Novatium Solutions, a Chennai-based startup is building a $100 (Rs 4,300) computer using the "thin client" architecture. This, the company hopes, will take "computing to the next billion."
In Bangalore, Encore Software is engaged in a similar experiment. Its SofComp is being promoted as a sub-Rs 10,000 mobile computer. Earlier, the company had developed the handheld Simputer with the help of professors from the Indian Institute of Science in the city.
SofComp combines affordability, computing ability and mobility, say Encore's chairman Vinay Deshpande and vice president Shashank Garg. It works without a hard disk and uses the system-on-chip architecture.
Set up by Shishir B Purohit, Novatium, meanwhile, dreams of making low cost PCs widely available, an effort backed by Ashok Jhunjhunwala, the Indian Institute of Technology (Chennai) professor who took wireless telephony to villages. Its computer, based on "thin client" architecture can handle most routine office work such as e-mail, word processing, spread sheets, presentations, and Internet browsing.
Read More...
Friday, July 29, 2005
How to set up a large start-up
Think big, start small and scale up fast: it's every manager's dream.
For Shikha Sharma, Managing Director of ICICI-Prudential Life Insurance Company, it was a challenge. Hiring people, opening branches and offices across the country, unleashing a media blitzkrieg, getting customers: She explains the strategy and the processes employed in founding a large start-up.
Read More...
For Shikha Sharma, Managing Director of ICICI-Prudential Life Insurance Company, it was a challenge. Hiring people, opening branches and offices across the country, unleashing a media blitzkrieg, getting customers: She explains the strategy and the processes employed in founding a large start-up.
Read More...
Thursday, July 21, 2005
Just what are credit derivatives ?
Rediff article says...
Like any other financial derivative, credit derivatives provide payoff to the investor that depends upon the underlying default risk associated with any financial instrument, especially bank loans.
Read More...
Like any other financial derivative, credit derivatives provide payoff to the investor that depends upon the underlying default risk associated with any financial instrument, especially bank loans.
Read More...
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
The book that inspired me
Ankur Bhatia, MD, Amadeus India Sub Continent writes...
I have just finished reading Stephen Covey's The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness To Greatness. It's all about self-introspection, understanding your true potential and the difference you can make to the people around you.
It emphasises that success comes to those who, as a starting point, listen to their inner selves. Thereafter, based on the needs of the people with whom they interact, they create innovative ways to empower them.
Covey calls the present times the 'New Knowledge Worker age' in which, in order to thrive, innovate, excel and lead, we must build on and move beyond effectiveness.
As a continuation to his previous book, The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People, in this book he emphasises the eighth habit. Simply put, the eighth habit means to find your voice and inspire others to find theirs.
It is the answer to the soul's longing for greatness, the organisation's focus on excellence, and humanity's search for its 'voice'. The book is insightful, encouraging and definitely inspiring.
It has introduced me to new ideas and practices that will have a profound impact not only on my professional life but personal life as well.
I have just finished reading Stephen Covey's The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness To Greatness. It's all about self-introspection, understanding your true potential and the difference you can make to the people around you.
It emphasises that success comes to those who, as a starting point, listen to their inner selves. Thereafter, based on the needs of the people with whom they interact, they create innovative ways to empower them.
Covey calls the present times the 'New Knowledge Worker age' in which, in order to thrive, innovate, excel and lead, we must build on and move beyond effectiveness.
As a continuation to his previous book, The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People, in this book he emphasises the eighth habit. Simply put, the eighth habit means to find your voice and inspire others to find theirs.
It is the answer to the soul's longing for greatness, the organisation's focus on excellence, and humanity's search for its 'voice'. The book is insightful, encouraging and definitely inspiring.
It has introduced me to new ideas and practices that will have a profound impact not only on my professional life but personal life as well.
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Intel`s $700-mn India project faces trouble
Business Standard Reports...
Govt reluctant to make an upfront payment of $100mn demanded by IBM.
There seem to be hiccups on the way towards setting up Intel?s proposed $700-million wafer testing facility in India as the government appears reluctant to meet some of the demands raised by the world?s largest chipmaker.
Apart from flexibilities on external commercial borrowings and tax benefits, Intel had asked the government to make an upfront payment of $100 million, officials told Business Standard today.
But the government is not ready to make this kind of a contribution. A team from Intel negotiated the terms of a deal with officials last week but a breakthrough could not be achieved, officials said.
Read More...
Govt reluctant to make an upfront payment of $100mn demanded by IBM.
There seem to be hiccups on the way towards setting up Intel?s proposed $700-million wafer testing facility in India as the government appears reluctant to meet some of the demands raised by the world?s largest chipmaker.
Apart from flexibilities on external commercial borrowings and tax benefits, Intel had asked the government to make an upfront payment of $100 million, officials told Business Standard today.
But the government is not ready to make this kind of a contribution. A team from Intel negotiated the terms of a deal with officials last week but a breakthrough could not be achieved, officials said.
Read More...
B-schools make managers, not leade
Vipul Jain, CEO & MD of Kale Consultants writes :
B-schools don't teach you leadership. The job of a leader as distinct from a manager - is to unflinchingly believe that tomorrow will be better than today.
That's what keeps you together when you don't know how you are going to get to your goal. It makes you get out of bed and get to work. As a leader, people look up to you; they draw energy from you. Many of us are managers; few are leaders.
Read More...
B-schools don't teach you leadership. The job of a leader as distinct from a manager - is to unflinchingly believe that tomorrow will be better than today.
That's what keeps you together when you don't know how you are going to get to your goal. It makes you get out of bed and get to work. As a leader, people look up to you; they draw energy from you. Many of us are managers; few are leaders.
Read More...
Friday, July 08, 2005
India, most attractive retail mart
Rediff Reports:
Improved investment climate and a more liberal foreign direct investment regime have made India the top destination for global retail giants like Wal-Mart, Benetton and Tesco, which are looking to expand overseas, international management consulting firm A T Kearney said on Friday.
India displaced Russia to move from second place to first in the 2005 Global Retail Development Index released by AT Kearney. The Index is a study of retail investment attractiveness among 30 emerging markets across the globe.
The country's retail market totalling $330 billion is vastly underserved and has grown by 10 per cent on average over the past five years. It is also one of the most fragmented retail markets in the world -- the combined market share of the top five retailers totals less than two per cent.
India's ranking was driven by an improved investment climate due to the recent relaxation of direct ownership restrictions on foreign retailers, it said.
"The message for retailers on India is clear: move now or forego prime locations and market positions that will become saturated quickly," A T Kearney vice president Mike Moriarty said, adding retailers that missed opportunities to capture first-mover advantage in China can make up for it in India.
Read More...
Improved investment climate and a more liberal foreign direct investment regime have made India the top destination for global retail giants like Wal-Mart, Benetton and Tesco, which are looking to expand overseas, international management consulting firm A T Kearney said on Friday.
India displaced Russia to move from second place to first in the 2005 Global Retail Development Index released by AT Kearney. The Index is a study of retail investment attractiveness among 30 emerging markets across the globe.
The country's retail market totalling $330 billion is vastly underserved and has grown by 10 per cent on average over the past five years. It is also one of the most fragmented retail markets in the world -- the combined market share of the top five retailers totals less than two per cent.
India's ranking was driven by an improved investment climate due to the recent relaxation of direct ownership restrictions on foreign retailers, it said.
"The message for retailers on India is clear: move now or forego prime locations and market positions that will become saturated quickly," A T Kearney vice president Mike Moriarty said, adding retailers that missed opportunities to capture first-mover advantage in China can make up for it in India.
Read More...
How women can save money
Sushma Gupta, a 32-year-old mom has been managing the household finances since the last 12 years. Her husband gives her a fixed percentage of his salary every month for running the household.
As you would know this task is not easy. It includes everything from buying groceries/ everyday consumption items to things that the kids might need.
Sushma seems to be doing a remarkable job and manages to save a few thousands each month. One of her neighbours, Anita works for a mutual fund house and gave her an idea- to invest the amount she saves each month in an equity fund.
She has started a systematic investment plan and keeps aside Rs 3,000 every month for the same. The amount is not much but what matters is the investing habit. Remember that each brick helps in building a house.
Read More
As you would know this task is not easy. It includes everything from buying groceries/ everyday consumption items to things that the kids might need.
Sushma seems to be doing a remarkable job and manages to save a few thousands each month. One of her neighbours, Anita works for a mutual fund house and gave her an idea- to invest the amount she saves each month in an equity fund.
She has started a systematic investment plan and keeps aside Rs 3,000 every month for the same. The amount is not much but what matters is the investing habit. Remember that each brick helps in building a house.
Read More
'It was the right time to go' : Vivek Paul
Rediff Interview:
Vivek Paul, 46, grew Wipro over 10 times , emerged as its brand ambassador and the poster boy of Indian IT.
In a candid interview with Businessworld's Shelley Singh, Paul opened up to talk about his times at Wipro and why he quit. Excerpts.
How will you sum up your stint at Wipro?
It was a good chapter in Wipro's book. We set a vision that looked impossible. It makes you feel better because we did it with such confidence.
Less than 1 per cent of India's population is associated with IT and it feels great to know that the whole country is proud of what we did. I built a great team, built some very unique business models, and got customers to come to Wipro -- there is lot of repeat revenue from customers.
Read More...
Vivek Paul, 46, grew Wipro over 10 times , emerged as its brand ambassador and the poster boy of Indian IT.
In a candid interview with Businessworld's Shelley Singh, Paul opened up to talk about his times at Wipro and why he quit. Excerpts.
How will you sum up your stint at Wipro?
It was a good chapter in Wipro's book. We set a vision that looked impossible. It makes you feel better because we did it with such confidence.
Less than 1 per cent of India's population is associated with IT and it feels great to know that the whole country is proud of what we did. I built a great team, built some very unique business models, and got customers to come to Wipro -- there is lot of repeat revenue from customers.
Read More...
Blasts: Indian BPOs boost staff for UK rail queries
Rediff reports :
Call centres in India brought in extra staff and asked some to work overtime to answer a flood of inquiries to Britain's National Rail after a series of deadly bomb blasts hit London's transport network Thursday, officials said.
Read More
Call centres in India brought in extra staff and asked some to work overtime to answer a flood of inquiries to Britain's National Rail after a series of deadly bomb blasts hit London's transport network Thursday, officials said.
Read More
Inside story: Why Vivek Paul quit Wipro
Rediff quotes Businessworld artcile :
On May 5, Wipro vice chairman Vivek Paul walked into the second floor Bangalore offices of Wipro executive vice president (human resources), Pratik Kumar. The meeting was unscheduled.
Paul told Kumar about a certain sense of 'restlessness' that had seized him lately. He disclosed how he 'was evaluating to do something else'. Kumar thought Paul was at a stage 'where he wanted to make a decision'.
After the conversation, Kumar lost no time in speaking to Wipro chairman Azim Premji on what had transpired between him and Paul. Premji seemed to be aware of what was going on in Paul's mind. He simply expressed his quiet disappointment to Kumar
Read More...
On May 5, Wipro vice chairman Vivek Paul walked into the second floor Bangalore offices of Wipro executive vice president (human resources), Pratik Kumar. The meeting was unscheduled.
Paul told Kumar about a certain sense of 'restlessness' that had seized him lately. He disclosed how he 'was evaluating to do something else'. Kumar thought Paul was at a stage 'where he wanted to make a decision'.
After the conversation, Kumar lost no time in speaking to Wipro chairman Azim Premji on what had transpired between him and Paul. Premji seemed to be aware of what was going on in Paul's mind. He simply expressed his quiet disappointment to Kumar
Read More...
Just what is securitisation?
Rediff Article says :
'Banks will have to unload bad loans to Asset Reconstruction Companies by FY2007' read a leading business newspaper headline sometime back.
A bank selling its bad loans! This might sound strange, but it has been made possible by securitisation.
This article explains the concept of securitisation and how it can change the banking business in India.
Read More...
'Banks will have to unload bad loans to Asset Reconstruction Companies by FY2007' read a leading business newspaper headline sometime back.
A bank selling its bad loans! This might sound strange, but it has been made possible by securitisation.
This article explains the concept of securitisation and how it can change the banking business in India.
Read More...
Thursday, June 30, 2005
7 great strategies to succeed
Ajay Piramal, Chairman, Nicholas Piramal India Limited, reveals how he achieved phenomenal corporate growth in a new industry by implementing a differentiated strategy.
You cannot fool yourself, reality will strike.
Five years ago, my management style was radically different from what it is today. I was a hands-off manager and had entrusted the running of the company to a professional manager.
However, over a period of time I realised that though the company was profitable it was not performing to its fullest potential. Delving deeper into the issue I recognised that the company was not moving in the right direction in terms of sustainability of profit levels, quality of people and retaining market share.
The first thing I did was to change the CEO and personally get involved in the management of the company. I took a step back, understood the basics, hired McKinsey to evaluate our strategy and then implemented it. My top management was restructured and we improved the quality and depth of management across the company.
We got out of unprofitable businesses and worked on maximising the value of the assets we owned. This was a huge challenge for me and it made me more detail-oriented and quantitative. I spend a fair amount of my time now in planning and thinking in order to identify performance levers, growth engines and the root causes of poor performance.
1. You have to think big. Because ultimately you are what you think you are.
2. The values of the employees should be harmonious with those of the organisation.
3. You must keep stretching your employees more and more.
4. It is essential to break barriers.
5. Every company reinvents itself over a period of time.
6. Believe in your strategy and stick to it even if you are criticised for it.
7. It is important to have milestones to motivate your employees.
Read More...
You cannot fool yourself, reality will strike.
Five years ago, my management style was radically different from what it is today. I was a hands-off manager and had entrusted the running of the company to a professional manager.
However, over a period of time I realised that though the company was profitable it was not performing to its fullest potential. Delving deeper into the issue I recognised that the company was not moving in the right direction in terms of sustainability of profit levels, quality of people and retaining market share.
The first thing I did was to change the CEO and personally get involved in the management of the company. I took a step back, understood the basics, hired McKinsey to evaluate our strategy and then implemented it. My top management was restructured and we improved the quality and depth of management across the company.
We got out of unprofitable businesses and worked on maximising the value of the assets we owned. This was a huge challenge for me and it made me more detail-oriented and quantitative. I spend a fair amount of my time now in planning and thinking in order to identify performance levers, growth engines and the root causes of poor performance.
1. You have to think big. Because ultimately you are what you think you are.
2. The values of the employees should be harmonious with those of the organisation.
3. You must keep stretching your employees more and more.
4. It is essential to break barriers.
5. Every company reinvents itself over a period of time.
6. Believe in your strategy and stick to it even if you are criticised for it.
7. It is important to have milestones to motivate your employees.
Read More...
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
E-commerce set to boom in India
Rediff reports :
The total value of e-commerce activities within India has exceeded Rs 570 crore (Rs 5.70 billion) during 2004-05, according to a research conducted by Internet & Online Association of India, a not-for-profit Industry trade organisation.
The report estimates a 300 per cent plus growth rate during the next couple of years and has targeted a whopping Rs 2,300 crore (Rs 23 billion) worth of e-business conducted within the country by the year 2006-07.
The IOAI research report conducted in association with Cross Tab Marketing Services has tracked Internet user's proclivity for shopping online. The research was undertaken with a view to understand the profile, Internet usage, products purchased along with propensity to buy along with the nuances of shopping online with the shopper's affinity and aversions to online shopping.
Read More
The total value of e-commerce activities within India has exceeded Rs 570 crore (Rs 5.70 billion) during 2004-05, according to a research conducted by Internet & Online Association of India, a not-for-profit Industry trade organisation.
The report estimates a 300 per cent plus growth rate during the next couple of years and has targeted a whopping Rs 2,300 crore (Rs 23 billion) worth of e-business conducted within the country by the year 2006-07.
The IOAI research report conducted in association with Cross Tab Marketing Services has tracked Internet user's proclivity for shopping online. The research was undertaken with a view to understand the profile, Internet usage, products purchased along with propensity to buy along with the nuances of shopping online with the shopper's affinity and aversions to online shopping.
Read More
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Uniform bank A/C numbers soon
Rediff report says :
Bank account holders will soon have a standardised unique individual account number with the introduction of real time gross settlement and straight-through processing in the banking sector.
This is because the electronic network of RTGS is, at times, unable to read alpha-numeric or complete numeric account numbers.
"Accounts numbers vary across banks," said R Gandhi regional director (Andhra Pradesh), Reserve Bank of India. Different banks have different customer identification numbers based on legacy issue and systems. Read More...
Bank account holders will soon have a standardised unique individual account number with the introduction of real time gross settlement and straight-through processing in the banking sector.
This is because the electronic network of RTGS is, at times, unable to read alpha-numeric or complete numeric account numbers.
"Accounts numbers vary across banks," said R Gandhi regional director (Andhra Pradesh), Reserve Bank of India. Different banks have different customer identification numbers based on legacy issue and systems. Read More...
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
Ownership of cars to double by 2009-10
Rediff report says :
The rapid rise in the country's middle and upper income classes, more than overall GDP growth per se, is likely to lead to a dramatic hike in the demand for big-ticket items like motorcycles, refrigerators and cars/jeeps, according to the National Council of Applied Economic Research's latest report, "The Great Indian Market". Read More...
The rapid rise in the country's middle and upper income classes, more than overall GDP growth per se, is likely to lead to a dramatic hike in the demand for big-ticket items like motorcycles, refrigerators and cars/jeeps, according to the National Council of Applied Economic Research's latest report, "The Great Indian Market". Read More...
Friday, June 03, 2005
Kumar Mangalam Birla's 9 Big Lessons
Under Kumar Mangalam Birla, the $6-billion Aditya Birla Group did not just acquire a new logo, it transformed itself. From a commodity-based organisation steeped in babu culture it is today an aggressively modern multicultural transnational with more than 72,000 people drawn from twenty different nationalities.
Read the complete interview
Read the complete interview
Friday, May 20, 2005
India Inc doubles foreign buys
We might have seen the Rajniganda commercial about the Indian Business Tycoon acquiring the East India Company and we might have thought it as a good day dream. Here are some news which says that dream might be true.
Rediff Report says:
India Inc's hunger to acquire businesses abroad is increasing. The value of overseas acquisitions by Indian companies more than doubled to $9.30 billion in 2004 from $4.5 billion in the previous year.
While the number of deals has not gone up significantly (316 in 2004 compared with 305 in 2003), the huge rise in terms of value indicates that Indian companies are ready to dig deep into their pockets for the right acquisition.
Agrees Manish Thakkar, vice-president, M&A, at ICICI Securities. "We believe that the next 12-18 months will see major activity in oil and gas, technology, textiles, and health care - a large component of which will be cross-border in nature," he said.
Rediff Report says:
India Inc's hunger to acquire businesses abroad is increasing. The value of overseas acquisitions by Indian companies more than doubled to $9.30 billion in 2004 from $4.5 billion in the previous year.
While the number of deals has not gone up significantly (316 in 2004 compared with 305 in 2003), the huge rise in terms of value indicates that Indian companies are ready to dig deep into their pockets for the right acquisition.
Agrees Manish Thakkar, vice-president, M&A, at ICICI Securities. "We believe that the next 12-18 months will see major activity in oil and gas, technology, textiles, and health care - a large component of which will be cross-border in nature," he said.
Thursday, May 19, 2005
Lemelson Recognition and Mentoring Programme : Boon for Rural Innovators
Innovation and rural India would seem mutually exclusive terms. But that is about to change.
The Lemelson Recognition and Mentoring Programme -- or L-RAMP -- launched in rural Tamil Nadu for inventors, is a union of technology, innovation and funds.
L-RAMP is a joint initiative of the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Rural Innovation Network, and the Lemelson Foundation, USA.
Impressed with the work done by the Rural Innovations Network, the Lemelson Foundation has decided to pour funds into the project and give it financial muscle and a major impetus.
Read the Complete Story
The Lemelson Recognition and Mentoring Programme -- or L-RAMP -- launched in rural Tamil Nadu for inventors, is a union of technology, innovation and funds.
L-RAMP is a joint initiative of the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Rural Innovation Network, and the Lemelson Foundation, USA.
Impressed with the work done by the Rural Innovations Network, the Lemelson Foundation has decided to pour funds into the project and give it financial muscle and a major impetus.
Read the Complete Story
Innovators in Rural India ? You bet!
Anna Saheb Udgave, a 70-year-old farmer from the Sadalga village in Karnataka's Belgaum district, developed a low-cost drip irrigation system to fight water crisis in his village.
When the situation improved and water became available in plenty, he started farming sugarcane in place of betel leaf. Later, he improved upon his innovation and turned it into a mega sprinkler, and called it Chandraprabhu Rain Gun.
Other impressed farmers of the same village slowly started using Anna Saheb's rain gun in their farms.
Now, if Anna Saheb's rain gun can be found in the market and if the farmers of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka are using it successfully, it is all because of a Chennai-based non-profit organisation -- Rural Innovation Network.
RIN is the brainchild of Paul Basil from Moovattupuzha in Kerala. Basil, a mechanical engineer with a post-graduate degree in forestry management, worked for the National Dairy Development Board. Later, he worked with the European Union's horticultural project in Kerala.
Read the Complete Story
When the situation improved and water became available in plenty, he started farming sugarcane in place of betel leaf. Later, he improved upon his innovation and turned it into a mega sprinkler, and called it Chandraprabhu Rain Gun.
Other impressed farmers of the same village slowly started using Anna Saheb's rain gun in their farms.
Now, if Anna Saheb's rain gun can be found in the market and if the farmers of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka are using it successfully, it is all because of a Chennai-based non-profit organisation -- Rural Innovation Network.
RIN is the brainchild of Paul Basil from Moovattupuzha in Kerala. Basil, a mechanical engineer with a post-graduate degree in forestry management, worked for the National Dairy Development Board. Later, he worked with the European Union's horticultural project in Kerala.
Read the Complete Story
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