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Thursday,
June 7, 2001, Chandigarh, India  
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Infosys,
AmEx, Tibco join hands How Net
users are fooled
Remote
system for tourists inaugurated Pepsi, Coke cross
swords over ‘apple’ |
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| Drawback
rates cut to hit bicycle export Ludhiana, June 6 The local exporters of bicycles and bicycle parts have expressed shock over the Finance Ministry’s decision to cut down the drawback rates of custom and excise duty on export of bicycles and their parts. The ministry has recently revised drawback rates from unit basis to ad valorem basis. This is expected to badly affect the small-scale exporters who have adopted Chinese strategy of selling goods to bulk buyers at lower than normal prices. MFN
status may figure at summit Shell,
Piaggio proposals cleared Computer
students duped of Rs 60 lakh NSE
FORECAST Elder Pharma a dark
horse CORPORATE
NEWS Tata Infotech net
zooms 117.54 pc
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Infosys, AmEx, Tibco join hands New York, June 6 American Express, TIBCO Software Inc., Infosys Technologies and WestBridge Capital Partners have joined hands for the creation of Workadia. Headed by an interim CEO, Mohit Mehrotra, who is currently the Vice-President of Interactive Business Development at American Express, Workadia plans to provide companies with customisable business intranets through browser accessed hosted portals. It will also offer consulting services to help customers select and deploy their intranet applications, content and services. The work on founding the company has been going on for several months in which the involved partners have lent their personnel, said Raj Mashruwala, executive V-P, marketing and engineering at Tibco. Workadia's initial round of funding totals $16.7 million, and it expects to generate revenue from licensing fees from customers, consulting fees and third-party product and service sales. Asked why Workadia would succeed where many application service providers (ASPs) had failed, Mehrotra said, "A lot of ASPs focused on a single space and did not provide a complete solutions platform." "And trust is a huge factor — that the product is being brought to them by Amex, Tibco, Infosys, and Westbridge, lent tremendous credibility to the product," focus group studies showed, he said. Sumir Chada, Managing Director of Westbridge Capital Partners, said, "A lot of ASPs failed because they did not have the right channels of distribution and branding." The company, which already has American Express signed on as its first customer, is already in its pilot stage with the platform. "We have decided we have to eat our own dogfood. All of us are going to be beta customers," said Mashruwala, adding, "Midsized companies will be able to get same benefits that large companies have been able to achieve but without the costs." He said revenues would come from services priced on a monthly basis, "like a subscription service," with additional charges for customised services. "Outsourcing of corporate intranets will be the way of the future for companies," said Phaneesh Murthy, Board member and head of worldwide sales at Infosys. Pierric Beckert, senior Vice-President for Interactive Development Business Development at American Express, said, "Workadia will bring a unique value to its customers. ... it will aggregate and integrate a wide range of business needs... using the combined strength we bring to the business." Mehrotra said Workadia would initially focus on U.S. companies in need of a complete business intranet service. Many of Workadia's initial target customers will be middle market companies or companies that want to outsource business activities. Overtime, he plans to expand its scope internationally. "There is an enormous, growing need for this type of service. This need, combined with the potential to draw customers from the American Express customer base, should give Workadia a leg-up in capturing market share," said Sally Hudson, research manager, Internet Infrastructure Services at IDC, a market research company based in Framingham, Massachusetts. Founded in 1850, American Express is the leading global provider of commercial cards and expense management solutions. Headquartered in Palo Alto, Ca., TIBCO Software Inc. is a provider of total business integration solutions. India-headquartered Infosys Technologies Ltd. is an IT consulting and service provider, providing end-to-end consulting for global corporations. WestBridge Capital Partners, is a U.S.-India focused venture capital fund with $140 million under management.
IANS
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How Net users are fooled London Kaycee was an active Internet user. She made friends via e-mail, instant messaging and even by telephone. A friend helped her to set up an online diary or ``weblog'', and over a two-year period, millions of Internet users visited it to read about her courageous struggle with leukaemia. She laid bare her feelings and fears for the world to see — and her honesty won her many admirers. The daily updates on Kaycee's battle with cancer became a regular part of many people's lives. When she went into remission, readers were overjoyed. When the disease returned, people sent her presents and cards to express their regret. Kaycee's mother Debbie even started her own site to help discuss the difficulties of caring for a child with leukaemia. Then, on 16 May this year, it was announced that Kaycee had died. It was not as a direct result of her cancer, but of an unexpected
aneurysm. Condolences came flooding in. Thousands of personal websites across the world posted messages of sadness. The Internet mourned. Well-wishers contacted the family, hoping to send cards and flowers to show their grief. But Debbie, who had seen how much support Kaycee had received from her Internet friends, flatly refused — even though she had never stopped gifts before. Cynical web-users at discussion forum metafilter.com decided to investigate Kaycee's story. There was no record of anyone matching her name ever living in Kansas. Local schools knew nothing of her. Photos purporting to be Kaycee were in fact of someone else — an innocent college basketball star who was still very much alive. Each item of evidence pieced together a complicated jigsaw. Kaycee Nicole hadn't died. She never existed. The whole operation was the work of a Kansas housewife, Debbie Swenson. Posing as both Kaycee and her mother, Swenson had started by constructing an online personality, but it spiralled into an increasingly complex deception as the diary became ever more popular. Once her cover was blown, she revealed the truth quickly with one final diary entry. "Her name was not Kaycee and she was not my daughter,'' Debbie wrote. The diary, she says
"was about the lives of three people who suffered with cancer. I am to blame for wanting to tell their stories. I am to blame for weaving the lives of all three together.'' When the hoax was discovered, Internet users were shocked, bemused and ashamed. Had they really been fooled so easily? Why — and how —did Debbie lie for two years? Tom Coates, who owns one of the UK's most popular weblogs,
plasticbag.org, believes personal writing on the web gives an immediacy of contact you can't get anywhere else. One of those most drawn into the Kaycee hoax was Randall van der Woning, a Canadian living in Hong Kong. Van der Woning was touched by Kaycee's story when he stumbled across her one day in an Internet chat room. It was he who decided to help her set up the website to bring the story to a wider audience — voluntarily giving up his time and money. Randall grew to respect Kaycee's dignity under distressing circumstances. He even spoke to her on the phone. Or rather he thought he was speaking to her.
"I sincerely believed there were two people I spoke with on the telephone,'' he reveals sheepishly.
"If it was only one, then someone is one hell of an actress. Whatever Debbie Swenson's reasons may be — and she refused to comment further — it is certain that her level of dedication to the Kaycee affair made it one of the most meticulous hoaxes the web has ever
seen. By arrangement with The Guardian |
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Remote system for tourists inaugurated New Delhi, June 6 Earlier, addressing the gathering, Mr Advani said the Indian tourism potential, is yet to be exploited and assured that all efforts will be made to promote it. Expressing concern over India’s image as high cost destination, Mr Advani said using latest available technology to facilitate tourists is a step, which needs to be complimented. The Tourism and Culture Minister, Anath Kumar said in view of immense economic and social benefits of tourism, it should be declared the area of national priority.” He said his Ministry is pursuing not only “One touch information system” to provide information on Tourism and culture, but also “one touch facilitation system” for tourists. His Ministry is working on several other information
technology projects which would provide tourism-friendly information on tips and enhance the image of the country. Very shortly, virtual re-creation of Hampi and Khajuraho CDs will be released to give glimpses of our rich cultural heritage. The Remote Presence System will give overview of the Delhi from the top of Qutub Minar without climbing it. The system, first of its kind in the country consists of two wireless, telero botic cameras fitted on the top of the Minar with its movements being controlled through touch screen kiosks at the bottom. The tourists can manipulate these cameras and view the scene as seen by the cameras. They can also take digital pictures and print them on a coloured printer. The most unique thing about the RPE is that one can even send photographs through E-mail instantly to friends and families worldwide. |
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Pepsi, Coke cross swords over ‘apple’ Bangalore, June 6 Hours after the first advertisement of Coke came out with the catch line: "bite into the crisp, crunchy, juicy, apple flavour soon" and "the biting freshness of Fanta's green apple flavour," Pepsi announced the launch of its Mirinda apple flavour. Fanta's green apple flavour is priced at Rs 7 for a 200 ml bottle while Pepsi's apple variant costs a rupee less. Pepsi officials say: "We are not entirely surprised by the competitor launching the apple product. We had announced our apple variant some months ago." Pepsi's catch line, based on the brand equity of Mirinda, is: "robust, aromatic, full bodied taste with bubbly entertainment." But they are clear about one aspect that has caused quite a stir in the branding industry. They would not be using film stars or sports personalities to promote the Mirinda apple flavour. Meanwhile, Coke has announced its plans to launch at least three more Indianised flavours in the domestic market shortly. On the occasion of the launch of Fanta flavour "green apple" in Chennai, Amit Jain, Coke's region operations director told reporters that Fanta watermelon would hit the market next, followed by three more Indian flavours. Interestingly, both cola giants have focussed their launch in south India. "The southern market is flavour-driven, unlike the north of India," says Deepak Jolly, executive vice-president, corporate communications, Pepsi Foods. But, as Kalathil puts it, "The trick is to get the consumer to taste the product as quickly as possible." That is the trick which the "competitor" would be playing. And for that, the Indian consumer could well get prepared for a media blitz.
IANS, PTI |
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Drawback rates cut to hit bicycle export Ludhiana, June 6 Mr S.K. Dhanda, the Vice-Chairman of Engineering Export Promotion Council (EEPC) and the Chairman of Bicycle Panel, has claimed that the decision will reduce the export business of local cycle industry by about Rs 200 crore. The Chinese strategy had helped increase the export business of cycle and cycle parts to Rs 700 crore from Rs 500 crore in a year. However, the government’s decision to decrease the drawback rates might result in bringing that to last year’s level. In a memorandum submitted to the Joint Secretary (Drawback), Ministry of Finance, the EEPC has pointed out that about 30 per cent of engineering goods from the region would be affected by this decision. Earlier, the cycle industry was able to get drawback duty on the basis of a specific unit without any link with the sale value of the products. However, the decision to link the drawbacks to the sale value will result in heavy losses to the industry. Mr Dhanda regretted that the government’s decision will affect the strategy of the small-scale cycle manufacturers to sell goods in Chinese market as well other countries at substantially low fixed on board (FOB) value than the normal price. Rather the big industrialists, selling products at higher prices, will get more benefits. |
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MFN status may figure at summit New Delhi, June 6 Industry sources here said the MFN status should be high on the agenda at the summit level talks, especially as India has given the status to Pakistan as per the agreement of the WTO. India could have approached the dispute settlement mechanism of the WTO to compel Pakistan to reciprocate India’s gesture but then it has not been done as Indian officials are averse to adding another acrimonious chapter to the already bitter ties between the two countries. Limiting trade to a restricted list of imports had greatly hampered bilateral trade which is reflected in the low levels of bilateral trade and high levels of unofficial trade which rough estimates place close to $1 billion. Bilateral trade between India and Pakistan is governed by Pakistan’s restricted list of importables and for decades Pakistan had stuck to the restricted list of 573 items. The list was later expanded during the second round of negotiations under the South Asian Preferential Trade Agreement (SAPTA), with Pakistan announcing concessional tariffs for India on several items which were over and above the restricted list. At present, there are only 600 items which are permissible imports from India. The development of a healthy trade relationship between India and Pakistan hinges upon Pakistan’s granting MFN status to India. According to a study titled `Freer Trade in India: Its Raison D’etre and Impact’, prepared by the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, realisation is growing in Pakistan that by extending MFN status to India, Pakistan can take advantage of import of agricultural produce like wheat, spices, tea and other edible items. According to official data of the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics, the recent trend shows that India has a favourable trade balance with Pakistan except for 1998-99. |
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Shell, Piaggio
proposals cleared New Delhi, June 6 Shell India’s proposal was among the Rs 588 crore worth of projects cleared by Mr Murasoli Maran. Among the proposals cleared was of Akzo Nobel Chemicals International BV which wanted to increase its foreign equity in the company from 74.98 per cent to 100 per cent at a cost of Rs 24.52 crore. A proposal by Piaggio and C Spa of Italy to increase their equity from 36 per cent to 85 per cent in the manufacturing unit of threewheelers, motor cars and motor vehicles was also cleared today. The FDI expected on this account is Rs 16.66 crore. |
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Computer
students duped of Rs 60 lakh Noida, June 6 According to information available from the police headquarters, a computer training
institute by the name of "ZAP Infotech" was recently opened in Sector 19. A sum of nearly Rs 60 lakh was taken as admission charges from 350 students @ Rs 17,000 per student. The managers allegedly escaped with the money, leaving their rented premises vacant. A case of forgery has been registered at Sector 20 police station in this regard. According to sources, two branches of the institute, one in Rajouri Garden, Delhi and another in Mumbai, had been earlier closed on charge of cheating students. |
Pentamedia to make ‘Buddha’ VIA to acquire firm in India Honda recalling 100,571 cars Oil prices tumble India invites investment in telecom |
bb
Parker in pact ICICI schemes CII delegation NFL Nangal unit UTI schemes |
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