T24: India's first unpaid mobile service

The innovations in the telecom sector continues. Now we have India's first unpaid mobile connection service called T24 (TALK24). The service is brought by Tata Teleservices and Future Group, the retailer. The T24 service has been launched on the GSM platform and provides a two way benefit to the customers.

Elaborating on what the two way benefit is, Mayur Toshniwal, CEO, T24 said that through this service, customers will reap in shopping benefits as they talk and talk time benefits as they shop.

How the unpaid mobile connection will work is when customers shop at any outlet under the Future Group tag, they will be rewarded with free talk time for every purchase made above  351. A subscriber needs to have a T24 SIM card to avail the unpaid mobile services. The per-second rates for calls will be applicable for the T24 customers on the Tata Teleservices' GSM network.

So the calculation here is simple. If you do a shopping of  3,001 in any Future Gropu store, you stand to get a free talk time of  150 on your T24 SIM card.

The stores covered under the Future Group chain include Big Bazaar, Pantaloons, Central, Brand Factory, Home Town, eZone and Aadhar, wherein you will get exclusive mobile connection and tariff plans under the T24 unpaid mobile service connection. 

http://www.siliconindia.com/shownews/T24_Indias_first_unpaid_mobile_service-nid-77317.html

IIM Indore student offered 32 Lakh per annum package

A student of Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Indore, has been offered a salary of  32 lakh per annum, the highest ever for the institute here.

An investment bank has made this offer to a student of 2009-11 batch, with a posting in India, institute sources said.

Last year, the highest offer was Rs 28 lakh per annum. The average package offered to the 'Post Graduate Diploma in Management' (PGDM) students this time around was 27 per cent higher than the last year, the sources said.

Over 100 employers from India and abroad participated in the final placement round. 

http://www.siliconindia.com/shownews/IIM_Indore_student_offered_Rs_32_Lakh_per_annum_package-nid-79255.html?utm_campaign=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_source=Subscriber

     

True life of a NRI (Non resident Indian) in USA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clRgupTDuW4

UK to exempt high earners from immigration cap

High-earning non-European professionals, including Indians, will be exempted from an annual UK immigration cap which will come into effect in April. 

The government yesterday announced that employers filling a vacancy that attracts a salary of 150,000 pounds or more will not be subject to the limit. 

Home Office Minister Damian Green made clear that the decision to exempt those earning more than 150,000 pounds a year from the annual limit was intended to make it as business-friendly as possible and to dispel claims that Britain was not open for business. 

"This shake up is part of the government's new annual limit on non-EU workers, which will take effect on April 6, " the British Home Ministry said. 

The David Cameron government last year had announced a permanent immigration quota intended to slash the number of non-EU nationals permitted to work in the country to around 20,700. 

Under the new system, employers will have to apply for a Certificate of Sponsorship (COS) from the UK Border Agency for a specific post if they wish to bring someone to the UK. 

Green said: "Britain needs to attract the brightest and the best to fill jobs gaps but this should never be at the expense of workers already here. 

"We have worked closely with businesses while designing this system, and made it clear employers should look first to people who are out of work and who are already in this country. 

"And those that do come here to work must know that we intend to make the route to settlement tougher. It can not be right that people coming to fill temporary skills gaps have open access to permanent settlement." 

The annual limit of 20,700 COS will be divided into 12 monthly allocations. Due to the likely demand in the first month, 4,200 COS will be made available in April. 

After that the limit will be set at 1,500 places per month. Any places that are unused each month will be rolled over to the following month. 

In the event that the monthly allocation is over subscribed, COS applications will be ranked using a points system designed to favour jobs on the shortage occupation list, scientific researchers and those with a higher salary. 

Once a COS has then been granted to an employer it must be assigned to the prospective employee within three months. 

Workers from outside the EU who want to come to Britain will need to have a graduate level job, speak an intermediate level of English, and meet specific salary and employment requirements.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/services/travel/visa-power/uk-to-exempt-high-earners-from-immigration-cap/articleshow/7507043.cms

Fastest wireless radio developed

 Researchers, several of them of Indian origin, have developed the first wireless radio that can send and receive signals at the same time. This makes them twice as fast as existing technology.

"Textbooks say you can't do it," said Philip Levis, assistant professor of computer science and electrical engineering at Stanford University. "The new system completely reworks our assumption of how wireless networks can be designed," a Stanford statement quoted him as saying.

Cell phone networks allow users to talk and listen simultaneously, but they use a workaround that is expensive and requires careful planning, making the technique less feasible for other wireless networks, including Wi-Fi.

A trio of electrical engineering graduate students, Jung Il Choi, Mayank Jain and Kannan Srinivasan, began working on a new approach when they came up with a seemingly simple idea.

In most wireless networks, each device has to take turns speaking or listening. "It's like two people shouting messages to each other at the same time," said Levis. "If both people are shouting at the same time, neither of them will hear the other."

It took the students several months to figure out how to build the new radio, with help from Levis and Sachin Katti, assistant professor of computer science and of electrical engineering.

The group has a provisional patent on the technology and is working to commercialise it. They are currently trying to increase both the strength of the transmissions and the distances over which they work.

http://www.siliconindia.com/shownews/Fastest_wireless_radio_developed-nid-79015.html

India,Japan sign free trade agreement

Japan and India signed a bilateral free trade agreement that would abolish duties on more than 90 percent of trade for 10 years.

Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara and Indian Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma concluded the pact in a ceremony at the foreign ministry in Tokyo.

The pact will "promote a strategic partnership between the two countries so that they can establish win-win relations and achieve growth", Maehara said.

Sharma said the pact "provides an overarching framework to promote our economic cooperation, both trade and investment, which will be rewarding for both India and Japan".

"We have noted in our mind that this will usher in a new era of economic engagement, which will bring development, innovation and also prosperity in both of our societies," he said.

The deal would eliminate tariffs on 90 percent of Japanese exports to India, such as auto parts and electric appliances, and 97 percent of imports from India, including agricultural and fisheries products, until 2021, the Japanese government said.

The two countries have been negotiating since January 2007.

Japan and India are also to continue talks on lifting employment restrictions to allow Indians to work in Japan as nurses and care givers. Japan, which is bracing itself for increasing health care requirements as its population ages, hopes to conclude the talks within two years, the government said. 

http://www.siliconindia.com/shownews/IndiaJapan_sign_free_trade_agreement_-nid-79014.html

Corruption kills the confidence of Indian investors

Corruption and the inflation are the major concern for Indian investors, according to a survey done by Value Note revealed. Arun Jethmalani, Managing Director Value Note said that the worries over inflation are still dominant but corruption has emerged as a major issue, and this kept the investors's confidence level low .

This survey was conducted in eight cities, Mumbai, Delhi/NCR, Kolkata, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Pune and Hyderabad. The survey says that corruption has come out as a new confidence killer with 19 percent retail investors, eight percent companies and 16 percent advisors stating that it was the most negative economic indicator in the current scenario. It became the major cause of concern over past four quarters.

The Confidence Index in December 2010 quarter is 146.3 that is 0.9 points higher from September 2010 quarter. The retail ICI stands at the highest points at 159.5 wheras the advisor confidence index and the corporate confidence index comes after ICI at 147.2 and 132.2 respectively.

http://www.siliconindia.com/shownews/Corruption_kills_the_confidence_of_Indian_investors-nid-78974.html

China orders curbs on international conferences

China's government has called for a reduction in the number of international conferences and forums held in the country, apparently out of fear the proliferating meetings are squandering public funds.

Officials across the country have been asked to restrict the number of international meetings they host and stop holding events with no "substance", according to the finance and foreign ministries.

Conferences with the same or similar themes must not be held at the same time or even at short intervals, the ministries said in a joint statement issued over the weekend.

State media reports on Monday suggested the new restrictions took aim at the spiralling costs of some gatherings.

Organisers should also refrain from inviting Communist Party officials or Chinese leaders to their events, the statement added, without giving a reason for the new rules.

The clampdown appears to be aimed at restricting wasteful spending on costly conferences that often rely on local government funding.

China has seen a surge in the number of international gatherings in recent years as it seeks to flaunt its rising soft power.

According to the International Congress and Convention Association, China was the ninth-most popular country in the world to host conferences in 2009, putting it in the top 10 for the first time, with 245 international forums held that year.

http://news.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20110214-263472.html

FOLK Hostel - A Home away from Home

 Are you...

• Tired of commuting long distances to your college/office?
• Feeling the pinch paying high monthly rent?
• Getting stressed living with difficult people?
• Frustrated eating undelicious food?
• Tired of leading an unbalanced life?
  
  

Would you be interested in a better quality of life?

FOLK Hostel offers a practical solution to these problems. Located at multiple locations across the city and managed by a team of professionals, it offers affordable accommodation to bachelors. The delicious vegetarian cuisine — prepared with utmost cleanliness and served to you with love three times a day is a delight. The greatest advantage, however, is the opportunity to stay with like-minded people in an environment that is friendly, encouraging and cultured.

Life at it's very best!

For further details send an email to folk.hostel@hkm-group.org 
or call 93412 80068, 934300 4550

 For further details send an email to folk.hostel@hkm-group.org 

or call 93412 80068, 934300 4550

 

--
Regards,
FOLK Dept.

www.folknet.in

For further details send an email to folk.hostel@hkm-group.org 
or call 93412 80068, 934300 4550

http://folknet.in/SS2008/html/folk-hostel

Soft skills define effective management

The era of hard skills is over. Now, in this highly competitive professional world, employers crave for managers with critical soft skills that are key to effective performance across all job categories. Acknowledging the importance of soft skills, some refer them as 'life skills' and researchers even call them the 'hard stuff' of management.

The transferable quality is the key differentiator between hard skills and soft skills. Hard skills are domain specific and cannot be transferred, but soft skills are transferable skills which are necessary for every domain. While technical skills are necessary to impress in job interviews and to get a job, soft skills are essential to retain it. Here is our take on some of the most important business skills a person should have in professional life.

1. Interpersonal Skills
A man's success largely depends on his relationships and interactions with others. A modern day manager does not solely rely upon his position or power. It is the manager's personal power base that makes his work easy and efficient. This skill makes him to get along with others very well. It demands respect for the views and sentiments of others. This is one of the key human relations skills necessary for success at all organizational levels.

2. Communication Skills
Many feel that communication forms the corner stone of soft skills. Proper verbal and written communication is an unavoidable aspect for management. Management being the process of getting things done through others, effective communication is essential. The technological advancements should be aptly used to reach out to people to disseminate information faster. The traditional chain of command is not strictly followed in today's organizational communication process as people skip levels in the chain of command to directly get to people they need. The biggest challenge here is to keep the personal touch while using the modern techniques of communication even when the nonverbal component is missing.

3. Team Work
A team includes people of different age groups, gender, qualification, status, skills and only a coordinated effort of all can bring in success. In another scenario, those with whom you cooperate are also those with whom you compete. Agreeableness and co-operation are the key factors here. The aspect of diversity should be seen beyond demographical characteristics because in an organization you will have to coordinate with engineers, human resource managers, marketers, and will have to deal with every other functional area.

4. Professional Ethics
India has been listening to series of stories where professional ethics have been drastically deteriorated. The modern day work culture demands high level of ethical behaviors. Employers do not wish to hire unethical people and teach them ethics. They prefer people who already possess those great qualities of ethical behaviors. As each employ is a part of the organization, the employer expects them to contribute their share to the successful functioning of the organization. It is high time that we promote employees who do the right things.

5. Time and Stress Management
To maintain your work schedule and pace of functionality, you should have a proper time management system. Prioritizing the work and scheduling your time accordingly will help you achieve this. Important works should be taken first and allotted more time. Calmness of mind brings an excellent working condition. The physical, mental and emotional stress associated with your job should be reduced by finding proper methods of relaxation to your body and mind.

Soft skills such as self-awareness, analytical thinking, willingness to change, agility, flexibility, creativity, diplomacy, and problem-solving skills are essential for professional success. Soft skills are obviously not a replacement for hard or technical skills, but they are as essential as hard skills for organizational and personal success. 

http://www.siliconindia.com/shownews/Soft_skills_defines_effective_management-nid-78221.html?utm_campaign=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_source=Subscriber