The Economist covers Ratan Tata and the Tata Group in great detail. Essential reading for my colleagues and an eye opener for the rest.

RATAN TATA is as different as can be from the popular image of a business titan: he is a natural gentleman who lives austerely, litters his conversation with references to “dignity” and “duty” and is happiest when talking about his pet dogs, two German shepherds. He owns less than 1% of the group that bears his family name. But he is a titan nonetheless: the most powerful businessman in India and one of the most influential in the world.

The Tata group, of which he is chairman, is a giant too—or rather a collection of them. This family of companies covers cars and consulting, software and steel, tea and coffee, chemicals and hotels. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is Asia’s largest software company. Tata Steel is India’s largest steelmaker and number ten in the world. Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces is India’s biggest luxury hotel group by far. Tata Power is the country’s largest private electricity company. Tata Global Beverages is the world’s second-largest maker of branded tea. Overall, the group earned 3.2 trillion rupees, or $67.4 billion, in revenues in 2009-10 (see chart) and 82 billion rupees in profits.