The group is investing Rs 250 crore (Rs 2.5 billion) to expand its edible oil business thisyear by foraying into palm oil, soya oil and rice bran oil production. In its new FMCG products, the company will launch 18 new products in hair care, babycare and men's grooming segments. Initially, the company will sell its edible oil in bulk to industries that are into production of chips and biscuits. Brands will be launched later on, depending on the initial success.
The information technology sector in West Bengal is likely to see addition of 20,000 jobs in 2008. The state currently has about 300 small to big sized companies and employs 55,000.
The Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur (IIT-KGP) is investing close to Rs 46 crore (Rs 460 million) in four new centres of excellence -- School of Entrepreneurship, School of Infrastructure Design and Management, Steel Technology Centre, and Centre of Excellence in Telecommunication Engineering.
Webel's digital tool enables people with cerebral palsy to communicate.
India is likely to see the addition of at least 400 restaurants, fast food outlets and coffee joints in 2008. Food chains such as Yum Brands, McDonald's, Domino's and Caf Coffee Day have earmarked an estimated investment of over Rs 300-400 crore (Rs 3 to 4 billion) this year in expanding their retail presence across the country.
Reliance ADAG's Big Music and Home Entertainment is looking at garnering close to 40 per cent market share of home and music entertainment business in India.
According to Gibson G Vedamani, CEO of RAI, "We have urged Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee to allow shops to stay open till at least 11.30 at night, if not overnight. In Mumbai and Delhi, a few retailers had approached the government individually and got permission to keep their shops open till late." At present, all retail outlets in West Bengal have to shut by 8.30 pm, making it difficult for people who work late hours to manage their shopping during the week.
Indian small and medium enterprises are expected to emerge as major buyers of the information technology products by 2008. According to Joydeep Datta Gupta, executive director of Deloitte & Touche Consulting, any IT-led SME business transformation project could succeed only if the project was sustained.
In a first of its kind initiative and available only in Kolkata, mobile services provider Vodafone Essar, has launched the 'Sambhav' prepaid card, targeted at customers with hearing and speech disability.Available at Rs 151, the prepaid Sambhav card will enable the hearing impaired to communicate effectively using a cellphone. The card enables customers with hearing and speech disability to use mobile phones primarily for sending SMSes.
Lack of uniform parameters while ranking them is what irks B-schools. At last count, there were at least seven different rankings in print.
Saswat Chakraborti, head of G S Sanyal School of Telecommunications at IIT-KGP says: "We offered three short-term courses so far in 2007, and would introduce one more this December. We are planning several new courses targeted at B-tech graduates, industry professionals, as well as teachers from engineering institutes."
Information technology giant IBM is taking computer education to students from weaker sections of society in Kolkata. Five NGOs, CiniAsha, Divya Chaya, Calcutta Rescue, SPAN, and Pratyush identify and bring in students from various parts of Kolkata for training at the IBM centre.
The Nandigram fracas is taking a toll on placements at the oldest Indian Institute of Management (IIM), in Kolkata, with top-notch recruiters like Goldman Sachs deciding not to visit the campus this year for summer placements.
Although exports of gold jewellery have increased from Rs 5,220 crore (Rs 52.20 billion) during FY 2001 to Rs 23,516 crore (Rs 235.16 billion) during FY 2007 (source: Icra industry monitor), the export business has been constrained by an inability to compete in global markets on basis of price and superior design capabilities.
In an attempt to combat competition from local beauty and wellness salons, companies like Lakme, Habibs and VLCC are gearing up to offer specialised and upgraded services. According to market data, the beauty and wellness industry, which stands at Rs 1,500 crore (Rs 15 billion) right now, was only Rs 400 crore (Rs 4 billion-)-strong in 2004.
It was the first company to launch sub-10,000 PCs five years ago forcing major PC makers to offer ultra-low cost entry-level models. Then it launched India's first laptop to be priced under Rs 20,000. And now, it has launched a 100cc motorcycle for under Rs 20,000. Xenitis has launched the mobike for Rs 19,990, with equated monthly instalments (EMIs) fixed at Rs 490.
Corporate sponsorships for B-school festivals are set to double and almost touch the Rs 1 crore (Rs 10 million) figure in 2008. While established annual festivals of B-schools in eastern India are likely to see a 20-30 per cent increase in sponsors and sponsorships, the newer B-school fests are likely to receive double the sponsorship amounts they received last year.
XLRI Jamshedpur, School of Business and Human Resources, has drawn up a number of courses this financial year for companies to help combat attrition rate across industries. These are expected to help managers and senior-level executives, especially HR personnel and team-leaders, to understand ways to retain employees and manage teams effectively.
According to the latest report by AdEx India, a division of TAM Media Research, the growth in Internet portals' overall ad volume on TV during the period was dominated by 'Shopping Portals 'which recorded a maximum rise in advertisements per day. According to the report, average advertisements per day saw a rise of 240 per cent in January-August 2007 over the January-August 2006 figures.
The Indian SMEs have spent over $5 billion on telecom equipment and services last year. Further growth is expected from the cellular market which is set to grow at over 13 per cent.
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