Thursday, September 18, 2014

Retaining & Enhancing India’s BPM Pole Position




To highlight the strengths and attributes of the rapidly evolving Indian BPM Industry, National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) today shared the findings of its recently concluded BPM Survey. The survey findings were showcased on the sidelines of the two-day NASSCOM BPM Strategy Summit 2014 in Bangalore. The summit provided attendees and delegates an opportunity to mingle with industry experts and work at synergizing efforts to evolve the dynamic BPM landscape, enabling it to deal with the ever changing global business trends.  

Speaking at the occasion, R. Chandrashekhar, President, NASSCOM, said, “The Indian BPM industry continues to evolve and grow extensively. The industry has transformed from its humble beginnings a decade back, into the nerve centre for BPM related activities for the globally inter-dependent economy. Over the last year, with global corporations requiring differentiated and focused solutions, Indian BPM players have transformed their approach by becoming transformational partners rather than executional partners. The services being offered are therefore, tailor-made for customer requirements, providing unparalleled value proposition to the business.”

Keshav Murugesh, Chairman NASSCOM BPM Council, said, “This has been an exciting journey for the BPM sector and it has created a phenomenal impact for global customers and our country. As we move forward, business outcomes are becoming the number one priority for global customers and as an industry we are creating a strategic partnership with our customers to deliver on these outcomes. A key agenda for the NASSCOM BPM Council is to showcase skills and careers in the BPM industry and change perceptions about our industry”.

At USD 23.2 billion of revenues in FY 2014, the BPM industry continues to evolve. Strong platform play and the emergence of new markets and verticals led to an exponential growth of the segment. The highlight of the year was the growing knowledge services segment followed by the marketing & data analytics and legal services domain. Major BPM firms also focused on transforming business processes through the use of new technology thereby leading to the creation of newer business models and services.

At the summit, NASSCOM also announced the top 20 BPM exporters in India for the year 2014. The list is topped by Genpact Ltd. followed by Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. And Serco Global Services in the second and third position respectively (Complete list below in annexure I). NASSCOM in association with Cushman & Wakefield also launched a report the evolving locations of BPM services delivery in the country titled, “Emerging delivery locations in India: the Rising Tide”  

Social Mission Trumps Money For Gen Y




 Over 70 per cent of organisations surveyed feel that Corporate Social Responsibility is an very effective engagement tool for Gen Y’ers

Digital natives believe in social good!

“I really admire Prime Minister Narendra Modi for using his birthday to help the flood victims of J&K” said 23-year old Neha digging into her sprout salad at her office canteen, sparking off a lively lunchtime conversation on how everyone was coming together to support those in crisis.

The new generation at the workplace is reshaping capitalism – profits have to be coupled with social responsibility. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a key tool in engaging Gen Y, according to a recent TimesJobs.com survey. More than 70 per cent organisations believe that it is a powerful engagement tool for Generation Y. This points to the fact that the younger lot is more loyal and more trusting of an organisation that contributes to the society at large.

In fact, 50 per cent of organisations across sectors have already initiated programs where they allow employees to devote some time during their official working hours to CSR activities reports TimesJobs research. While over 50 per cent of IT & Telecom organisations indicated that they employ CSR activities quite frequently to engage Gen Y, only 30 per cent organisations in BFSI do so. In the Automobile sector, the views are divided; only 50 per cent organisations indicated that they use CSR activities often to engage Gen Y. 

New Generation, New Ideas

“CSR today is not just a mere act of philanthropy but a crucial and effective engagement tool, to attract and retain a motivated workforce. This is one of the key reasons why many organisations are planning to launch CSR programs as part of their employee engagement strategy in the near future.” Explains Vivek Madhukar, COO, TimesJobs.com

“Our own group has set up the Times Foundation, as a platform for engaging on critical national imperatives to sensitize on issues, enhance public awareness and facilitate meaningful dialogues for addressing these causes. Initiatives such as “Teach India” and “I Lead India” campaigns have seen big participation from our employees.” adds Madhukar.

 “Social responsibility is no longer just a mandate from the government as part of a company’s policy but has become something very real. Today’s youth is not just driven by passion for work but they are also considerate about giving back to the society at large,” says Sameer Parwani, founder & CEO CounponDunia.

 “CSR helps to create positive vibes with Gen Y, channelising their immense energy into a benefit for the community and satisfying their urge to make a difference. Other obvious positive benefits associated are improved collaboration, camaraderie and a sense of pride in them that their organisation cares for things beyond business,” says Niketh Sundar, Sr VP-Global HR, QuEST Global. He adds that at QuEST, positive change is engineered through educational initiatives and from contribute to the needy, like the recent Kashmir floods.

Micromax & BSNL Partner To Drive Data Growth




Micromax Informatics Limited, India’s leading handset player and BSNL, a 100 percent Government owned company and one of the largest Telecom Service Provider in India today announced a strategic partnership with an endeavor to drive data growth in the country. Under this partnership, Micromax and BSNL will extend unique reverse bundling handset offers of free data usage of up to 2GB per quarter to the Indian consumers. BSNL’s focus on data innovation and its expertise in mobile network, along-with Micromax’s expertise in device marketing will redefine the user experience and take data penetration to the next level.

Commenting on the partnership, Vineet Taneja, Chief Executive Office, Micromax said, “At Micromax, it has been our constant endeavor to understand the Indian consumers and come up with products and services which act as a solution for their needs. We are delighted to partner with BSNL, as this collaboration will be an excellent unification of BSNL’s offerings and Micromax’s design capability thus enabling millions of Indian consumers to enjoy seamless connectivity through data usage, affordable call rates and other VAS services.” 

 He further added, “This partnership will further provide a major boost to better connectivity and internet adoption as BSNL’s pan-India network coupled with our innovative devices, backed by a strong channel and retail presence which will take these offerings across length and breadth of the country.”

A. N. Rai, CMD, BSNL was very pleased on association of BSNL with Micromax. He emphasized, “BSNL’s association with Micromax, one of the largest indigenous Mobile handset and data card manufacturers in the country, will create immense opportunities for customers by offering them high speed 3G data. BSNL has already provided 3G coverage in more than 2300 cities and towns of India and is committed to provide 3G coverage to additional towns. BSNL is providing best affordable 3G data services with free roaming facility.”

Under the partnership agreement, six Micromax devices will be bundled with the BSNL offers – X070, X088, P410i, MMX377G, A37 and A37B.

TiE's New Level Playing Field For Startups





 Delhi chapter of TiE; a global network of entrepreneurs and professionals, established to inspire start-ups to innovate and foster the essence of entrepreneurship, recently announced the 14th edition of TiEcon Delhi. The two day mega event, TiEcon Delhi 2014, will be held in the Taj Palace, New Delhi on October 17-18, 2014. 

As the parade of new technologies and scientific breakthroughs is relentless and is unfolding on many fronts, TiEcon will serve as a platform focusing on disruptive technologies impacting businesses by bringing them new customers or force them to defend their existing bases or inspire them to invent new strategies. The event will bring about opportunities to connect, collaborate and succeed at one mega gathering of accomplished entrepreneurs, thought leaders and industry captains. The participants will get an opportunity to experience special networking zones at TiEcon Delhi, creating those synergies enabling an organization to stand out, rise above the noise and remain top of the mind.  

The two day conference will include several exciting sub-themes such as Internet of Things: Find where you and your products stand as everything gets connected and how to leverage the technologies of tomorrow. Design Thinking: How design-specific cognitive activities that designers apply have come to be the mainstream for any business and activity. SMAC: How Social Mobile Analytics and Cloud are changing the way we do business. Travel/Lifetstyle/Design: What are the trends in these mainstream businesses? Social Entrepreneurship: How BoP has to move with the mainstream and how it makes for the irrefutable foundation of our society.

The TiEcon Delhi 2014 will see participation from over more than 1500 delegates including India’s leading business leaders, innovators and investors. TiEcon Delhi 2014 takes pride in being a content and value driven conference, with each session having curated content and focused speakers. Some of the Ashish Dhawan - Central Square Foundation, Ravi Adusumalli - SAIF Partners, Ashish Goel - Urban Ladder, Suchi Mukherjee -  LimeRoad, Peyush Bansal – Lenskart, Mithun Sacheti – Caratlane, Patu Keswani - Lemon Tree Hotels, Isaac George –Wipro, Amit Manga - J.Perrot Enterprises, Siddharth Sharma - Foundations PRand A.Muruganantham - Inventor, Jayashree Industries.   

Avishkara Launched To Accelerate Science & Innovation in Karnataka




 Intel India in association with the Department of Public Instruction, Govt. of Karnataka* and Agastya Foundation today launched Avishkara - Karnataka Student Innovation Program at the Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum*, Bangalore. Aimed at fostering the next generation of innovators by accelerating science & innovation in Karnataka, the Program will promote ‘STEM’ (Science Technology Engineering and Math) initiatives in the State, and drive greater collaboration to promote research and innovation. 

Present at the event was S R Patil, Minister for IT, BT and ST, Government of Karnataka along with Mohammed Mohsin, IAS, Commissioner for Public Instruction, Department of Public Instruction, Govt. of Karnataka, and Jitendra Chaddah, Director, Strategic Relations and Operations, Intel India. Also present were KG Kumar, Director, Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum, Bangalore, and Ramji Raghavan, Founder, Agastya Foundation.

S R Patil inaugurated the ‘Intel  Galileo Corner’, a hub to provide hands-on experience and inculcate a Do It Yourself (DIY) culture amongst students while popularizing design and innovation at the Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum, Bangalore. He also flagged off of the iMobile Program, an initiative of Agastya Foundation supported by Intel to provide science, innovation and digital literacy skills to the rural community at their doorstep. Several students from Karnataka, who were IRIS National Fair Winners and have represented India at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, the world's largest international pre-college science competition, were also felicitated at the event. 

On the occasion, Jitendra Chaddah, Director, Strategic Relations and Operations, Intel India said, “Intel believes that young minds are the key to taking on big ideas, and a strong STEM foundation is crucial for their success. We are happy to work with the Government of Karnataka, Agastya Foundation and the Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum, Bangalore on a wide array of STEM-centred initiatives and   resources, designed to inspire innovative spirit among students and result in better learning and great discovery.”

S R Patil, Honorable Minister for IT, BT and ST, Govt. of Karnataka said, “Education is the key to the country’s economic future. We need to encourage students to pursue education that focuses on exploration, discovery & innovation.  We need talent to compete globally, and we will need even more in the future. It is not a matter of choice- For India to remain the global innovation leader; we must make the most of all of the potential talent this country has to offer. We are fortunate to have technology giant like Intel being pioneers to provide such opportunity to the educators and students in the state of Karnataka. The Innovation program launched in the state is laudable and will inspire the young generation in the right direction.” 

“This is a decade of innovation and today’s workforce involves acquisition of multiple skills.  Therefore education has become vital and what better way to encourage teachers & students participate in innovation related programs.  We are very fortunate to have Intel leading the way and launching its program focusing on Innovation in the state of Karnataka.  It gives me great pleasure to see students from our state stand up to the International Competition and winning laurels for our country.  I am sure such initiatives will go a long way and build a smart track of young talent in India,” said Mohammed Mohsin., I.A.S., Commissioner for Public Instruction, Department of Public Instruction, Govt. of Karnataka.

“If we allow our imaginations to fly and sour high, creativity develops. All of us are creative by nature; as man has always been an explorer. But children are more creative because most of the things they do or see is happening for the first time in their life. It is at this juncture that they should be caught and trained. Science museums are the best place to start with, where creativity and innovative thoughts can move without hindrance by way of exhibits and activities to develop such attitude in them. We are happy to be associated with Intel in this journey to nurture creativity and innovation among children,” said K G Kumar, Director, Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum, Bangalore.

Avishkara is a joint initiative by Intel Education and the Department of Education, Karnataka to accelerate STEM-based governmental and non-governmental programs like Inspire and Initiative for Research and Innovation in Science (IRIS) which encourage student interest and participation in STEM related subjects. Earlier this year, Intel India and National Council of Science Museums* collaborated to set-up an ‘Intel  Galileo Corner’ at select NCSM* centres starting with New Delhi. This ‘Intel  Galileo Corner’ will give students’ access to the Intel Galileo Development Board  to help them build prototypes for their ideas of smart devices.This learning and discovery process would be helped by relevant technologists who will be on-hand to guide on potential usage capabilities of the platform. 

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