The size of the accessories market ranges from Rs 1,500 crore to Rs 3,000 crore and has been growing at 15 to 18 per cent, according to Anand Ramanathan, manager, business performance services, KPMG. Within this, he said, the branded accessories segment is growing 25 per cent, against a growth rate of 35 to 36 per cent for apparel. Margins, however, are 10 to 15 per cent higher on accessories than apparel.
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.
These claims by beverage companies have never been verified as the government is yet to put in place a system to test and validate them. S B Dongre, Director, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI, which issues the FPO licence), admitted: "No laboratory test report is required at the time of granting a licence. We don't conduct any test. If there's a complaint, it has to be taken with the company first through a consumer court."
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.
Following stringent cost-cutting measures by business process outsourcing units and IT firms across the country, the business of call centre cab owners has dwindled by anywhere between 5 and 40 per cent.
Global IT giant IBM is understood to be the front-runner to acquire Satyam Computer Solutions, a company it named as one of its main competitors in a filing to the New York Stock Exchange in February. The US major, said sources close to the developments, has begun discussions with Satyam's government-nominated board and expressed its desire to acquire a majority stake in the company. A team of investment bankers and lawyers from the US and Europe has been brought in.
The bid-pack for potential investors is ready and the government-appointed board has already sent it to the Company Law Board and Securities Exchange Board of India, according to sources close to the development.
Major investment plans for a fabrication facility have put off due to the slowdown. A full-fledged fab requires an investment of $3-4 bn. Moreover, even if a fab were to come up now in the country, the technology would be rendered obsolete by the time it starts production. "If the government was serious about making the electronics manufacturing ecosystem robust, why is it sitting on proposals? How can you sustain a company's interest for so long?" asks an industry source.
Low-cost computing is all set to grow, but if the Rs 500-Sakshat is also to be called a 'laptop', it confuses users and hurts the market
The service is offered through SMS, call centres and the Internet. Industry experts said 8-10 million people use mobile search. Two million people use the Internet and the rest use SMSs and call centres. The operators' main source of revenue is premium SMS (what they charge for search query). Advertising from the local merchants getting listed in the search is a promising option.
That the value of brand Satyam would be eroded many times over, following its former chairman Ramalinga Raju's admission that he had cooked the company's books, was a given.
The government has suggested that the new Satyam Computer Services board should also look within the company to appoint a CEO and CFO.
The Mumbai police, along with a group of enthusiastic citizens including Mumbai Sheriff Indu Shani, combed commercial complexes, malls, office buildings and residential premises in south and south-central Mumbai to identify and get rid of unsecured Wi-Fi connections in the city, following terrorist attacks last year.Terror mails were sent via unsecured Wi-Fi connections before the Delhi and Ahmedabad serial blasts also.
Of the available media, it was the fastest growing segment in 2008. Its better return on investment and the comparative ease with which its efficacy can be measured will ensure that the trend continues, say analysts. Rising interest in social networking in 2008 has made brands think seriously about online advertising.
IBM's India Research Laboratory completes pilot project on 'spoken web' concept in Andhra.
Insurance, telecom, infrastructure, FMCG and energy are unlikely to downsize; Elsewhere, only top performers are safe.
© 2025 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances