Rajesh Kurup And Shivani Shinde In Mumbai

Stories by Rajesh Kurup And Shivani Shinde In Mumbai

Applabs to increase India focus

Applabs to increase India focus

Rediff.com   12 Nov 2007

Hyderabad-based Applabs, providing quality management, testing, and certification solutions, will be increasing its business from the domestic market. In the next 12 months, the company is aiming at a revenue of $4-5 million (around Rs 15-19 crore) from India.

BPOs beat Re blues

BPOs beat Re blues

Rediff.com   10 Nov 2007

The concerns were legitimate as unlike the IT industry, more than 90 per cent of the cost of BPOs is in rupees while earnings are in dollars. However, the firms have managed well by focusing on increasing productivity, enhancing employee utilisation, increasing billing rates and effecting better management strategies.

WNS bosses' unique plan to fight attrition

WNS bosses' unique plan to fight attrition

Rediff.com   8 Nov 2007

Neeraj Bhargava, CEO of Mumbai-based business process outsourcing (BPO firm) WNS Global Services, and his team have voluntarily decided to forfeit their bonuses if they are not successful in getting the attrition rates below 30 per cent. This is probably the first such move of its kind in the industry in which attrition has become a critical issue. WNS has over 15,000 employees, and its current attrition rate stands at 43 per cent.

Gitanjali to acquire US retail chain

Gitanjali to acquire US retail chain

Rediff.com   2 Nov 2007

Gitanjali Gems is close to acquiring a US-based jewellery retail chain with sales of about $100 million. The deal, if it goes through, would be the company's second acquisition in the world's largest jewellery market. Though the deal size and name of the company could not be ascertained, sources said that the acquisition is expected to be completed in 30 days.

Illegal music downloads set to end

Illegal music downloads set to end

Rediff.com   26 Oct 2007

While this is a global phenomenon, it is for the first time that the Indian Music Industry (IMI) is making an effort to stop this before it erodes the revenue stream of music companies like it is already happening in the software, gaming and the movie segments.

Sony out to entice Indian gamers

Sony out to entice Indian gamers

Rediff.com   25 Oct 2007

Sony Computer Entertainment, an arm of Sony Pictures, is planning to increase its console-based business in India.The company - responsible for the distribution, marketing and sales of PlayStation - opened its India office four months back and is now getting its strategy in place to offer variety and a better experience to gamers.

IT cos focus on healthcare, pharma

IT cos focus on healthcare, pharma

Rediff.com   25 Oct 2007

Indian IT service providers are increasing their exposure in the healthcare and pharma segments. Multi-million dollar deals in this space by IT firms over the past three-four months only buttress this trend. Healthcare outsourcing has moved away from just undertaking medical transcription and business process outsourcing (BPO) work to core functions such as drug discovery, testing, research and development.

Rising Rupee claims first BPO victim

Rising Rupee claims first BPO victim

Rediff.com   23 Oct 2007

US-based Spectrum Global Fund Administration, providing back-office operations to hedge funds in the US and the UK, is closing its facilities in India. The company had started its operations in India two years ago.

Mixed fortune for IT small, mid-caps in Q2

Mixed fortune for IT small, mid-caps in Q2

Rediff.com   19 Oct 2007

Unlike the first quarter of FY08 when Indian IT small- and mid-caps were hit hard due to a nearly 7 per cent appreciation in the rupee against the dollar, the July-September period was relatively kind to these firms. It spared them to some extent, since the rupee appreciated around 1.5 per cent over the period. However, the rupee rose around 12 per cent against the dollar over the last 12 months.

How channels manage millions of SMSes

How channels manage millions of SMSes

Rediff.com   12 Oct 2007

Contrary to popular understanding, operators do not manage these incoming votes. It is the channel operators who manage and collate the results of these SMSes. Yet, in terms of revenue sharing, close to 70 per cent of the share goes to the telecom provider while the channels get only 30 per cent.

Laptop sales dent IT peripherals market

Laptop sales dent IT peripherals market

Rediff.com   11 Oct 2007

Indian notebook sales are moving at a scorching pace -- 73 per cent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2007 -- and this is affecting the volume growth in the IT peripherals market.

Clients prefer to stick to dollars

Clients prefer to stick to dollars

Rediff.com   4 Oct 2007

Close to 60 per cent of revenues of Indian IT service providers comes from the US market. With the rupee having appreciated more than 12 per cent over the past year, IT firms have increased billing rates, in most cases for new as well as existing clients.

Can Indian IT cos retain cost advantage?

Can Indian IT cos retain cost advantage?

Rediff.com   26 Sep 2007

Indian IT firms have been announcing incremental increase in billing rates for quite some time now to counter wage hikes and rising visa costs, to name a few.

Patni stake sale stalled

Patni stake sale stalled

Rediff.com   18 Sep 2007

Mumbai-based Patni Computer System's stake sale has been stalled, perhaps indefinitely, according to sources close to the development.

HCL bullish on retail growth

HCL bullish on retail growth

Rediff.com   10 Sep 2007

The company will be taking its total outsourcing offering to the retailers in the small and medium enterprise category, whereas for the large retailers, it will pitch the best-of-the-breed target solutions to cater to specific problems.

TCS, Wipro, Infosys increase branding investments

TCS, Wipro, Infosys increase branding investments

Rediff.com   28 Aug 2007

Infosys spent Rs 70 crore last year on its brand building exercise. The company underlines that it focuses on earning the respect of all its stakeholders.

FemtoCells, the next big telecom thing

FemtoCells, the next big telecom thing

Rediff.com   21 Aug 2007

The technology's spectrum efficiency, low cost and simple installation make it the next big thing in the telecom world.

FemtoCells, the next big telecom thing

FemtoCells, the next big telecom thing

Rediff.com   21 Aug 2007

The technology's spectrum efficiency, low cost and simple installation make it the next big thing in the telecom world.

Sub-prime fear now haunts BPOs

Sub-prime fear now haunts BPOs

Rediff.com   20 Aug 2007

The US sub-prime lending crisis forced Mumbai-based WNS Holdings to revise its net income guidance by 60 per cent, and this is worrying the $8 billion business process outsourcing sector players and analysts.

Machines to make sales pitch on phone soon

Machines to make sales pitch on phone soon

Rediff.com   14 Aug 2007

Next time you answer the phone, chances are there won't be a caller at the other end, but a recorded message trying to sell a product or service. It doesn't expect an answer, but goads you to punch in a few keys in acceptance or simply hang up.