Thursday, December 29, 2005

Want to be a star Performer !!!!

Climbing the corporate ladder is not easy. The office corridors abound with gory tales of friends turning into colleagues, and colleagues turning fierce competitors.

Is aspiring for the hat of the head honcho, then, asking for too much? No.

Everyone longs for a better deal in life, but few are ready to pay the price. Success does not come to you. You have to go get it.

Here are the some of tips may help you

1.Do some soul searching

Once we get into the grind, few of us take time out for introspection. Get to specifics. What is it that's making you underachieve?

Is it your obsessive boyfriend/girlfriend, your own weak resolve, lack of consistency or plain old lethargy? Believe it or not, lethargy is most often the culprit. Write down why you put things off, procrastinate or limit yourself. Only then can you focus on strategies to chip away at it. Most of us spend more time planning vacations than we do planning our career.

Ask yourself some tough questions, like -

a. Do you have a flair for connecting with people?
b. Are you good at motivating people?
c. Do you crave an adrenaline rush or do you go by the book?
d. Do your personality traits match the job profile you are looking at?

2.Get organised

Successful professionals swear by the mantra of 'planning ahead' in order to soar at the workplace.

Start your day with a 'to do' list. Gather your supplies and resources for each task, set priorities and get similar tasks done together. Prioritising is important. If you have a lot on your plate, it becomes essential too. Of all the work you need to sink your teeth into, sort out what's important and urgent, what's important but not urgent, what's urgent and not important and, finally, what's neither important nor urgent but needs to get done.

3. Set time frames
Give yourself a deadline. They are necessary evils. Nothing gets done without a set time frame.
Putting in face time is criminal. It is not important how many hours you linger around at the office. What counts is how much you generate in a given time frame.

For More Tips click here

Wednesday, December 28, 2005

Day is not far away when you will see Laptop in Every body's hand



Day is not far away when you will see Laptop in Every body's hand in India, with compaines like Xenitis Infotech have started doing it. Kolkata-based Xenitis Infotech has launched its low-cost laptop range branded ‘Xuva’. Xenitis would offer laptops in the price range of Rs 29,000-59,000 for the low-end consumers, especially students and entry professionals.

Tuesday, December 27, 2005

Top 10 downloads since over past decade

Online software distribution was still in its infancy. What a difference a near-decade makes! Since 1996, we've watched the rise of instant messaging, digital audio and the MP3 format, file sharing, spyware and antispyware, and the open-source movement, just to name a few. And we've watched as online software distribution has gone from pipe dream to reality. These 10 applications best represent the top trends in downloading over the past decade.

List Looks like -

1. ICQ
2. Winamp
3. Napster
4. Firefox
5. WinZip
6. iTunes
7. Ad-aware
8. Skype
9. RealPlayer
10.Adobe Acrobat Reader

Click Here to Learn about this Downloads

Saturday, December 24, 2005

Improving success rates

The success rate of new product offerings is dire. It's difficult to get an accurate figure on new product success rates because there is not one universal definition of success within and between firms. Plus, firms often don't like to talk about their failures.

What are some of factors that contribute to product "failure"?

Many recurring themes occur in the literature, such as:
* a failure to listen to the voice of the customer;
* poor up-front pre-development homework;
* unstable product definition;
* poor quality of execution of key NPD tasks;
* and poorly structured.


More here

Thursday, December 22, 2005

Leading Consulting Firm to Deploy SugarCRM to 9,000 Users



BDO Seidman LLP, a leading national professional services firm, standardizes on SugarCRM to help enable distributed CRM for employees and partners of BDO Seidman and its Alliance Members

SugarCRM Inc., the world's leading provider of commercial open source customer relationship management (CRM) software, today announced that BDO Seidman will offer SugarCRM to over 9,000 BDO Seidman and BDO Seidman Alliance member employees. The project, named BDO Link, will use SugarCRM to help improve opportunity and resource sharing, along with executive reporting. BDO Seidman is the U.S. member firm of BDO International, the fifth largest global accounting organization.

"SugarCRM delivers the flexibility we need to deploy a unique solution across our entire U.S. operation," said Valerie Kozikowski, Partner, BDO Seidman. "The ease-of-use of the SugarCRM application and its strong CRM capabilities means that BDO Seidman will be able to improve information sharing and deliver improved reporting capabilities across employee teams and the BDO Seidman Alliance Network."

"We are excited to work with BDO Seidman," said Lars Nordwall, Worldwide VP of Sales at SugarCRM. "For nearly 100 years, BDO Seidman has stood for excellence in professional services. SugarCRM is delighted to support their continued success."

Monday, December 19, 2005

Ten Things That Made Us FEEL GOOD this YEAR !

1. Heroes of the water tragedies

Whether it was the tsunami, the Mumbai floods, the Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu flood disasters or the earthquake in Jammu and Kashmir, there were many examples of selfless acts in a particularly bad year as far as natural disasters are concerned.

There were doctors who opened their hospitals and gave free treatment to tsunami victims. College students who hitched rides on relief trucks to distribute food, water and clothes. Ordinary folk who rescued passengers on a city bus submerged in water in Mumbai. Kashmiri Pandits living in refugee camps in Delhi adopted a quake-hit village in Jammu and Kashmir -- the state from which they were forced to leave because of their religion.

These were individuals who saved lives of friends and strangers; some left whatever they are doing to go to affected areas to help -- and went a long way in strengthening people's dwindling faith in human goodness.


2. Rise of the sporting brat pack

2005 was the year of the rising stars in sport. Sania Mirza -- Tennis, Mahendra Singh Dhoni -- Cricket, Joshna Chinappa -- Squash, Shiv Kapur -- Golf and, of course, the indomitable Vijaypat Singhania, the 70-plus industrialist and maverick aviator who created a world record for his flight on a hot air balloon.

The nation went into overdrive with Sania's pursuits on the tennis court and beyond. Fanatics frowned over her short skirts and burned her effigy when she spoke about premarital sex, forcing her to retract. Others obsessed over her t-shirts and fans followed her tennis ranking, probably more closely than she herself. Sania was the sporting sensation of the year and every bit of the Sania mania was real.

Then there was Joshna, 19, the Asian junior number one in squash, who made news. Shiv, who won the Rookie of the Year and clinched the season-ending championship tour of the Volvo Masters of Asia. Dhoni, the wicket-keeper batsman, who began his career with a smashing batting average. They treated us to some great sporting action, we only hope the next year is even better.

3. The Indo-US thaw

After decades of suspicion, India and the United States began on a new path of strategic understanding in July when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President George W Bush met in Washington, DC.

The civilian nuclear agreement was the most significant and most debated. The American President assured Dr Singh that the transfer of civilian nuclear reactors to India would become a reality by the end of his term.

Bush referred to India as a 'responsible State with advanced nuclear technology' and said 'India should acquire the same benefits and advantages as other such States.'

The agreement faces a tough passage in the United States Congress -- for it to become law -- but it has not dampened the optimism that the visit resulted in.

With talks of Bush visiting India early in 2006, the two countries can only look forward to strengthening strategic relations. So keep all your Bush jokes in check and get ready for the hype and hoopla of the Bush visit in a couple of months time.

4. A fresh start for Bihar

Political power doesn't always grow from the barrel of a gun; the ballot will do fine, especially in a democracy.

As it did in Bihar when the 15-year reign of Lalu Prasad Yadav and his wife Rabri Devi came to a resounding end after the year's second assembly election results on November 22.

For Nitish Kumar, who wrought the unthinkable, leave alone the undoable, the result must have come as vindication.

In the February assembly election, the voters did not give Nitish Kumar's political grouping a clear mandate, which led to the Raj Bhavan in Patna becoming the focus for reported intrigue to keep him out of the chief minister's post.

For Lalu, the reversal in fortune must be doubly galling, for Nitish Kumar was a confidant who succeeded in claiming Lalu's political space as his own.
Moral of the story: Never take the voters for fools.


5. National Rural Employment Guarantee Bill

Do not dismiss this just because it sounds too 'sarkari' to your ears.

The Indian Parliament passed the National Rural Employment Guarantee Bill, 2004 on August 23, 2005 which aims at removing poverty by assuring at least 100 days' employment. The government has pegged a minimum daily wage of Rs 60.

The Bill was chiefly designed by Belgian economist Jean Dreze whose books on the Indian economy were incidentally a source of information for director Ashutosh Gowariker for his film Swades.

The scheme will cost about Rs 40,000 crores (Rs 400 billion) annually and will be paid for by the Centre, state governments and some other government schemes.

200 districts will be covered under the Bill and will include all the 600 districts in the country within five years.

The Rs 60 per day for 100 days amounts to just Rs 500 a year which is minuscule in reducing poverty, but the government's efforts in getting the bill through is a landmark one.

This time it is seen as a genuine effort to tackle poverty.

6. The law finally catches up with Abu Salem

In much the same way he left India -- on the quiet -- gangster Abu Salem and his companion, starlet Monika Bedi, returned to the country on November 11, bundled in on an early morning flight from Portugal where the couple had been living and from where they were extradited.

For the Central Bureau of Investigation, which fought a long and protracted battle to bring Salem back to the country to face charges of conspiracy in the March 12, 1993 Mumbai serial blasts -- and to spill the beans on former mentor Dawood Ibrahim, the main accused in the case -- Salem was the biggest catch so far.

What was significant about the extradition was it came about without a formal treaty with Portugal.

The Indian government sought his return under the United Nations Convention on Suppression of Terrorism of 2000, to which India and Portugal are signatories. The Portuguese courts finally cleared the extradition, but only after India provided an undertaking that Salem would not be given the death penalty -- something the court in Mumbai, which is trying the blasts case, is reportedly not too happy about.

7. The invasion of the skies

Kingfisher Airlines, Spice Jet, Go Air and who knows how many more are to follow.

Years after being straddled with just a handful of domestic airlines to choose from, India saw three new airlines enter the skies this year alone.

With competitive fares, attractive deals and a new service culture, passengers found themselves flocking to ticketing counters as lower fares made air travel more affordable for the Indian traveller.

Kingfisher, which began operations in May, already flies to around 13 destinations, Spice Jet to 11. Both airlines will begin foreign operations in the next couple of years. Go Air, the latest off the runway, currently has fares as low as Rs 999.

So, Go, Spice up your travel and become the King of good flying times

8. The return of Vikram Seth

One of India's best loved writers was back home for a month to promote his latest book, Two Lives. This very personal book hold the fascinating story of Seth's maternal uncle, Shanti and his German wife, Henny.

Seth did a whirlwind promotional tour, reading passages over glasses of white wine to an enthusiastic audience that included governors, parliamentarians, diplomats and actor Aamir Khan.

In the part memoir, part biography, part history, Seth tells the story of his dentist uncle and his wife whose lives hold a wealth of experiences spread over three continents.

'What is important for a writer is when a reader is gripped by a book and delays his dinner to read a few more pages,' the writer had said during a reading in Kolkata.

Two Lives easily fits that bill. If you haven't read it yet, make it your first read for the New Year.

9. 60 years after World War II

War veterans from around the world with leaders from 56 countries gathered in Moscow in May to mark the end of the Second World War, which cost 55 million lives.

Two Indians, Commander V S P Mudaliar (retired) and Major General Bikram Singh Kanwar (retired), participated in the ceremony. Both men fought World War II as part of the British army and navy.

In India, on Remembrance Day, a small group of ex-servicemen assembled in Mumbai's Afghan Church to remember the dead. India is believed to have raised the largest volunteer army -- 2.5 million strong -- in the war.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh attended the memorial event in Moscow's Red Square in May. The paegent was a fitting commemoration of a war that changed the world.



Photograph: Jewella C Miranda

10. Now it is India!

In three months alone, international information technology majors and Non-Resident Indians have announced investment plans of around $10 billion in India.

Global technology giants Microsoft, Intel, Cisco and AMD have committed to investing $6.85 billion in India.

Big names like Hyundai, LG, Nokia, Samsung, Suzuki, Ford, Fiat have built or are building global-scale manufacturing hubs in India to serve other markets.

The world is sitting up and taking note of a confident India's rocketting economy, technological prowess, exceptional talent pool, enormous market, rising disposable incomes, and most significantly the immense promise it holds for the future.

It is creating world-class businesses in knowledge-based industries like software, IT enabled-services, and pharmaceuticals. It is on the threshold of becoming an economic powerhouse.

And the world wants to be a part of this success story.

Multinational companies are eagerly investing in India's information technology and manufacturing sectors, while foreign investors are pouring mega dollars into the nation's booming stock markets.

And this is just the beginning…

SOURCE- rediff.com

Are BPOs safe for women?

Pratibha Srikanth Murthy, an employee of the business process outsourcing arm of Hewlett Packard in Bangalore, was raped and murdered by the driver of the company-commissioned cab she was travelling in on her way to work in the wee hours of Tuesday.

This has sent shivers down the spine of BPO workers, their kin, and the Indian IT industry.

Women account for about 40 per cent of the 350,000 call centres employees in India. IT sector bodies, politicians and the police have now urged companies to offer better security to BPO workers.

Should women work night shifts? Or do you feel the Bangalore murder is just a one-off incident of crime?

Do you think women employees in call centres are given adequate security? What can be done to ensure better safety of BPO workers?

Thursday, December 08, 2005

Open your borders and let the customer in

Here is a short introductory piece on customer integration and co-creation, written recently for Conspectus magazine.

Tuesday, December 06, 2005

At IISC


At IISC, originally uploaded by My Imagination.

with friends