Category Archives: Business & Economy

Harman Opens Bangalore’s First Exclusive Harman Lifestyle Showroom

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Science & Technology

Saturday, February 16, 2013:

HARMAN, a leading global provider of premium audio and infotainment solutions, unveiled its first exclusive store in Bangalore today. The exclusive Harman lifestyle showroom will feature a comprehensive range of its lifestyle products including JBL, Harman Kardon and AKG.

The store was inaugurated by Mr. Anand Ramamoorthy, Country Head and Managing Director, India Operations, Harman International (India) Pvt. Ltd., today in Phoenix Market City mall, Bangalore.

‘We are focused on providing customers access to our unmatched portfolio of speakers, headphones, docking systems and home theatre systems in India. At this exclusive Harman store, customers will have access to our audio/product experts and can experience our latest portfolio crafted to appeal to the needs of the Indian consumers” said Mr. Anand Ramamoorthy.

Harman recently launched the first ever JBL audio docks compatible with Apple iPhone 5, the first ever in the India market. In addition to this, several award winning Harman products including the Harman Kardon Soundsticks Wireless, JBL Flip, JBL Micro, JBL SoundFly, will be available at this exclusive store.

The store is located at G65, Ground Floor, Phoenix Market City mall, Whitefield, Bangalore. The first 100 customers can avail attractive discounts on their purchase**.

source: http://www.efytimes.com / Home> Infotech> Trends / Saturday, February 16th, 2013

Young entrepreneurs educate , entertain at VVCE

Business & Economy

Mysore, Feb. 12 :

Aspera NEN E-Week 2013, the Entrepreneurship Week celebrations organised at Vidya Vardhaka College of Enineering VVCE) in city, was inaugurated by young entrepreneur Varun Agarwal on Feb. 9 in the presence of Vidyavardhaka Sangha President Gundappa Gowda, Hon. Secretary P. Vishwanath, VVCE Principal Dr. B. Sadashive Gowda and Aspera NEN E-Cell of VVCE co-ordinator N.Manjula.

At an early age of 25, Varun has three startups in his name — Last Minute Films, Alma Mater and Reticular. He has been invited to give talks at institutes like IIT-Bangalore, PESIT- Bangalore. He has spoken on forums provided by INK TALKS and TED TALKS. Varun recently attended United Nations Young Change Makers Conclave and also received Young Achiever’s Award for the year 2012.

Varun has also authored a book on his journey in starting Alma Mater titled How I Braved Anu Aunty and Co-Founded a Million Dollar Company.

The inaugural function came to a conclusion by book signing ceremony wherein Varun quoted personal messages to persons who bought his book.

M.N.Vikram, chief instructor of martial sciences, conducted a workshop on self-defence for women. Vikram demonstrated a few techniques to tackle dangerous situations that girls can overcome with the help of common accessories usually found in every girl’s handbags like nail-cutter, hairpins etc.

On Feb. 10, the events started off with a workshop on making smart B-Plan presentation to impress the VCs. Nikhil Furtado and Kameshwar judged the B-Plan presentation with parameters like: idea, profit generated, presentation and market feasibility of the ideas. The second half of day 2 included evaluation and judging the venture ideas that the participants initially wanted to set up as real time ventures. This was judged by Nikhil Furtado, Kameshwar and Ashwin Dange, student entrepreneurs of the city.

A job mela was also conducted in which companies like Bajaj Allianze, Hinduja Global Solutions, ION Exchange, Nissan and Raman IT took part. On display at the college was a solar-operated phone charger designed by students of Aspera.

More than 100 students of VVCE and Maharaja’s Institute of Technology Entrepreneurship Cells performed Flash Mob at Ambavilas Palace premises.

Ten members of Aspera indulged the masses of Acchapan Koppal, a small village about 25 kms from Mysore, in a series of events. They taught computer and basic English to children.

On Feb. 11, a science fair was organised in which over 75 students from various high schools in city participated. Some of the models on display had bio-sensors, infrared sensors to detect the viruses used in biological and chemical warfare — during peace time, it could be used as a multi-task robot in a company and all its activities were remote controlled along with a wireless connection to a TV. Other exhibits included a model hovercraft, smoke and fire sensors made out of inexpensive materials.

Seminars were also held in which E-Leaders Abhishek Bhat and Swaraj Sarkar spoke on the importance of marketing strategies and effective documentation respectively.

As part of the E-Week, zonal-level 30 yards floodlight cricket matches are going on with 52 teams put up in fixtures fighting for the title of the tournament.

Health camp, gynaecological workshop, dental camp, eye check-up camp, workshop for women and debates were held.

Tomorrow’s Events: Talk by Shanmugha at 10 am, Idea Generation Workshop at 11 am, Android Workshop at 1 pm and cricket tourney at VVCE; Talk on Technology by Paulraj from RUDSET, talk on awareness of business opportunities, movie screening and cultural progs. at Acchapan Koppal.

source: http://www.StarofMysore.com / Home> General News / February 12th, 2013

Mohandas Pai speaks on Developing Next Gen Leaders

Business & Economy, Leaders

Today at the launch of GlobalNxt University for corporates and executive education, Mr. Mohandas Pai, a prominent thought leader and business leader in India, spoke about the challenges of developing the next generation corporate leader. At the 2 hour seminar at the Leela Palace, Bangalore, Mr Mohandas Pai and Dr. Jason Fitzsimmons, Dean, School of Business, at GlobalNxt University engaged the audience with insights on leadership, culture and the latest trends in training and development.

Mr Mohandas Pai spoke about how the nature of leadership has evolved over the years, and emphasized on the importance of organization culture and mentorship for institutionalizing leadership development. Dr Jason Fitzsimmons, Dean, School of Business, GlobalNxt University led the discussion on the role of academic institutions in building leaders, and how technology serves as an enabler to life-long learning.

The session was attended by C-Level HR executives from across industries discussing on one of the most critical challenges faced by todays organization – Leadership Development. We had participants from Microsoft, Infosys, Toyota, Britannia, PricewaterhouseCoopers, EMC & GE and more join us for this session. Mr Abhirama Krishna, formerly with Satyam Computer Services Ltd, shared his experiences in building the Satyam School of Leadership and was greatly appreciative of the quality and excellence of leadership training offered by the GlobalNxt team (or U21Global).  Watch our website for details of the next HR huddle.

source: http://www.globalnxt.edu / Home> News / February 12th, 2013

State gets honey from far off places to meet demand

Business & Economy, Nature

Bangalore:

Changing food habits has transformed the market for honey over the last few years. The industry has grown over five times in this period, challenging honey packers to strengthen their backward linkage to ensure product availability in the market.

So much so that honey packers in Karnataka have been sourcing honey from far off States such as Punjab, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand since production in Kodagu and Shimoga districts, the traditional honey producing regions, is insufficient to meet the growing demand. From about 500 tonnes of honey sold in 2005 in Karnataka, the market in 2012-2013 has reached about 3,000 tonnes, regional honey packers’ estimate.

“Honey, which was earlier used in very small quantities for medicinal purposes or in rituals, has now become a part of the monthly grocery list of many homes,” J.D. Shivashankar, Chief Executive Officer of Prakruthi, told The Hindu . “The steep rise is due to the realisation of health benefits by a large number of consumers and also due availability in stores that has increased volume sales,” he added. This increase has put pressure on the packers sourcing for good quality honey.

Packers here source sunflower honey from Bijapur, and Latur in Maharashtra, Dhaniya and Ajwain honey from Madhya Pradesh, Jamun honey from Rajasthan, Mustard and Eucalyptus from Punjab, Mustard honey from Haryana, Karanj and Lichi from Bihar and Jharkhand and also forest honey from Sunderbans in West Bengal, all depending on seasons.

While most of the packers offer multi-floral honey, a combination of honey; a few provide uni-floral honey depending on the season.

“The demand increased substantially since honey was being promoted as a health product. Today, it is not about sourcing honey, but how well it is processed and packaged to maintain quality,” said Chaya Nanjappa of Nectar Fresh, a Karnataka Village and Industries Board backed unit. One of the biggest processers and packagers of honey, Mysore-based Nectar Fresh is an ISO 22,000 certified company that offers both multi-floral and uni-floral honey.

“We collect different kinds of honey from our mobile units, depending on the season in the north and ensure quality product is received,” she said. There is a huge growth in the bulk supplies to hospitality, pharma and Ayurveda industries, she added.

source:  http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> National> Karnataka / by Sharath S. Srivatsa / February 15th, 2013

Mylan to collaborate with Biocon to develop & commercialise three generic insulin analogue products

Business & Economy, Science & Technology

Mylan, a global pharmaceutical company committed to setting new standards in health care, has entered into a definitive agreement with Biocon Limited for an exclusive strategic collaboration on the development and commercialisation of generic versions of three insulin analogue products.

Under the terms of this collaboration, Mylan will have the rights to develop and market Biocon’s Glargine (the generic version of Sanofi’s Lantus), Lispro (the generic version of Eli Lilly and Company’s Humalog) and Aspart (the generic version of Novo Nordisk’s NovoLog). Mylan and Biocon will share development, capital and certain other costs to bring the products to market.

Mylan will have exclusive commercialization rights in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the European Union and the European Free Trade Association countries through a profit-share arrangement with Biocon. Mylan will have co-exclusive commercialisation rights with Biocon in certain other markets around the world. All other transaction terms remain confidential.

According to public filings, reported worldwide net sales of Lantus, Humalog and NovoLog for 2012 were approximately $11.5 billion.

Heather Bresch, CEO, Mylan said, “This collaboration builds off of our existing successful partnership for generic biologics with Biocon and brings Mylan a portfolio of high-value insulin analog products. This collaboration further expands and diversifies our pipeline of complex, difficult-to-manufacture products with strong future growth potential. Importantly, we believe we have the opportunity to be one of the first generic entrants in developed markets into the rapidly growing diabetes area, helping to address unmet needs and reduce the economic burden to those battling the disease and to the global healthcare system.”

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Biocon’s Chairman & Managing Director, said, “Mylan is a natural preferred partner for our portfolio of generic insulin analogues and this collaboration only further strengthens our existing successful partnership. We are excited to team up with Mylan to be able to cost effectively address the disease and economic burden that diabetes poses to global health. We are confident that together we can build a strong global presence in generic insulin analogs and provide access to affordable therapy options to physicians, healthcare providers and diabetes patients worldwide.”

source: http://www.pharmabiz.com / Home>News> Corporate / by PharmaBiz’s Bureau, Mumbai / Thursday, February 14th, 2013

Shimoga to see a spurt in floriculture

Business & Economy, Nature

Farmers to get subsidy for setting up polyhouses, shade-nets under RKVY scheme

The inclusion of Shimoga district under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikasa Yojana (RKVY) is expected to give a boost to floriculture here.

Under RKVY, subsidy will be extended to farmers who opt for protected cultivation methods such as construction of polyhouse and installation of shade-nets in their farms. The farmers can avail subsidy of Rs. 4.1 lakh for constructing polyhouse measuring 1,000 square metres and an amount of Rs. 16.40 lakh for constructing polyhouse measuring 4,000 square metres. Similarly, a subsidy of Rs. 1.15 lakh can be availed for installing shade-net measuring 500 square metres and Rs. 9.45 lakh for shade-net measuring 4,000 square metres.

Deputy Director of Horticulture M. Vishwanath told The Hindu that RKVY had been implemented in 11 districts in the State, including Shimoga. An amount of Rs 1.08 crore had been sanctioned for the district under the scheme in 2012-13 to extend subsidy to farmers.

He said that as the climate in Malnad region was conducive for floriculture and the returns from it were also lucrative, farmers had showed interest in it. He said that 28 farmers were growing flowers and vegetables in the district in polyhouses at present.

Old scheme

So far, the farmers in the district used to avail subsidy under the National Horticulture Mission (NHM) to set up polyhouses. Under , Rs. 4.67 lakh is paid as subsidy to set up polyhouse measuring 1,000 square metres, and Rs. 9.34 lakh is paid as subsidy to setup polyhouse measuring 2,000 square metres.

However, availing loan from the bank was mandatory to claim the subsidy under this scheme. It was difficult for farmers who had already taken bank loans to avail this scheme. Such farmers can now avail subsidy under RKVY as borrowing loan from banks is not mandatory in this scheme.

Under NHM, the maximum size of the polyhouse to avail the subsidy is 2,000 square metres while under RKVY, subsidy is offered to set up polyhouse measuring up to 4,000 square metres. Mr. Vishwanath said that those who have set up polyhouse under NHM can go for expansion by availing further subsidy under RKVY.

He said owing to the introduction of RKVY in the district, there would be a rapid expansion of the area under floriculture. The NHM will also be available, under which those interested to set up polyhouse measuring up to 2,000 square metre and those who are eligible for bank loan can avail the subsidy, he said.

  • Rs 1.08 crore allocated under Rashtriya Krishi Vikasa Yojana for Shimoga district
  • Many farmers of the region have shown interest in taking up floriculture

    • source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> National> Karnataka / by Veerandra P.M. / Shimoga, February 14th, 2013

    MDI Labs opens its first unit in Karnataka

    Business & Economy, Science & Technology

    Mangalore :

    MDI LABS Germany, one of the world’s largest diagnostic testing services, has launched collection centers and processing units in Karnataka State, through its Indian subsidiary, MDI LAB India.

    The first centre in Karnataka was launched in Mangalore’s Indiana Hospital and Heart Institute, bringing cutting edge German technology and advanced accuracy of diagnostic testing services.

    According to studies conducted by MDI LABS, more than 90% of neonates and school girls and more than 80% pregnant women in India were found to be vitamin D deficient.

    MDI LABS India will battle this epidemic of modern civilization by offering advanced German technology and highly accurate testing solutions to patients in Karnataka.

    Dr Hans Rodger, MDI Berlin (Germany), Dr Yusuf Kumble, cardiologist, Indiana Hospital, Dr R Sathish, VP (operations), Indiana Hospital, MDI LABS India, Devendu Mehta, director, MDI LABS India, K Krishna Kumar, GM, MD LABS India, were present during the launch in Mangalore on Monday.

    The company plans to set up over 2,000 collection centers and 50 laboratories across the country.

    source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> City> Mangalore / by Stanley Pinto, TNN / February 12th, 2013

    The brand is an amoeba, not paramecium: Harish Bijoor

    Business & Economy

    Harish Bijoor, one of the key speakers at CIOL’s C-Change, talks about how brands can stay a step ahead of consumer aspirations

    Bangalore ,  INDIA:

    Wikipedia describes brand as the “name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller’s good or service as distinct from those of other sellers.” We can’t disagree on that, but when one goes a step beyond that description, there is a whole new meaning attached to it.

    For  Harish Bijoor , brand-expert & CEO,  Harish Bijoor Consults Inc.,  brand is a thought that lives in people’s minds.

    “The brand is a powerful thought that drives passion. A powerful thought that stays and stays. A powerful thought that leverages its way into usage, habit, attitude and power,” he says.

    Many companies have sustained change in maintaining their brand image. When asked to name name a few, Bijoor says, “In India, we have Vodafone that has gone through its many avatars of change. Worldwide, we have brands such as Starbucks, Google, and indeed Apple that have led the way with sustained change.” He didn’t leave out the telecom sector in India which, he feels, is a classic example of this dynamic change.

    Undeniably, in the changing environ, every company needs to have a strong brand strategy to be successful in the long run. “The environment we live in today, and the environment ahead is one of constant flux. In such a situation, brands need to keep pace with the flux. Brands need to stay alive, and ahead of consumer movements. Consumers change fast, but brands don’t. That is not such a great thing to do today.”

    He feels gone are the days when brand-thinkers would espouse the cause of the ‘constant and unchanging’ nature of brands. “I espouse a different cause today altogether. Brands need to be alive and kicking. As alive and kicking as the consumer is. In fact, brands need to stay one step ahead of consumer movements, wants, desires and aspirations.”

    “I don’t look at the brand as a paramecium. The brand is an amoeba instead. Brands need to behave amoebically in the future,” he says.

    Ask him how is social media changing brand strategy and pat comes the reply: “Social media and all the action you see on it is the true-blue barometer of all change in new and emerging society. Web activity today and everything we see on social media is the crucible of new society on the morph phase.”

    The recent social media revolution hasn’t failed to impact the brand giants. Bijoor says: ” Social media is forcing brands to adopt the contemporary. Social media is waking up slumbering brand giants from their otherwise somnolent attitudes. Social media is a great window for brands to peep into consumer lives and attitudes and learn from.”

    Despite knowing the reality, companies tend to make mistakes and fail in their digital brand strategy. The reasons range from lack of focus to understanding consumers’ pulse.

    Bijoor attributes it to lack of emphasis on consumer research that is digital-space focused. “Most brands tend to use old and outdated consumer knowledge from the physical world and super-impose it on the digital consumer. This just never works. These are two different spaces and the consumer in these two spaces is a very different animal in each.”

    So, what should the companies do? “It is important for the digital branding evangelist to believe in deep research in digital space. This is a patience-process. And most digital branding folk don’t display and have this patience. That is fault number one among maybe six other faults in this space,” says Bijoor.

    source: http://www.ciol.com / Home>News / by Preeti . S / Tuesday, February 05th, 2013

    Narayana Murthy, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw form BPAC to improve quality of life in Bangalore

    Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Uncategorized

    Bangalore :

    India’s only political action group formed by corporate heavyweights has begun its hunt for candidates to field in the assembly election due this year in Karnataka, an unprecedented effort by the business elite to influence politics.

    Headed by the likes of Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw and Mohandas Pai and backed by NR Narayana Murthy, the Bangalore Political Action Committee, or BPAC, was formed to improve governance and the quality of life of citizens in the technology capital of India by growing, and then, flexing some political muscle.

    Headed by the likes of  Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw  and Mohandas Pai and backed by NR Narayana Murthy, the  Bangalore Political Action Committee , or BPAC, was formed to improve governance and the quality of life of citizens in the technology capital of India by growing, and then, flexing some political muscle.

    BPAC, which launched its charter and agenda on Sunday at the hands of Murthy, said it has invited nominations from political parties and independent groups to identify suitable candidates for the election, due latest in May. Murthy, the chairman emeritus of  Infosys  , said he was hopeful that for the first time in his life he sees confidence that India can indeed solve its problems .

    “I don’t see the same kind of helplessness that I saw when I was in my twenties. Therefore, I believe this is the right time to wake up, build an aspirational dream and an action plan,” he said. Murthy who has been an influential voice on economic and political developments in the country, urged political parties to publish their lists of candidates at least 60 days ahead of elections so that there is enough time to verify their backgrounds.

    A Lobby for Urban Dwellers

    The beginnings of the group can be traced last year when Biocon  founder Shaw, Pai, and other eminent citizens of Bangalore came together to form a pressure group as mounds of garbage started piling up on Bangalore’s streets when the municipal body could not collect trash from the city.

    “Sixty six years after independence , the educated class in India seems to have distanced itself from politics due to corruption and bad governance . We needed to create a lobby for educated, urban dwellers and our fight for a better Bangalore starts from here,” said Pai, vice-president of BPAC and a former director of Infosys.

    Pai, who headed finance and human resources at Infosys, said BPAC would spend between Rs 1 crore and 2 crore on the upcoming elections and its yearly running expenses are estimated to be in the range of Rs 25 lakh to Rs 50 lakh. He said the expenses will be borne by the members and contributions from the public. The group, which also has other prominent Bangaloreans like retired IAS officer  K Jairaj, athlete Ashwini Nachappa , civil society activist Ashwin Mahesh and entrepreneur RK Mishra among others, said its first phase of work will begin by encouraging voter registration efforts to maximise people’s participation in the elections.

    “A lot of the problems happen because we as citizens are apathetic. Starting from Bangalore , we want to hold a candle for the rest  of the country,” said Shaw, chairman and managing director of biotechnology firm Biocon and an active commentator on civic issues. She said BPAC has already received queries from groups in Patna and  Kolkat  to set up similar networks.

    Bangalore contributes over 60% of the state’s gross domestic product  but of the 224 seats in the Karnataka assembly, only 28 are allotted to the city. BPAC members said they do not have candidates in mind as of now. “We will first find a candidate for the assembly elections , and later for the Parliament as well as municipal body elections,” said Jairaj.

    Shaw said BPAC aims to be an apolitical group, meaning its individual members have no interest in joining politics, but the group wants to be political in the governance it offers. The primary aim of the group is to curb corruption by financially supporting qualified candidates, irrespective of their party allegiance.

    By targeting corrupt politicians and bad governance, Jairaj said the group is aware that its agenda may rub the political class in the wrong way. “We have a clear agenda that could change the face of urban governance. Let the political class react,” he said.

    source: http://www.economictimes.indiatimes.com /Home> News> News by Company> Corporate Trends /by Indu NandaKumar, ET Bureau / February 04th, 2013

     

    Bangalore all set to host largest air show in Asia

    Business & Economy, Science & Technology, World Opinion

    Aero India, the largest air show in Asia and one of the world’s most important military aviation exhibitions, is all set to kick-start at Yelahanka Air Force Station here, from February 6 to 11.

    This biennial air show and aviation exhibition organised by the Defence Ministry along with Indian Air Force, DRDO, Department of Space and Union Civil Aviation Ministry, aims at showcasing the range of products and services offered by the Indian Defence Industry in the international market, a press release said.

    Aero India also provides an exposure to the Indian Armed Forces, R&D personnel and young engineers to latest technologies and advancements in the aviation and aerospace industries, release said.

    The ninth edition of Aero India would be inaugurated by Defence Minister A K Antony on February 6.

    The participation in Aero India has grown exponentially by both Indian and international industry since the first edition in Dec 1996.

    “This growth has immensely contributed towards modernisation of the aviation and aerospace sector of the three wings of the Armed Forces of India”, the release added.

    While Aero India 2011 saw the participation from 29 countries with more than 600 companies and gross exhibition area of 75,000 Sqm, the ninth edition is expected to see participation of over 700 companies and 78 overseas delegations, covering an approximate gross exhibition area of 1,25,000 Sqm.

    source: http://www.DeccanHerald.com / Home> National> Bangalore / by PTI  / February 04th, 2013