Karthik Tirupathi, an expert in in Japanese language, management and culture training, addressed queries on learning and working in Japan in achat with readers. Here's the transcript.
With an ageing workforce, increased openness (as opposed to insular ideas earlier) and positive inclination towards India-centric outsourcing, things have never looked better -- Japan is now becoming a land of rising opportunities for people who love challenges.
With some of the world's most amazing gadgets, the 2015 International CES kicked off on January 6 promising a fantastic show with more than 3,600 exhibitors.
After a delay of five months, Ringing Bells managed to dispatch the first lot of Freedom 251 smartphones.
Though the PC market is growing, still there is potential for expansion, probably closer to the levels of the mobile market.
Creative is no newcomer in the consumer electronics market -- they have been making audio and video products for ages -- but it still doesn't take an expert eye to conclude that Creative's Vado, a pocket-size camcorder, is strikingly similar to the popular Flip camcorder from Pure Digital. After Sony, Pure Digital and Creative launched their pocket camcorders, Kodak too carted out the Zi6, a diminutive camcorder, in the market.
Indian subsidiary of consumer electronics major Sony has been allowed by income tax tribunal to claim deductions on its expenses on advertisement and sales promotion for calculating its tax liability.
Price-wary customers, waiting for good bargains in the festival season this year, are likely to be disappointed.
Consumer electronics major Videocon Industries has decided to diversify into generation and supply of power and mining of minerals, including coal.
The U.S. is mortgaging its future by outsourcing technological inventions in exchange for short-term cash.
Videcocon Industries plans a major consumer electronics retail foray across West Asia, Europe, Africa and Latin America under the brand name "VC" to raise global revenue shares from the current 2 per cent to 50 per cent by 2011.
But it may come with a downside risk of further rise in prices of several products.
Investment by US PE firm KKR will add fire to Ambani's battle for dominance in the retail market that is also being eyed by Jeff Bezos' Amazon and Walmart's Flipkart.
Datacom Solutions, promoted by consumer electronic goods maker Videocon Industries, is close to roping in South African telecom major MTN group as a partner for its GSM foray in the country. According to sources, Datacom, which was scouting for a partner to bring in investments and technology, has short-listed MTN. Discussions with the South African company are in the final stage and a deal is expected to be signed soon.
They might have made little headway in the market so far, but leading Chinese consumer electronics companies are busy drawing up big plans to expand their footprints in India. After acquiring Anchor Daewoo's appliance business last year, Haier is on the prowl for some local brands. TCL is getting ready to expand its product range to mobile phones and home appliances.
The Videocon group, the country's largest consumer electronics and durables manufacturer, is contemplating setting up a semiconductor facility.
Till such time as the study is complete, the plan to allow 51 per cent foreign direct investment in speciality retail sectors such as consumer electronics and sports goods has been put on hold.
Apple, the US consumer electronics and software company, is close to opening its iTune Store in India. iTune Store, the world's most popular online entertainment store, offers songs, movies, TV shows, podcasts, audiobooks and iPod games.
Dairy major Amul, Life Insurance Corporation of India and mobile manufacturer Nokia have emerged as India's top three brands according to Asia's Top 1000 Brands
Monetary tightening by the Reserve Bank of India to control the sharp rise in prices has checked the march of Indian consumers up the consumer electronics value chain.
ICT products make up a minuscule $ 407 million, out of the $ 35.54 billion of total inbound shipments from the US, as of now.
Mirc Electronics, the manufacturer of Onida brand of consumer electronics, is looking for overseas acquisition opportunities to beef up its research and development capabilities.
'We have the geographic advantage, demographic advantage, we have the necessary technical skills.' 'We just have to get all of these together. Then, we can very well compete.'
If you want to make a telephone call, your PDA or PC will work just as well as your cellphone.
Apple Pay will be available in 250,000 locations across the UK.
Confirming the development, Chairman Venugopal Dhoot said, "We will use the CDMA technology for mobile services in the country."
If India wants to become a globally competitive manufacturing hub, it will have to rethink the notion that the traditional SMEs will form the manufacturing backbone, argues Prosenjit Datta.
As much as Rs 8,000 crore worth of mobile phones in this segment - out of a total of Rs 15,000 crore - come into the country through the grey market. The government imposed the duty on these phones primarily to encourage domestic production but the strategy has failed as the bulk of high end mobile phones are currently imported.
Reliance Retail's shareholders will get one share of its listed parent, Reliance Industries, in exchange for every four shares, according to the scheme of arrangement.
Beginning with the festive season, the company expects to open at least one store for each of these products by the year-end.
Electronics major has tied up with Reliance Comm and Tata Tele.
One of the main causes is unlimited desires and limited income and injudicious use of various credit products on offer.
BPL Group, the consumer electronics firm, which is in the midst of its debt restructuring exercise, has set the ball rolling on wriggling out of its debt pool by selling a part of its land bank.
Samsung, the consumer electronics giant, is adopting new product innovation and retail strategies to reach deeper and wider into the Indian market.
Consumer electronic goods manufacturers are moving from 'Made in India' to 'Designed for India' products.
Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com offers a quick checklist of the best of CES's Auto World. The future is here, you will witness self driven cars to flying cars controlled by AI. We bring you the highlight of the CES auto world.
Gadget Guru this week focuses on mobile personal technology.
The west Asian region remained the top destination for India's consumer electronics goods last year with exports doubling to $175 million in 2005-06, from $90 million of 2004-05.
'IIT-ians want to contribute to nation building and the Pan IIT meet provides a channel to do that. We want to move beyond words and set up an action plan for this,' says Pradeep Gupta.
In 2020 a round of hikes in customs duty on components like compressors, motors and printed circuit boards aggravated the situation, coronavirus crisis is now leaving manufacturers with no option but to hike prices despite fall in sales.
