mr. Tata serves on the international advisory boards of Mitsubishi Corporation, the American International Group, JP Morgan Chase and Booz-Allen Hamilton Inc. He is also a member of the International Investment Council of the President of South Africa, the Asia Pacific Advisory Committee to the Board of Directors of the New York Stock Exchange and chairs the Advisory Board of Rand's Center for Asia Pacific Policy.

Mr. Tata is a role model in both his personal life and professional career. He serves as the Chairman of two of the largest private-sector philanthropic undertakings in India: the Sir

Dorabji Tata Trust and the Sir Ratan Tata Trust. He is also a member of the board of trustees of the Ford Foundation and of the program board of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's India Aids Initiative. 

The Tata Group consists of nearly 100 Companies. Tata Group is a multinational conglomerate and one of the largest private

companies in India. Today, it has strength of 3, 50,000 employees all over the world and an estimated

annual turnover of $62 billion USD. Tata’s contribution to India’s GDP is nearly 5.5% and 60% of its revenue comes from

foreign countries. Tata group was always known for its business ethics and corporate governance. The Tata group has spread its operations across six continents and more than 80

countries.

Ratan Tata : India's Industrial Architect

Ratan Naval Tata, the Chairman of the Tata Group, one of the largest group of industries ; something he inherits from his earlier generation. Brought up by his grandmother due to seperation of his parents, Ratan Tata did his schooling from Cathedral and John Cannon School in Mumbai. Later on he got his Architectural and Engineering Degree from Cornell

University. From here he joined his famiy busines. After turning down a job offer from IBM, he joined the Jamshedpur Tata Steel plant working with the Blue Collar employess handling blast furnances.

Peek in the PastIn 1971, Ratan Tata joined Nelco and turned it into a profit churning company. Later on when he joined the sick unit of Tatas Empress Mill, he turned it into a dividend declaring company.In 1981 he was declared the Chairman of the Tata Group of Industries.Today the Company has been listed in New York Stock Exchange.

The Story So Far The young lad who left the IBM job and brewed the corridors of his own company, is today the Chairman of Tata Group of Companies and has his company listed in New York Exchange. His latest expedition is the Tata Elegante the latest Tata four wheeler he presented at the Geneva Car Expo.

Peek in to the Past The Story So Far

The Recognition Honoured with Padma Bhushan he is a memeber on Prie Ministers Council on Trade and Industry. Ratan Tata was also honoured by Cornell University as the 26th Robert S. Hatfield Fellow in Economic Education, considered to be the highest honour by the Cornell University. He is also a member of the board of trustees of the RAND Corporation. He is board member on the Republic of South Africa's International Investment Council and is a Asia-Pacific advisory committee member for the New York Stock Exchange

TATA GUIDING VALUES

The Tata name evokes many connotations. For Indians, it is pride in Tata’s illustrious history spanning three centuries, starting from its nationalistic roots to the creation of a progressive, 91 company conglomerate, that stands for integrity, excellence and a commitment to serve society.

Tata Indica

For developed nations, Tata represents world-class information technology services and manufacturing excellence. For the steel industry, Tata Steel represents state-of-the-art production with one of the world’s lowest-cost-of-production. In the automotive industry, Tata Motors ranks among the top six manufacturers of medium and heavy commerical vehicles in the world and is India's largest commercial vehicle manufacturer.

Tata Steel

Taj Hotel in Mumbai, adjacent to the Gateway of India

The Tata Group is today one of India’s largest conglomerates with revenues of over US $14.25 billion in 2003-04. The Group companies employ over 22,000 people worldwide and exports products and services to 140 countries with operations in over forty.

The Tata Companies share a set of five core values derived from the Group’s early beliefs – and these are still drive all business decisions: Integrity, Understanding, Excellence, Unity and Responsibility. 

Ratan Naval TataTata (left) with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Mukesh Ambani

BornDecember 28, 1937 (age 71)

Mumbai, India

Residence Mumbai, India

Nationality India

Ethnicity Parsi

Citizenship India

Alma mater Cornell University

Occupation Chairman of Tata Group

Home town Mumbai, India

Religious beliefs Zoroastrianism

Spouse(s) Never married

Children None

Contents

1 Early life

o 1.1 Early career

1.2 Wealth

2 Career

3 Personal life

4 Quotes

5 Social and environmental record

6 Awards and Recognition

7 Bibliography

8 References

9 External links

Early life

Tata was born into the wealthy and famous Tata family of Mumbai. He was born to Soonoo and Naval Hormusji Tata. Ratan is the great grandson of Tata group founder Jamsetji Tata. Ratan's childhood was troubled, his parents separating in the mid-1940s, when he was about seven and his younger brother Jimmy was five. His mother moved out and both Ratan and his brother were raised by their grandmother Lady Navajbai.

Early career

Ratan Tata completed a BS degree in architecture with structural engineering from Cornell University in 1962, and the Advanced Management Program from Harvard Business School in 1975. He joined the Tata Group in December 1962, after turning down a job with IBM on the advice of JRD Tata. He was first sent to Jamshedpur to work at Tata Steel. He worked on the floor along with other blue-collar employees, shoveling limestone and handling the blast furnaces. Ratan Tata, a shy man, rarely features in the society glossies, has lived for years in a book-crammed, dog-filled bachelor flat in Mumbai's Colaba district.

Wealth

Ratan Tata has his own capital in Tata Sons., the holding company of the group. His share is around 1%, valuing his personal holding at approximately US$ 1 Billion. About 66% of the equity capital of Tata Sons is held by philanthropic trusts endowed by members of the Tata family. The biggest two of these trusts are the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and the Sir Ratan Tata Trust, which were created by the families of the sons of Jamshedji Tata. Ratan Tata is on the board of trustees of the Sir Ratan Tata Trust, and is the chairman of the board of trustees of the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, giving him significant influence on the board of Tata Sons, despite his minority personal shareholding.

Career

In 1971, Ratan was appointed the Director-in-Charge of The National Radio & Electronics Company Limited (Nelco), a company that was in dire financial difficulty. Ratan suggested that the company invest in developing high-technology products, rather than in consumer electronics. J.R.D. was reluctant due to the historical financial performance of Nelco which had never even paid regular dividends. Further, Nelco had 2% market share in the consumer electronics market and a loss margin of 40% of sales when Ratan took over. Nonetheless, J. R. D. followed Ratan's suggestions.

From 1972 to 1975, Nelco eventually grew to have a market share of 20%, and recovered its losses. In 1975 however, India's Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declared a state of emergency, which led to an economic recession. This was followed by union problems in 1977, so even after demand improved, production did not keep up. Finally, the Tatas confronted the unions and, following a strike, a lockout was imposed for seven months. Ratan continued to believe in the fundamental soundness of Nelco, but the venture did not survive.

In 1977, Ratan was entrusted with Empress Mills, a textile mill controlled by the Tatas. When he took charge of the company, it was one of the few sick units in the Tata group. Ratan managed to turn it around and even declared a dividend. However, competition from less labour-intensive enterprises had made a number of companies unviable, including those like the Empress which had large labour contingents and had spent too little on modernisation. On Ratan's insistence, some investment was made, but it did not suffice. As

the market for coarse and medium cotton cloth (which was all that the Empress produced) turned adverse, the Empress began to accumulate heavier losses. Bombay House, the Tata headquarters, was unwilling to divert funds from other group companies into an undertaking which would need to be nursed for a long time. So, some Tata directors, chiefly Nani Palkhivala, took the line that the Tatas should liquidate the mill, which was finally closed down in 1986. Ratan was severely disappointed with the decision, and in a later interview with the Hindustan Times would claim that the Empress had needed just Rs 50 lakhs to turn it around.

In 1981, Ratan was named director of Tata Industries, the Group's other holding company, where he became responsible for transforming it into the Group's strategy think-tank and a promoter of new ventures in high-technology businesses.

In 1991, he took over as group chairman from J.R.D. Tata, pushing out the old guard and ushering in younger managers. Since then, he has been instrumental in reshaping the fortunes of the Tata Group, which today has the largest market capitalization of any business house on the Indian Stock Market.

Under Ratan's guidance, Tata Consultancy Services went public and Tata Motors was listed on the New York Stock Exchange. In 1998, Tata Motors introduced his brainchild, the Tata Indica.

On January 31, 2007, under the chairmanship of Ratan Tata, Tata Sons successfully acquired Corus Group, an Anglo-Dutch steel and aluminium producer. With the acquisition, Ratan Tata became a celebrated personality in Indian corporate business culture. The merger created the fifth largest steel producing entity in the world.

On March 26, 2008, Tata Motors, under Ratan Tata, bought Jaguar & Land Rover from Ford Motor Company. The two iconic British brands, Jaguar and Land Rover, were acquired for £1.15 billion ($2.3 billion).

Tata Nano car, 2008

Ratan Tata's dream was to manufacture a car costing Rs 100,000 (1998: approx. US$2,200; today US$2,000 US$2,528). He realized his dream by launching the car in New Delhi Auto Expo on January 10, 2008. Three models of the Tata Nano were announced, and Ratan Tata delivered on his commitment to developing a car costing only 1 lakh rupees, adding that "a promise is a promise," referring to his earlier promise to deliver this car at the said cost. Recently when his plant for Nano production was obstructed by Mamta Banerjee, his decision of going out of West Bengal was warmly welcomed. Banerjee had the support of the people of Singur, where the Nano plant was being constructed, and many social movements. They criticised Ratan Tata for forcing people out of their land in collusion with the Left Front government in the state, headed by Budhadeb Bhattacharjee.

On October 7, 2008, After a controversial stay in West Bengal, Ratan Tata and his men shifted their Rs 1-lakh car Nano project to Sanand near Ahmedabad at an investment of Rs 2,000 crore (Rs 20 billion), declaring that efforts will be made to roll out the world's cheapest car from a make-shift plant to meet the deadline. Praising Modi for speedy allocation of about 1,100 acres (4.5 km2) of centrally located land, Ratan Tata said that the company had a great deal of urgency in having a new location and was driven by the reputation of the state. He successfully made a secret deal with Narendra Modi who agreed to give him a soft loan to the tune of approximately $10 billion to make the car in Gujarat.

The car was launched on March 23, 2009 amid much fanfare with advance bookings that preceded its launch by months.

Personal life

Mr. Ratan Tata has a metalic blue Maserati. He sometimes likes to fly his private jet himself. He has a Falcon Jet. He has never been married and is very shy about his personal life. He is also left handed.

Quotes

"Question the unquestionable." & "a promise is a promise,"

Social and environmental record

The TATA Group is widely believed to make the largest contribution to charity of any corporation in India. However, during his tenure as Chairman of the Tata Group, Ratan Tata has come in for criticism from human rights and environmental activists for the TATA Group’s record in this sector and the apparent reluctance to address these issues at the Group level.

Kalinganagar, Orissa: On January 2, 2006, policemen at Kalinganagar, Orissa, opened fire at a crowd of tribal villagers. The villagers were protesting the construction of a compound wall on land historically owned by them, for a Tata steel plant. Some of the corpses were returned to the families in a mutilated condition. When pushed for comment, TATA officials said the incident was unfortunate but that it would continue with its plans to set up the plant.

Dow Chemicals, Bhopal Gas Disaster: In November 2006, survivors of the Bhopal gas disaster were outraged by Ratan Tata’s offer to bail out Union Carbide and facilitate investments by Carbide’s new owner Dow Chemical. Tata had proposed leading a charitable effort to clean-up the toxic wastes abandoned by Carbide in Bhopal. At a time when the Government of India has held Dow Chemical liable for the clean-up and requested Rs. 100 crores from the American MNC, survivor’s groups felt that Tata’s offer was aimed at frustrating legal efforts to hold the company liable, and motivated by a desire to facilitate Dow’s investments in India.

TATA supplies to Burma’s military regime: TATA Motors reported deals to supply hardware and automobiles to Burma’s oppressive and anti-democratic military junta has come in for criticism from human rights and democracy activists. In December 2006, Gen. Thura Shwe Mann, Myanmar’s chief of general staff visited the Tata Motors plant in Pune. ["Myanmar Ties." December 8, 2006. The Telegraph, Calcutta, India]. In 2009, TATA Motors announced that it would press ahead with plans to manufacture trucks in Myanmar.

Singur displacement: The Singur controversy in West Bengal led to further questions over TATA’s social record, with protests by local villagers and some political parties over forcible eviction and inadequate compensation to those being displaced for the TATA Nano plant. As the protests gathered steam, and despite having the support of the ruling CPI(M) government, TATA eventually pulled the project out of the state of West Bengal, citing safety concerns. The Singur controversy was one of the few occasions when Ratan Tata was forced to publicly address criticisms and concerns on any environmental or social issue. Ratan Tata’s subsequent embrace of and praise for Narendra Modi, Chief Minister of Gujarat, also earned him brickbats on account of Modi’s openly communal stance and his performance as Chief Minister during the 2002 pogrom that saw hundreds of Muslims killed in riots within the state.

Dhamra Port: On the environmental front, the Dhamra port controversy has received significant coverage, both within India and in Tata’s emerging global markets. (‘India – Tata in troubled waters’, Ethical Corporation, November 2007, London, UK)

The Dhamra port, a venture between TATA Steel and Larsen & Toubro, has come in for criticism for its proximity to the Gahirmatha Sanctuary and Bitharkanika National Park, from Indian and international organizations, including Greenpeace. Gahirmatha is one of the world’s largest mass nesting sites for the olive ridley turtle and Bitharkanika is a designated Ramsar site and India’s second largest mangrove forest. TATA officials have denied that the port poses an ecological threat, and stated that mitigation measures are being employed with the advice of the IUCN. On the other hand, conservation organizations, including Greenpeace, have pointed out that no proper Environment Impact Analysis has been done for the project, which has undergone changes in size and specifications since it was first proposed and that the port could interfere with mass nesting at the Gahirmtha beaches and the ecology of the Bitharkanika mangrove forest.

Protests by Greenpeace to Dhamra Port construction is also alleged to be less on factual data and more on hype and DPCL's (Dhamra Port Company Limited) response to Greenpeace questions harbours on these facts. Nevertheless, if good intentions prevail on both sides, we can have progress on sustainable development in one of the poorest parts of India, benefitting the society immensely.

Awards and Recognition

On the occasion of India's 58th Republic Day on 26 January 2000, Ratan Tata was honoured with the Padma Bhushan, the third highest decoration that may be awarded to a civilian. On

26 January 2008 he was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian decoration. He was one of the recipients of the NASSCOM Global Leadership Awards-2008 given away at a ceremony on February 14 2008 in Mumbai. Ratan Tata accepted the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy in 2007 on behalf of the Tata family.

Ratan Tata serves in senior capacities in various organisations in India and he is a member of the Prime Minister's Council on Trade and Industry. In March 2006 Tata was honoured by Cornell University as the 26th Robert S. Hatfield Fellow in Economic Education, considered the highest honor the university awards to distinguished individuals from the corporate sector.

Ratan Tata's foreign affiliations include membership of the international advisory boards of the Mitsubishi Corporation, the American International Group, JP Morgan Chase and Booz Allen Hamilton. He is also a member of the board of trustees of the RAND Corporation, University of Southern California and of his alma mater, Cornell University. He also serves as a board member on the Republic of South Africa's International Investment Council and is an Asia-Pacific advisory committee member for the New York Stock Exchange. Tata is on the board of governors of the East-West Center, the advisory board of RAND's Center for Asia Pacific Policy and serves on the programme board of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's India AIDS initiative. In February 2004, Ratan Tata was conferred the title of honorary economic advisor to Hangzhou city in the Zhejiang province of China.

He recently received an honorary doctorate from the London School of Economics and Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur.He was listed among the 25 most powerful people in business named by Fortune magazine in November 2007. In May 2008 Mr Tata made it to the Time magazine's 2008 list of the World's 100 most influential people. Tata was hailed for unveiling his tiny Rs. one lakh car 'Nano'.

On 29 August 2008, the Government of Singapore conferred honorary citizenship on Ratan Tata, in recognition of his abiding business relationship with the island nation and his contribution to the growth of high-tech sectors in Singapore. Ratan Tata is the first Indian to receive this honour.

After the 26 November 2008 Mumbai attacks, Forbes opined Ratan Tata be brought into politics, calling him India's most respected business leader.

In 2009 he was appointed an honorary Knight Commander of the British Empire

Bibliography

Yogesh Chabria , Happionaire's Cash The Crash. CNBC - Network18. ISBN 9788190647953

References

1. Times of India Article: Man of the Year? Its Ratan Tata 2. "Faces of Enterprise: Ratan Tata". http://www.rediff.com/money/2008/jan/02tata.htm. 3. "profile Tata". http://people.forbes.com/profile/ratan-n-tata/2766. 4. India Today Power List 2009 5. India Today Power List 2009 - flys the jets himself 6. India Today Power List 2005 7. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/04/business/worldbusiness/04tata.html?

_r=1&sq=tata&st=cse&adxnnl=1&scp=7&adxnnlx=1238497443-4R16x3p9Aj5a8CErvf45bw 8. India Today 2005 Power List 9. [www.rediff.com/money/2006/dec/09tata.htm] 10. "Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy, 2007".

http://www.carnegiemedals.org/news/2007.html. 11. "Tata: Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy, 2007".

http://www.carnegiemedalspittsburgh.org/tata.html. 12. "26th Robert S. Hatfield Fellow in Economic Education - Announcement".

http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/March06/Tata.Hatfield.prewrite.html. 13. Board of Trustees , University of Southern California, Accessed April 13, 2008. 14. Ratan Tata Joins USC Board of Trustees , USC News, August 30, 2005. 15. "India's Obama Moment?". Forbes. 2008-12-03.

http://www.forbes.com/2008/12/02/ratan-tata-government-oped-cx_rm_1203meredith.html. Retrieved on 2009-01-01.

16. http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/about-the-fco/what-we-do/honours/honorary-awards-2009 UK Foreign Office

"Ratan Tata on Time's most influential list". http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1733748_1733758_1735108,00.html.

Piramal, Gita (1997), Business Maharajas, New Delhi: Penguin, ISBN 0140264426 "Chairman Profile, Interviews and Press Articles". Tata Group Website.

http://indica.co.za/0_about_us/management/chairmans_chamber/media_articles_interviews.htm.

Dubey, Rajiv (January 24, 2005). "Interview with Ratan Tata". Business world. http://www.businessworldindia.com/jan2405/index.asp.

"The Shy Architect: Ratan Tata has transformed India’s biggest company, and has done it alone.” The Economist. January 11, 2006.

"India's Tata wins race for Corus". BBC News. January 31, 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6315823.stm.

Sinha, Suveen K (February 5, 2007). "Ratan Tata: The man with steely resolve". rediff.com. http://www.rediff.com/money/2007/feb/05tata.htm.

External links

Tata Group Ratan Tata's profile on the Tata Website

Chairmen of the Tata Group

Jamsetji Tata • Dorabji Tata • Nowroji Saklatwala • J. R. D. Tata • Ratan Tata

Tata Group

TATA COMPANIES  

The Tata Group comprises 91 operating companies in seven sectors in addition to six international operations:

MATERIALS Metals Tata Steel

TATA INC.Composites Tata Advanced Materials 

ENGINEERING Automotive Tata Motors Tata Construction Equipment Company Tata AutoComp Systems

Engineering Products & Services Voltas Tata Projects

CHEMICALS Tata Chemicals Rallis India

ENERGY Tata Power Tata BP Solar India

CONSUMER PRODUCTS Tata Tea Titan Industries Tata McGraw Hill Trent 

INFORMATION SYSTEMS &COMMUNICATIONS Information Systems

o Tata Consultancy Services o Tata Infotech o Tata Technologies o Tata Elxsi o Tata Interactive Systems o Nelito Systems

Communications o Tata Teleservices o VSNL

Industrial Automation o Nelco

SERVICES Hotels, Property Development

o Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces o International Technology Park

Financial Services o Tata AIG Life Insurance Company o Tata AIG General Insurance Company o Tata Asset Management o Tata Finance o Tata Investment Corporation o Tata Share Registry

Other Services o Tata Services 

INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS

o Tata International

Brands Good Earth Teas   Tanishq   Taj Hotels   Tata Sky   Tata Indicom   Titan   Westside   Voltas

Notable People Jamsetji Tata   Dorabji Tata   Nowroji Saklatwala   J. R. D. Tata   Ratan Tata   Pallonji Mistry

TATA COFFEE

CERTIFICATES