The IT and BPO services provider's CEO says there are no salary cuts yet, but can't say what will happen three months ahead. According to MphasiS' (interim) Chief Financial Officer, Susanto Banerjee, the company has already been working to so convert its fixed costs, "progressively over the quarters." It is also looking at fixed costs involving infrastructure. "We are thinking of having our future infrastructure on pay-per-use basis," he said.
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 global financial slowdown, perhaps for the first time in recent years, has forced premier B-school IIM-B to extend the placement process for the second week, which otherwise would have been completed in the first week itself. Industry sources say this is the problem with most other IIMs as there is not much of demand for the elite management graduates this year.
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.
The Bangalore-headquartered company is believed to be evaluating two-three companies, which are in the revenue bracket of $100-200 million to eliminate some gaps that exist in its services offerings and increase focus on certain verticals, which have been least affected in the midst of the economic slowdown. It's reliably learnt that the company is looking at healthcare and energy and utilities as the two major areas for possible acquisitions.
The Bangalore-headquartered company will henceforth focus on tactical advertisements, which will generate immediate sales. Titan's advertising budget this year is estimated to be about Rs 180 crore. In the current financial year, the company has already spent Rs 160 crore on advertising. Though the company has not made any cut on the ad budget yet, it expects that the adspend will drop.
Former India cricket captain, Kapil Dev Nikanj,on Monday entered into a marketing agreement with South Africa-based Enviro-Light Technologies, promoted by former South African captain Clive Rice to launch eco-friendly street lights in India.
A research report by accounting and consulting firm Deloitte has stated that the research & development investment regime in India could be made more robust and attractive by providing more incentives.
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.
In an effort to slash hiring and increase efficiency, Wipro Technologies, one of the leading IT companies in the country, is training its employees to turn into a multi-skilled workforce.
For the first time in the history of Indian space research, a satellite developed by a university in India will be launched by the Indian Space Research Institute (Isro) during the next flight of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). Tentatively scheduled for launch in March-April this year, the vehicle will carry a small remote-sensing satellite completely developed and fabricated by Chennai-based Anna University, sources in Isro said.
Ahead of an RFP to be issued by the IAF before awarding the Jaguar re-engining contract sometime next year, Honeywell officials took pains to reiterate that the F125N was a clear winner against competitor Rolls Royce's Adour engine.
Total order book set to cross Rs 5,000 crore or Rs 50 billion with new orders from BMRC and DMRC.
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 board meeting, which was expected to be held on February 5, was brought forward by a day. "Announcements relating to critical leadership appointments are expected to be made at the board meeting," the company's internal newsletter stated.
Wipro, the Bangalore-based business conglomerate with interests in IT and FMCG, said it has succeeded in "convincing" one of its recently-won international clients, Australia's Origin Energy, about the circumstances under which the World Bank had imposed a ban on the company
India's second-largest IT services provider Infosys Technologies has hired recruitment services provider MaFoi to help its employees who fail to pass the final test to gain employment elsewhere.
Other than the involuntary attrition, the company has reported voluntary attrition of 11.9 per cent in the third quarter. This has resulted in a drop in the number of employees in the third quarter for the second time in the current financial year. The company started seriously looking at issues such as poor performance and fudged employment details in the second quarter of FY09 when the rate of voluntary attrition suddenly went up from just 0.5 per cent to 2.5 per cent.
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.