Okay Tata, buy buy

Ratan Tata, chairman of the Tata Group, drives a Honda. Even so, a marque like Jaguar suits him just fine. His hot pursuit of two signature British brands, Jaguar and Land Rover is turning into a nail-biting finale of an aggressive buying spree that included Tetley, Daewoo's commercial vehicle arm and the Ritz-Carlton in Boston. In many ways, Ratan Tata stands for the business of making the impossible possible.The 70-year-old's business skills are a blend of astute entrepreneurial skills, ability to take swift, tough decisions, and foresight. He is probably one of the first Indian corporate captains who did not hesitate to look beyond the physical geography of India's borders. Tata thinks global, but at the core of his heart is a proud Indian with a fire in the belly to position India as an equal in the global comity of nations.Impossible is nothingBe it acquisition, venturing into risky vistas, getting out of a particular line of business, or fighting corruption, Tatas have come out with flying colours.The man responsible for manufacturing India's first completely indigenous small car — Indica — is now set to produce the world's cheapest car — pegged at Rs 1 lakh or nearly $2,500 — despite doubts expressed by several of his peers. He is also the frontrunner in the race to acquire the iconic Jaguar and Land Rover. The outcome of this acquisition bid is yet to be seen. At a time when many global auto majors are facing rough weather in developed markets and looking towards emerging economies such as India, Tata is looking at one of the most saturated markets — the United Kingdom. The group is not only looking at acquisition for the sake of corporate expansionism, but on pure economic sense. A case in point is when he decided to divest Tata Tea's 30 per cent holding in the US's Energy Brand Inc.– Glaceau and made a clean profit of $500 million in less than a year.When he took over the mantle from legendary patriarch JRD Tata, doubts were raised about his ability to manage such a large, diversified and complex organisation, especially at a time when many old hats were in the race for the top slot. Ratan Tata not only changed the old guard, but also made the management more vibrant, flexible, and adaptable, by bringing in a new breed of managers. Neighbour's envyHis peers envy his ability to retain managers for decades on end at a time when job-hopping is almost a norm. He once told a very senior executive who drove a small car that if he travelled in such a car, "it will be perceived that the Tata group does not pay you well". When the executive responded that Tata himself travelled in a small car on occasions, he shot back by saying that his stature was not defined by the size of his car because of obvious reasons. But in the case of executives, it was different.Much before corporate governance became a buzzword in India Inc., Tata did not hesitate to file a criminal case against one of his perceived lieutenants and a top executive for allegedly defrauding one of his companies.