India's largest software exporter, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), says it will see more deals in its infrastructure services (IS) business in the $5-10 million range this year than in the $15-100 million one.
While the exact number of employees being asked to quit could not be confirmed, sources said close to 1,000 employees were tipped to go. Syntel has around 11,000 employees in India. The shifting of employees to the KPO operations is part of increasing its utilisation and reducing the bench strength.
At a time when the economic slowdown is eating into corporate earnings, the country's economy hotels, including Krizm Hotels and Berggruen Hotels, are going ahead with their expansion plans.
For TCS, the retail business has been growing at 10-12 per cent over the last three quarters. On a year-on-year basis, the growth rate of the retail business has been impacted due to currency fluctuation and the general slowdown. In dollar terms, the retail business grew 51.6 per cent for the company last financial year.
High crude oil prices in 2008 have left the government richer by a few thousand crore rupees. In 2008-09, the government earned "windfall profits" from the petroleum sector as crude oil prices spiked, touching a high of $147 in July 2008.
Capgemini has gone back on its previous expectations of modest growth in the first half of 2009, following a significant deterioration in the wider economic environment since the third quarter, said John O'Brien, senior analyst at advisory and consulting firm Ovum. Capgemini now expects to see a modest decline in the first-half sales, while maintaining an operating margin of 6.5 per cent.
Refining margin is the difference in prices of crude oil and finished products. More exposure to diesel behind less fall in Indian refining margins.
Here is another sign that the economy is slowing. The growth rate of diesel and petrol consumption is down sharply, though it is still in the positive territory.Year-on-year growth in diesel consumption in December 2008 was down to a mere 1.5 per cent as against 10.7 per cent growth in December 2007. Consumption of petrol grew 5.5 per cent in the month compared with 9.5 per cent in December 2007.Preliminary data for January showed that diesel consumption grew only 2 per cent.
Tata Consultancy Services, the country's largest IT company, has changed its hiring strategy and will focus on just-in-time hiring or real-time talent management."TCS has decided to adopt the policy of real-time management whereby we will hire in the last three months of the final year of graduation rather than a year before," said S Ramadorai, managing director and chief executive officer, TCS.
Mumbai-based SP Jain Institute of Management and Research has announced that it will provide initial financial assistance to the tune of Rs 20 lakhs (Rs 2 million)to any of its students who wishes to don the entrepreneurial hat. The business school has set up an entrepreneurship cell in association with National Entrepreneurship Network.
Meanwhile, 117 Pan-Asian private equity players - with India as focus -- aim to raise funds worth $59 billion, says UK-based Preqin, an alternative assets research and consultancy group. On a global platform, he said, majority of investors remain positive towards private equity. Aditya Birla Private Equity is an example.
After a year of sluggish growth in fuel retail outlets, the three state-run oil-marketing companies--Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation--have chalked out aggressive plans for expansion in the next financial year. They will be commissioning over 2,100 outlets in 2009-10--over three times what they added in the current year--at an investment of about Rs 1,200 crore.
According to sources, the government has provided a list of 20 companies to Reliance Industries for sale of gas as per the gas utilisation policy. Some of these companies include Nagarjuna Fertilizer & Chemicals, Chambal Fertilizers & Chemicals, Tata Fertilizers and Oswal Chemicals & Fertilizers among others.
The fuel price revision on Wednesday is likely to wipe out the Rs 1,100 crore net revenue earned by the three oil marketing companies--Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation -- in the last one month, say officials from these companies.
At present, the annual cost-to-company of an entry-level officer in an oil-marketing company stands at Rs 6,30,000 per annum, including the annual performance bonus and various allowances, perks and retirement benefit that these officers are entitled to.
Falling oil rates have made rigs available for hire at a cheaper rate. Oil and Natural Gas Corporation planned to foray into building rigs in June 2008 owing to its short supply as crude oil prices zoomed northwards.
For instance, Indian Oil Corporation, the nation's biggest marketer and refiner, doubled its R&D spend from Rs 30 crore to Rs 60 crore (Rs 600 million) this year. The company is conducting research in areas like biodegradable lubricants and oil refining technology. The company will shortly commission a pilot at its Faridabad centre, where it will install technology for coal gassification and production of ethanol from biomass.
Many domestic and foreign companies in banking and financial services, consulting and consumer goods are believed to have written to the Indian Institutes of Management, requesting them to waive participation and recruitment fees.
With 4,00,000 sq km in acreage and over 100 blocks to be awarded, Nelp VIII is touted as India's biggest-ever auction of oil and gas blocks. Industry observers say there is a strong case for the government to postpone the Nelp VIII, keeping in account the present liquidity situation and low crude oil prices. "It will make sense to postpone Nelp VIII as a lot of exploration and production companies are re-looking at their investment strategies," said a sector expert.
Oil sector officers, who brought the country to a grinding halt, by going on strike for nearly three days, will appeal to their respective management to reinstate the employees sacked by the companies.
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