With innovative digital technology and powerful solutions, IBM is also ensuring that food is traced properly as it passes though an increasingly complex global supply chain.
The morning doesn't always show the day. After the early birds surprised many with their decent increase in net profits, a detailed analysis of the performance of 2,088 manufacturing and services sector companies (excluding banks and finance firms) shows that net profit has indeed gone up -- but only just.
From a single private firm with a Rs 1,000-crore (Rs 10 billion) net profit, there are 28 such companies now.
Ram Shriram, founding investor and board member of Google, thinks the Indian government should focus on better Internet access to create a conducive business environment.
Operating margins improve, but sales still sluggish
Google has launched a free voice-based mobile internet search facility in India that has been built entirely by the internet search giant's India engineering team. Currently available only to the estimated 400,000 Blackberry cellphone users, the company hopes to extend this facility to other handsets by the end of the year.
It stands for technology that helps an organisation to place its applications and data on the Internet.
IT majors like IBM, Sun Microsystems and Red Hat have shot letters to industry bodies -- Nasscom (for software) and MAIT (for hardware) -- and the department of information technology, protesting over the inclusion of clauses which allow for 'multiple standards' and 'royalty on software' versus a 'single' standard and 'free' software.
Tech Mahindra considered a couple of options -- keep the Satyam name or replace it entirely. But research said Satyam still reflected critical strengths that were recognised and valued by customers. "By combining it with the well-known and highly-regarded Mahindra name, we are able to convey a stronger message more credibly: that Mahindra Satyam has the resources, talent and resolve to ensure a steady performance," says T Hari, its the marketing and communications head.
The IT Amendment Act, 2008, if notified, will give the government blanket power to block news portals and other sites for 'offensive' content.
The Airtel Net PC is a plug-and-play online computer, inclusive of a 15-inch LCD monitor, keyboard, mouse and Nivio companion (which enables the PC to connect to a backend Linux-run server for storage and applications) and priced at Rs 7,999 exclusively for Airtel broadband customers.
The 193 companies have proposed a dividend payout of Rs 16,764 crore (Rs 167.64 billion) for 2008-09 on a net profit of Rs 92,412 crore (Rs 924.12 billion) compared to Rs 15,328 crore (Rs 153.28 billion) paid on a net profit of Rs 84,790 crore (Rs 847.9 billion) earned in 2007-08.
Market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) is understood to be contemplating legal action against P S Saminathan, managing director and one of the promoters of Pyramid Saimira Theatre (PSTL), and Nirmal N Kotecha, another promoter of the company.
Wipro sees a silver lining in Q1; others say recovery by 2009-end.
The jury is still out on whether Tech Mahindra should retain the Satyam name. Srinivasan Swamy, CMD, R K Swamy BBDO, says. "Brand Satyam took a beating for only one reason -- accounting irregularities by its erstwhile chairman. The employees were not even aware of the fraud. The company's core values and foundation have not been impacted." The task for the new management, he believes, is to retain its clients and people and the brand image would get resurrected.
Google allows users to phone a toll-free number and make a query. The 'voice search' uses a combination of automated voice recognition engine and operators to provide this facility. To make the service faster and better, Google is also experimenting with voice recognition technology, which will ensure 24-hour support. Currently, the automated system offers results in English, but the operator-driven system offers results in only Hindi and Telugu.
It's a digital prototype called "sixth sense" that is currently being evaluated by major companies like Microsoft, Google, Hewlett-Packard and Samsung. The brain behind this device is the 28-year-old Indian-born Pranav Mistry, a researcher at the Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
"We have not lost a single customer in Asia, despite the news (its bankruptcy protection filing in Canada and the US)," said Francois Lancon, President Enterprise EMEA and Asia. He admits, though, that "what works for us (stickiness of clients) also works for our competitors," adding, "The slowing economy is helping us retain clients, since customers don't like taking big decisions like changing vendors during times of uncertainty."
The Satyam board may present prospective bidders for the troubled Satyam Computer Services with operating statements for two quarters - October-December 2008 and January-March 2009 - to help them arrive at a decision.