As part of its continuing effort to protect consumers and support legitimate online commerce, Microsoft Corporation today announced the filing of 52 lawsuits and the referral of 22 cases to local law enforcement in 22 countries against resellers who allegedly sold counterfeit Microsoft software on various online marketplaces. India is one of the countries where these lawsuits and referrals have been undertaken. In addition, Microsoft announced the release of a new educational guide to help consumers spot and avoid counterfeit software offered on online marketplaces. These announcements are part of Microsoft’s continuing effort to protect consumers from the dangers of counterfeit software and build on Microsoft’s first global enforcement action in 2006 to combat online marketplace piracy. Read more

Larry’s Column

A business opens. The initial marketing is current, attractive, and fits the targeted marketplace. The business becomes successful. As time passes the marketplace changes, competition intensifies, and products or services that were once at the “cutting edge” become surpassed, then outmoded. Sales growth slows or even reverses. Management scratches their collective heads and wonders whether to accept this ugly turn of events hoping it will somehow change to a positive direction or to act and do something about it.

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If a report in today’s TOI is true then the life of an Indian worker aged 22 is worth no more than Rs. 2 lacs i.e. $4000. Life of an Indian has never been precious anyway but this week the biggest emerging economy of the world with one of the biggest Top Billionaire list in the world, India Inc, touched new lows when it decided the life of an Indian worker was worth nothing more Rs. 2 lacs i.e. approx $4000. That’s the compensation Hyundai Motors paid when poisonous gas spewed out and choked to death the poor workers.

This is coming from one of the biggest car companies in India India Hyundai Motors. Worth noting are a few of these stats.

Age of people who died.

Sirish Karate 22

A Maran aged 32

Mohan Hingine 25

V Muthu 37

Ex-gratia payment given Rs.2 lacs approx. $4000

Rs.2 lacs is less than half the price of the cheapest car of Hyundai Motors.

Some other interesting quotes. According to the report in TOI “The South Korean auto giant’s India vice president for administration and HR, S Ganapathy, told TOI the company’s priority was to take care of the victims’ families. I do wonder how much this person’s life is worth in case of a similar gas leak!

Also according to the report “Hyundai Motor India has announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 2 lakh, of which Rs 1 lakh is from its managing director’s personal fund.”

Rs.1 lac ($2000) from the Managing Director’s fund! Ouch so much from the Managing Director’s fund! $2000 is the starting price of a Rolex in India. That’s also the around 3 months fees in an elite school in India. That’s roughly also the price for a good laptop in India. The same has been determined as the price of an Indian worker who died inhaling poisonous gases aged 22.

According to Hyundai Motors press release on its website “In Decemeber 2007 Hyundai Motors registers an overall growth of 16.1% in Nov `07 Domestic Sales rise by 15.4%. Hyundai Motor India registers steady increase in overall growth,Exports rise by 32.3 %

According to CNNMoney Hyundai Motors ranks 76 in the top 500 companies in the world. It’s revenues for last year were 66,666.0
(in $ millions that is ) and its profits were 1,319.0 (in $ millions again). The compensation this company paid for the life of a 22 year killed in a gas leak is $4000

Hyundai Motors India manufactures Santro, Accent, Elantra besides others. Rs.2 lacs is less than half of the cheapest car it sells.
According to HinduBusinessLine 5,30,000 cars is what the co. is looking at selling in 2008.

Hyundai Motor India Ltd, President and CEO, Mr H.S. Lheem, said that “By July, our second plant will be operational. This would increase our capacity to 5.3 lakh cars by next year, out of which 50 per cent will be exported and the remaining 50 per cent will be sold in the domestic market.”

Is Rs.2 lacs really a fair compensation for the life an Indian worker? Even if it’s an accident how much would Hyundai Motors pay for the life of a worker in US or Korea?

Based on its recent analysis of the communications software market, Frost & Sullivan has presented Aricent with the 2007 Europe Frost & Sullivan Award for Company of the Year. Through targeted marketing and events, Aricent has cannily enhanced its brand recognition among its existing, top-tier client base. Its global brand promotion exercise will get a leg up from its world-class innovative solutions, both current and future. Read more

Redback Networks, an Ericsson company (NASDAQ:ERIC) that makes video-centric routers for 75+ percent of the world’s largest triple-play networks, announced that Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) of India will use Redback’s SmartEdge(R) family of multi-service edge routers to deliver broadband services for up to 2.5 million business and residential users.

Under the new deal, BSNL plans to deploy Redback’s SmartEdge(R) 800 multi-service edge routers for multiple broadband services to more than 200,000 broadband customers in Bangalore and Chennai, India. By the end of 2007, Redback will help BSNL add more than 2.5 million broadband subscribers. Over the next three years, BSNL hopes to sign up to six million broadband subscribers, making it one of the top 20 broadband DSL providers worldwide. Separately, Redback manages more than 50 percent of India’s 2.4+ million fixed broadband subscribers.

“We thank BSNL for selecting Redback,” said Herve Brunet, vice president of sales and operations in Asia for Redback Networks. “India is one of the largest growth opportunities for Redback in Greater Asia, and we are pleased that Redback and Ericsson can help BSNL deliver broadband, voice, and video services over a full service broadband network.”

BSNL is the seventh largest telecommunications company in world, with more than 70 million wire-line and wireless subscribers. BSNL generated more than $8 billion in revenues last year and reported more than $2.26 billion in net income.

Separately, Redback announced the hiring of Krishna Kumar Peringhat as a South Asia Country Manager. Peringhat was previously with UTStarcom India Telecom (Pvt) Limited, where he held different sales and product management leadership positions. He also previously worked in sales and product management for Nortel Networks, in both India and the United States

New Delhi, Bangalore, December 5, 2007… IBM India has won the National
Award on Best Adaptability of Innovation to Provide Cost Effective
Technology for the year 2007. This was in recognition of IBM’s significant
contribution towards bringing persons with disability into the mainstream
by facilitating multiple modes to access information in the local language
and interact with IT systems and the Internet through natural interfaces
such as voice to increase the employability, productivity and self reliance
of persons with disability. Read more

Canon India strengthens its PowerShot range with two feature-packed new models - PowerShot A720 IS and PowerShot A650 IS. Packed with advanced processing power, the PowerShot A720 IS; compact and ergonomically designed camera is easy to use and swift to operate. Designed for ease of use with a 2.5″Vari-angle LCD screen providing a wide viewing angle the PowerShot A650 IS, offers unlimited creative possibilities.

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Nokia today announced fresh investments to the tune of USD 75 million towards its manufacturing plant in Sriperumbudur, Chennai, for the year 2008. This investment is geared towards enhancing the capacity of the manufacturing plant to cater to the burgeoning need of the Indian and other emerging markets. The manufacturing plant currently employs approximately 6000 people. Read more

Published in HindustanTimes.com on 4th Dec, 2007.

Is the ride getting bumpy for Microsoft Office?

Life in the world of Office Suites is getting into the fast lane with speed that is simply overwhelming. With newer players flirting with newer technologies and the Open Source getting collaborative like never before the world of Office Suites is seeing many changes. The undisputable market leader is Microsoft Office with almost 85% share but noteworthy is Sun Microsystems like yesteryears isn’t the only challenger. Google Docs, ThinkFree.com, Zoho.com, recently launched InstaColl.com’s Live-Documents.com are just few of the suites challenging Microsoft’s cash cow Microsoft Office.
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MakeMyTrip.com has been felicitated with the Galileo Express TravelWorld ‘Best Online Travel Agency in India’ Award. This makes the Company the first-ever recipient of the award for this category introduced this year. The development symbolizes the growing significance of OTAs in the Travel & Tourism Industry in India. Read more